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Italian Cooking Terms Trivia Quiz

I was brought up in an Italian household with these terms in every day use. But you probably know more Italian cooking terms than you think! I hope you have fun with the quiz and maybe learn a little bit too.

A multiple-choice quiz by Janeite. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
Janeite

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
296,005

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
9 / 10

Plays
8183

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

Last 3 plays: RacingBee (10/10), zp2000 (10/10), rlandi1 (8/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. When pasta is boiled just until you feel resistance on your tooth when you test it for being done, it's commonly known as what? Hint

Al dente

Risotto

Pesto

Undonde

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. What are you making when you mix eggs and thinly cut up vegetables (like potatoes and broccoli) and fry or bake them in a skillet? Hint

Risotto

Ricotta

Pasta e fajole

Frittata

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. You're in the grocery store or Italian market and see small fresh balls of mozzarella floating in a liquid. What's the correct name for what you're looking at? Hint

Marsala

Bocconcini

Pesto

Rigatoni

4. You are making a popular Italian dish. You've layered wide flat noodles, ricotta, parmesan (or reggiano), sauce and sometimes ground beef into a pan and then you're going to bake it. What yummy meal are you making? Hint

Pesto

Lasagne

Manicotti

Cannoli

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. You are crushing fresh basil leaves, garlic, pecorino or parmesan, olive oil and pine nuts together. You plan to pour the resulting mixture over your pasta. What are you making? Hint

Miso

Gnocchi

Mexo

Pesto

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. What is "gnocchi"? Hint

A dessert

Salty fish

Dumplings

Cheese

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Antipasto is most often eaten as an appetizer.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. What is marsala? Hint

A fortified wine

A soft drink

An aged cheese

A house in Tuscany

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Aioli is delicious on cold or grilled veggies and fish, crabcakes and other shellfish. It's yummy on potatoes and artichokes too. But what is it? Hint

Garlic mayonnaise

Balsamic vinegar

Polenta

Pesto

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Mozzarella, Parmigiano, ricotta, gorgonzola and provolone are all examples of what? Hint

Antipasto

Pasta

Cheese

Sauce

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When pasta is boiled just until you feel resistance on your tooth when you test it for being done, it's commonly known as what?

Answer: Al dente

"Al dente" actually means "to the tooth" or "on the tooth" in Italian.

2. What are you making when you mix eggs and thinly cut up vegetables (like potatoes and broccoli) and fry or bake them in a skillet?

Answer: Frittata

A frittata is basically an Italian omelette - it's just flat! It's so easy with no fancy flipping and worrying about keeping the omelette fluffy.

3. You're in the grocery store or Italian market and see small fresh balls of mozzarella floating in a liquid. What's the correct name for what you're looking at?

Answer: Bocconcini

Bocconcini means "little (or small) mouthfuls". It's packaged in whey or water or sometimes brine. Bocconcini originated in Naples, where my grandparents were born! (Naples is also the home of the pizza.)

Bocconcini are very mild and soft and are excellent sliced onto a plate with ripe sliced tomatoes, some fresh basil scattered over it and then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

Answer: Lasagne

Yes, lasagne! Please don't use cottage cheese - use ricotta, it's the proper cheese to use and it's truly delicious. Hint: A really easy way to get those pesky cheeses, meat and sauce to layer is to mix them all together and then layer them between the lasagna pasta sheets. Oh, and grate your parmesan or reggiano yourself.

It makes all the difference in the outcome of your Italian dishes.

5. You are crushing fresh basil leaves, garlic, pecorino or parmesan, olive oil and pine nuts together. You plan to pour the resulting mixture over your pasta. What are you making?

Answer: Pesto

Pesto is a rich, green 'sauce' that is really special on pasta. Use only the very best ingredients!

6. What is "gnocchi"?

Answer: Dumplings

Gnocchi is basically a northern Italian dish, made of potato flour or cornmeal and flour dough. They are rolled into various shapes (but most often into balls) and variously served with a tomato or pesto sauce and sometimes with melted butter. The origin of gnocchi goes back to ancient Roman times.

7. Antipasto is most often eaten as an appetizer.

Answer: True

Antipasto is an appetizer made up mostly of olives, sausages, cold meats, peppers, pickled cauliflower, artichoke hearts and sometimes cheeses. "Antipasto" means "before the meal".

8. What is marsala?

Answer: A fortified wine

Marsala is named after a town and associated region of Sicily and is a sweet, dark, fortified wine, much like Port. It is used in dishes such as Veal Marsala or Chicken Marsala.

9. Aioli is delicious on cold or grilled veggies and fish, crabcakes and other shellfish. It's yummy on potatoes and artichokes too. But what is it?

Answer: Garlic mayonnaise

Aioli is made basically with crushed garlic, egg yolk and extra-virgin olive oil. Some say it is a French dish, but my grandmother (born in 1896) never met a French person in her life and she made this for me when I was a tot and served it with artichokes.

Many Italians claim it as Italian. So French or Italian, whatever it is, it's delicious and the Italians have taken aioli to the heights of flavor.

10. Mozzarella, Parmigiano, ricotta, gorgonzola and provolone are all examples of what?

Answer: Cheese

Mozzarella is a fragrant, mild cheese originally made from water buffalo milk but now made from cow's milk. Parmigiano is also known as Parmesan. It is a hard cheese, aged for at least two years and is one of the world's best known cheeses. Ricotta is a firm but moist, unripened cheese, pure white in color.

It's most well-known use is in lasagna. Gorgonzola is a blue cheese and can be mild or sharp. Great in salads! Provolone is an all-purpose cheese that can be aged only two months for mild, or longer for a spicy, stronger flavor.

It's great on sandwiches!

Source: Author Janeite

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Leau before going online.
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