Replies

Now that’s a very good point! Pasta is my favorite. But my mother was from Trieste, and those pictures of calamari and fried fish brought me back. Of course all of Italy is near the sea so that could be had anywhere.

But we don’t have to limit ourselves and have just one course! Each of these courses would be a bit smaller than what we are used to here, since they are intended to be ordered along with other courses. You would never get a huge plate of pasta. Unless you order two!

Here is the breakdown of an Italian menu:

There are four standard courses, but you definitely don’t have to order all of them.

An Italian menu can appear completely overwhelming. Primi, secondi, cortorni, and dolce can make a meal seem never-ending. Luckily, you can pick and choose which courses you want, or you can spend a leisurely few hours enjoying them all; dining in Italia is all about doing it your way.

If you’re feeling a little daunted by what each course entails, here’s our cheat sheet for an Italian menu:

Antipasti: Antipasti consists of small dishes that can be shared or enjoyed as an amuse-bouche-style plate. Anchovies, olives, artichokes, and cheese are typical Roman antipasti.

Primi: Primi means “first” in Italian. It’s not quite a starter, yet not quite a main, primi dishes are usually pasta, rice, or soup.

Secondi: Secondi means “second” in Italian and usually consists of meat or fish dishes. Secondi is sometimes split into pesce (fish) and carne (meat) courses, with fish being served before meat.

Cortorni: Not a course as such, cortorni means “side dish” and usually makes up the vegetable side dishes to accompany your secondi.

Dolce: Simply translated as “sweet,” dolce is the dessert course.

Digestivo: An after-dinner drink to settle the stomach, digestivo is the ideal way to end your Italian meal.