Italian Food · Larry's kitchen notes
How to Read an Italian Menu
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An Italian menu gets easier to read once you recognize the course headings and a handful of kitchen words. This decoder covers starters, first courses, mains, sides and desserts, plus terms for cooking, sausage, peppers, onions, bread and wine. The pronunciation spellings are approximate English-friendly prompts, not a phonetic lesson; accents and local speech vary. Larry's useful warning comes first: peperoni on an Italian menu means bell peppers, not the American salami called pepperoni. Read the description, ask when you are unsure, and order what sounds good.
Quick answer
Italian menus commonly group dishes as antipasto (starter), primo (first course), secondo (main), contorno (side) and dolce (dessert). Al dente describes a firm bite; alla griglia means grilled. Salsiccia is sausage, peperoni means bell peppers, and cipolle means onions. English-friendly pronunciation spellings are approximate, and course headings do not require ordering every course.
Course headings, not marching orders
Antipasto, primo, secondo, contorno and dolce help organize a menu. A side dish may be listed separately from a main, and pasta commonly appears as a primo. You do not need to turn lunch into a full procession of courses. Read the descriptions and ask about the particular menu when something is unclear.
Language note: peperoni is not pepperoni
In Italian, peperoni means bell peppers. In the United States, pepperoni is a salami. Those similar words do not describe the same ingredient. Read the menu description or ask before ordering.
Compare the glossary entries for bell peppers and salsiccia.
Common questions
What is the difference between primo and secondo?
A primo is a first course, commonly pasta, rice or soup. A secondo is a main course, commonly meat or fish. Menus and dishes vary.
Do I have to order every course?
Course headings organize the menu; they are not a requirement to order every course. Ask the restaurant about its particular menu or service.
Does peperoni mean spicy salami?
No. Peperoni means bell peppers in Italian. American pepperoni is a salami; the similar spelling can be misleading.
What does al dente mean?
It describes food, especially pasta, cooked with a firm bite rather than becoming soft or mushy.
Are these pronunciation spellings exact?
No. They are approximate English-friendly guides, with capital letters indicating the emphasized syllable. They cannot capture every Italian sound or regional accent.