When I was in high school, I worked at an old-school, authentic Italian restaurant.
Normally, waitresses are supposed to be pretty knowledgeable about the food they're serving.
But somehow, I managed to finagle my way through two rounds of interviews and get the job without ever having to say the name of a single dish -- and thank goodness because I basically had no idea how to say anything on the damn menu.
Seriously, it was so bad I couldn't even pronounce the name of the restaurant, let alone tell someone what the hell "carpaccio" was.
Unfortunately, not much has changed since then.
I still find myself adding random "Ts" into words like "motz-zer-ella," and I've resorted to ordering "penne Pomodoro" on every dinner date because it's the only Italian thing I know how to pronounce without sounding like an illiterate, uncultured a-hole.
At some point I think we've all been guilty of pointing to an entreé on the menu as we give the waiter a look of desperation that silently screams, "Please save me from butchering this word and embarrassing the sh*t out of myself!".
If you ask me, it's about time we actually learn how to pronounce the things we eat.
So we've created a handy pronunciation guide to finally teach you how to say all of your favorite Italian dishes like an OG foodie from the mother country. Bon appétit!
Gnocchi
Bruschetta
Bolognese
Guanciale
Antipasto
Biscotti
Parmigiano
Bresaola
Carpaccio
Cioppino
Pizzaiolo
Mascarpone
Frutti Di Mare
Espresso
Minestrone
Porchetta
Amatriciana
Agnolotti
Prosciutto
Ricotta
Mozzarella
Focaccia
Puttanesca
Arancini
Arrabbiata
