Italian Dishes Names: Top 10 Funniest Names

10 Italian Dishes Names That Sounds Funny

Hello everyone! Today we are going to have some fun with a list of Italian foods with strange, absurd, and funny names.

Once you hear their names, we are sure you will be very curious to taste them all, and you won’t forget them.

Italian Dishes Names || Strozzapreti

Italian Dishes Names || Penne all’arrabbiata

Italian Dishes Names || Spaghetti all’assassina

Italian Dishes Names || Pane cafone

Italian Dishes Names || Pasta alla puttanesca

Italian Dishes Names || Minne di Sant’Agata

Italian Dishes Names || Coglioni di mulo

Italian Dishes Names || Cazzilli di patate

Italian Dishes Names || Bastardo del Grappa

Italian Dishes Names || Ammazzacaffè

Italian Dishes Names || FAQs

Italian Dishes Names || Strozzapreti

Literal meaning: priest chokers.

This type of pasta is native to central Italy, especially Emilia-Romagna.

There are several hypotheses about the origin of the name: it may come from the movement with which housewives made them, twisting the dough, which resembles the gesture of choking someone.

The second part of the name refers to the fact that this dish was often made for clergymen.

Italian Dishes Names || Penne all’arrabbiata

Penne-all-Arrabbiata-Featured
Source: mission-food

Literal meaning: angry-style penne.

A fans favourite around the world!

Penne all’arrabbiata is a popular Roman dish because of the simplicity of its ingredients (tomato, chili pepper and Roman pecorino cheese) and the deliciousness of its flavour.

The name refers to the fact that when we eat chili peppers, our faces often get red from the spiciness…

Kind of like when we get angry.

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Italian Dishes Names || Spaghetti all’assassina

Spaghetti all'assassina
Source: Wikipedia

Literal meaning: assassin-style spaghetti.

Spaghetti all’assassina is a spaghetti dish from Bari cuisine, served with a very spicy tomato sauce.

Its preparation is different from that of other spaghetti dishes: in fact, the pasta is cooked directly in the sauce instead of being boiled in salted water and then seasoned.

As with penne all’arrabbiata, the name refers to the spiciness of the dish.

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Italian Dishes Names || Pane cafone

Pane cafone
Source: Cookist

Literal meaning: rude bread.

Pane cafone is a product from Campania, which originated in the city of Naples.

Its name refers to the fact that it was consumed mainly by peasants, simple people without much culture, who were considered to be rude.

The dough is allowed to rise for long hours and can weigh up to several kilos.

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Italian Dishes Names || Pasta alla puttanesca

Literal meaning: whore-style pasta.

Not everyone agrees on the origin of the name of this dish.

An early tale traces the dish to early 20th-century Rome, where an innkeeper is said to have first made the recipe in a brothel for guests who came there.

A legend very similar to the first is the one told by Arthur Schwartz in his book “Naples at table.” The author claims that pasta alla puttanesca originated in Naples in the Quartieri Spagnoli in a pleasure house and that the owner invented this first course to refresh his guests.

Others, however, suggest that the name of the famous pasta may have been inspired by the flashiness of the undergarments of prostitutes: the red of tomatoes, the purple of olives, and the green of parsley and capers.

Italian Dishes Names || Minne di Sant’Agata

Literal meaning: St. Agatha’s tits.

Minne di Sant'Agata
Source: ilSicilia.it

This cake, which resembles female breasts, is dedicated to St. Agatha and her legend.

According to the legend, the young Agatha rejected a Roman count, and for this her breasts were amputated. She later became a saint and patron saint of the city of Catania, where this cake was invented in her honour.

The white icing that covers the sweets symbolizes the saint’s purity.

Italian Dishes Names || Coglioni di mulo

Literal meaning: mule’s balls.

Coglioni di mulo, or cojoni di mulo, is a salami shaped like a mule’s testicles, a typical product of Norcia.

It is made by hand stuffing finely minced lean pork meat (shoulder, loin and ham) into natural gut, leaving a lard of fat in the center that flavors the meat, enhancing its flavor.

This is then hand-tied and left to age naturally.

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Italian Dishes Names || Cazzilli di patate

Literal meaning: potato little dicks.

Cazzilli are a dish of Palermo street food, and are usually enjoyed together with bread and panelle (chickpea flour fritters).

Cazzilli (so-called because of their phallic shape… speaking of which, have you read about all the Italian swear words and expressions deriving from “ca**o”?) are croquettes made with mashed potatoes and seasoned with salt, pepper, parsley, fresh mint leaves and a pinch of minced garlic.

The mixture is blended and reduced into small chunks, and then fried in a large pan filled with boiling oil.

Italian Dishes Names || Bastardo del Grappa

formaggio bastardo
Source: Pianeta PSR

Literal meaning: Grappa’s bastard.

Bastardo del Grappa is a typical cheese from Veneto’s Grappa region, and its particular name comes from the fact that this cheese comes from an intermediate processing between different types of typical Veneto cheeses.

As a result, the resulting cheese is a hybrid or, more vulgarly, a “bastard” cheese.

Italian Dishes Names || Ammazzacaffè

Ammazzacaffè
Source: Laputa

Literal meaning: coffee killer.

The ammazzacaffé is not really a dish: this term refers to any liquor drunk at the end of a meal after coffee, to cancel out and thus “kill” the flavor with something significantly stronger.

The ammazzacaffé is usually drunk after large lunches or dinners, such as family dinners.

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Italian cuisine is known worldwide for its exceptional flavors, but you may not have known about its humor and originality in the names of dishes, which reflect the Italians’ playful approach to their culinary tradition.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. All that’s left to say is… buon appetito!


Italian Dished Names || FAQs

What is ammazzacaffé?

Ammazzacaffé is any kind of liquor drunk at the end of a meal, after coffee. It’s used to “kill” coffee’s bitter aftertaste.

Are coglioni di mulo made with mule’s meat?

No they’re not! They’re made with pork meat.

Why is Bastardo del Grappa called like that?

Because it’s a mixture of different kind of milk.

Are Penne all’arrabbiata spicy?

Yes, they are quite spicy (that’s why they’re called “angry-style”), but not too much.

What are cazzilli?

Cazzilli are potato croquettes, a typical street food from Southern Italy. The name is similar to the Italian curse word “cazzo”, meaning “dick”.

What is pane cafone?

Pane cafone is a kind of simple bread, which was usually consumed by “rude people” (peasants).

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2 comments

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  1. spaghetti
    Reply

    this was fun

    I've always enjoyed the sweet funky Brine of a puttanesca, however never knew of the namesake. makes sense! I fuck very good 🙂 thanks flexi classics.

    1. Max Hobbs

      Really glad you enjoyed it! Some great ones aren't there 🙂