Wondrous Words Wednesday: What's for Dinner?

Is there a language more beautiful than Italian? Or a cuisine that appeals more to the senses? This week, I'm focusing on a few of the Italian foods mentioned in Keeping the Feast: One Couple's Story of Love, Food, and Healing in Italy by Paula Buttrini for Wondrous Words Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Kathy from Bermudaonion's Weblog. Because I have an uncorrected proof of this book I'm not supposed to quote from it, so I've written my own sentences to help convey the meanings of the words.


1. spaghetti alle vongole: Italian dish of spaghetti with baby clams in the shell, with olive oil, white wine, garlic, chopped parsley, and a dash of red pepper

Mama Lita's spaghetti alle vongole was a favorite at the Lombardi's house.


2. pizza bianca: "white" pizza; in Rome, the term refers to a flat bread topped with olive oil, salt, and sometimes rosemary sprigs (may also have thin slices of sausage or cold cuts), but without tomato sauce; In the U.S., the toppings also often include mozzarella and other cheeses, drizzled with olive oil, and fresh spices such as basil and garlic.

pizza con patate: pizza dough baked with thin slices of potato and sprinkled with rosemary

pizza rossa: pizza with various toppings, slathered with tomato sauce

At Medina's, we ordered a large garden salad and three kinds of pizza, pizza bianca, pizza rosa, and pizza con patate, to share at the table.


3. frutti di bosco: "Fruit of the Forest (or Woods)"; mixed berries, blueberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, and red and black currants, served in season; also refers to desserts such as gelato, flavored by berries

We sat out on the balcony savoring the balmy evening and the fresh frutti di bosco served for dessert.


Buon compleanno! I've just learned on Margot's blog, Joyfully Retired, that Kathy started Wondrous Words Wednesday a year ago, so this educational weekly meme celebrates its one-year anniversary today.

What wondrous words have you encountered during recent reading?

Wondrous Words Wednesday

I could resist no longer. Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Kathy from Bermudaonion's Weblog. Every Wednesday for the past few months, I've been visiting this exemplary book blog and adding Kathy's new words to my own growing vocabulary list. This week, though, I decided to try the meme myself, using some of the foreign words I've encountered during my recent reading. I hope it doesn't seem tacky or odd to use foreign words in English sentences. I wanted to do something a bit different with this meme, and these words caught my attention.


1. abbondanza: Italian word meaning abundance, plenty, copiousness (a cornucopia is a corno dell'abbondanza)

The abbondanza of Rome's outdoor markets sounds incredible.


2. ponentino: Italian word for the little west wind that blows at the end of the day; a romantic breeze

As the tired couple walked by the lake, the ponentino freshened their outlooks.


I love the beauty of these two Italian words, in sound and meaning, which I discovered in Keeping the Feast: One Couple's Story of Love, Food, and Healing in Italy, written by Paula Butturini. Because I have an uncorrected proof for limited distribution, rather than the final, quotable edition, I've written my own sentences to help convey the meaning of these words.

3. hsiao ch'ih: Chinese word meaning little eats

"Some days Betsy takes me out for American coffee, toast, and butter; sometimes I take Betsy into alleys for hsiao ch'ih--little eats, dumplings of glutinous rice wrapped in reed leaves or cakes made from cassia petals and sugar."

This is from Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.

What new words have you discovered during recent reading?