Acquacotta
Soup · Tuscany
A rustic 'cooked water' soup of stale bread, onion, tomato and a poached egg.
Pair with: A lightChiantiorVermentino.
Knowledge Center · Food Guide
The Italian Food Dictionary
An A–Z of Italian foods you'll meet on a wine trip — from Piedmontese antipasti to Sicilian street snacks — with a suggested wine pairing for each and the region it hails from.
Baccalà
Fish · Veneto
Salt cod, most famously whipped into a creamy mantecato on toasted polenta.
Pair with: SoaveorProsecco Superiore.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
Meat · Tuscany
A thick, bone-in T-bone from Chianina cattle, grilled rare over embers.
Pair with: Chianti Classico RiservaorBrunello di Montalcino.
Bottarga
Fish · Sardinia / Sicily
Cured, pressed grey mullet or tuna roe, shaved over pasta or eggs.
Pair with: Vermentino di Sardegna.
Bresaola
Cured meat · Lombardy
Air-dried, salt-cured beef sliced paper-thin and dressed with lemon and olive oil.
Pair with: A lightValtellina Nebbiolo.
Cacio e Pepe
Pasta · Lazio
Tonnarelli in a glossy sauce of Romano and cracked black pepper.
Pair with: Frascati Superiore.
Cannoli
Dessert · Sicily
Crisp fried pastry tubes filled with sweetened sheep's-milk ricotta.
Pair with: Passito di PantelleriaorMarsala.
Caponata
Vegetable · Sicily
Sweet-and-sour aubergine stew with celery, capers, olives and vinegar.
Pair with: Cerasuolo di Vittoria.
Carbonara
Pasta · Lazio
Spaghetti bound with egg yolk, , guanciale and black pepper — no cream.
Pair with: Cesanese del Piglioor a leanFrascati.
Cotechino
Cured meat · Emilia-Romagna
A large pork sausage simmered slowly and served with lentils at New Year.
Pair with: Lambrusco di Sorbara.
Culatello
Cured meat · Emilia-Romagna
The prized heart-muscle of the ham, aged in the misty Po valley.
Pair with: Malvasia dei Colli di Parma.
Fritto Misto
Fish · Liguria / Campania
A tangle of lightly battered small fish, prawns and squid.
Pair with: Pigato orFalanghina.
Gelato
Dessert · Everywhere
Denser and warmer-served than ice cream; hazelnut and pistachio are national obsessions.
Pair with: Moscato d'Astiwith fruit flavours.
Gnocchi
Pasta · Northern Italy
Soft potato dumplings, classically dressed with butter and sage or a slow ragù.
Pair with: Dolcetto d'Alba.
Lardo di Colonnata
Cured meat · Tuscany
Pork fatback cured with herbs in marble basins from the Carrara quarries.
Pair with: A youngChianti.
Mortadella
Cured meat · Emilia-Romagna
The original Bologna: silky pink pork studded with fat cubes and pistachio.
Pair with: Lambrusco Grasparossa.
Nduja
Cured meat · Calabria
A spicy, spreadable pork salami built for hot bread and pizza.
Pair with: Cirò Rosso.
Osso Buco
Meat · Lombardy
Cross-cut veal shank braised until the marrow is spoonable, served with gremolata.
Pair with: Barbarescoor a matureBarolo.
Panzanella
Salad · Tuscany
Stale bread revived with tomato, cucumber, onion, basil and olive oil.
Pair with: A chilledVernaccia di San Gimignano.
Pesto alla Genovese
Sauce · Liguria
Basil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmigiano pounded with Ligurian olive oil.
Pair with: Vermentino della Riviera Ligure.
Pizza Napoletana
Bread · Campania
A puffy, blistered disc with San Marzano tomato, fior di latte and basil.
Pair with: Gragnano rosso frizzanteorFalanghina.
Polenta
Grain · Veneto / Friuli
Slow-cooked cornmeal served soft with stew or set, sliced and grilled.
Pair with: Amaronewith braised meats.
Porchetta
Meat · Lazio / Umbria
A whole boned pig, rolled with herbs and wild fennel, roasted crackling-crisp.
Pair with: Sagrantino di MontefalcoorCesanese.
Prosciutto di Parma
Cured meat · Emilia-Romagna
Sweet, air-cured raw ham aged at least 12 months on the Parma hills.
Pair with: A dryLambruscoorFranciacorta.
Ragù alla Bolognese
Sauce · Emilia-Romagna
A slow-simmered meat sauce of beef, pork, soffritto, wine and milk — served on tagliatelle, never spaghetti.
Pair with: Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore.
Ribollita
Soup · Tuscany
A twice-cooked winter soup of black cabbage, cannellini beans and old bread.
Pair with: A youngChianti Rufina.
Risotto alla Milanese
Rice · Lombardy
Carnaroli rice cooked with saffron, marrow and Parmigiano until creamy.
Pair with: Franciacorta Brut.
Saltimbocca
Meat · Lazio
Veal escalopes pinned with prosciutto and sage, finished in white wine and butter.
Pair with: Frascati Superiore.
Tiramisù
Dessert · Veneto
Layers of coffee-soaked savoiardi and mascarpone cream dusted with cocoa.
Pair with: Recioto di SoaveorMarsala.
Tortellini in Brodo
Pasta · Emilia-Romagna
Tiny stuffed rings floated in a clear capon broth — the Christmas of Bologna.
Pair with: A vintageFranciacorta.
Vitello Tonnato
Meat · Piedmont
Cold sliced veal blanketed in a creamy tuna and caper sauce.
Pair with: Gavi di GaviorArneis.
Zuppa Inglese
Dessert · Emilia-Romagna
Sponge soaked in Alchermes liqueur, layered with vanilla and chocolate custard.
Pair with: A glass ofAlchermesorVin Santo.