Italian All-in-One For Dummies (51 page)

spigola
(
spee
-goh-lah) (
snapper
)

tonno
fresco
(
tohn
-noh
frehs
-koh) (
fresh tuna
)

vongole
(
vohn
-goh-leh) (
clams
)

Common simple preparations are
al forno
(ahl-
for
-noh) (
baked
),
alla griglia
(
ahl
-lah
gree
-lyah) (
grilled
), and
in padella
(een pah-
dehl
-lah) (
in the skillet
).

At the panetteria (bread shop)

In a
panetteria
(pah-neht-teh-
ree
-ah) (
bread shop
), you can try all sorts of different kinds of
pane
(
pah
-neh) (
bread
), as well as some oven-baked
dolci
(
dohl
-chee) (
sweets
).

In some Italian bread shops, you can also find
pizza al taglio
(
peet
-tsah ahl
tah
-lyoh) (
slices of pizza
) and
focaccia
(foh-
kah
-chah) (
flatbread
), and pay according to weight.

Talkin' the Talk

A baker in a bread store waits on two customers, Mrs. Belli and Paolo.

Sig.ra Belli:
Ha del pane biologico?

ah dehl
pah
-neh byoh-
loh
-jee-koh?

Do you have any organic bread?

Baker:
Ho dei panini, o questo tipo di Matera, tutti cotti nel forno a legna.

oh dey pah-
nee
-nee, oh
kwehs
-toh
tee
-poh dee mah-
teh
-rah,
tooht
-tee
koht-
tee nehl
fohr
-noh ah
leh
-nyah.

I have these rolls, or this Matera-style one, all baked in our wood-burning oven.

Sig.ra Belli:
Mi dà quello rustico per favore.

mee dah
kwehl
-loh
rooh-
stee-koh peh fah-
voh
-reh.

I'll take that hard-crust one please.

Quant'è?

kwahn-
teh?

How much is it?

Baker:
3 euro e 50 centesimi.

treh
eh
-ooh-roh eh cheen-
qwahn
-tah chehn-
teh
-see-mee.

Three euros and 50 cents.

Sig.ra Belli:
Grazie, e arrivederla.

grah-
tsyeh, eh ahr-ree-veh-
dehr
-lah.

Thank you, and good-bye.

Baker (to another customer):

Desidera?

deh-
zee
-deh-rah?

What would you like?

Paolo:
Un pezzo di pizza al pomodoro.

oohn
peht
-tsoh dee
peet
-tsah ahl poh-moh-
doh
-roh.

A piece of pizza with tomatoes.

Baker:
Così va bene?

koh-
zee
vah
beh
-neh?

Is this okay?

Paolo
Un po' più grande, per favore.

oohn poh pyooh
grahn
-deh, pehr fah-
voh
-reh.

A little bigger, please.

Baker
Così?

koh
-zee?

Like this?

Paolo
Perfetto, grazie!

pehr-
feht
-toh,
grah
-tsyeh!

That's perfect, thank you.

 

Items are priced according to weight, usually by
chilo
(
kee
-loh) (
kilo
). You know that when you hear
un etto
(oohn
eht
-toh), it means
100 grams.
Mezz'etto
(meht-
tseht
-toh) is 50 grams, because
mezzo
(
meht
-tsoh) means
half.
Likewise, a
mezzo
chilo
(
meht
-tsoh
kee
-loh) is
half a kilo.
Meat, fish, fruits, cheese, cold cuts, and vegetables are sold by weight.

Table 7-1
lists common fruits and vegetables that you may find at an open-air farmers' market.

Table 7-1 Fruits and Vegetables