Glossary

L

laberinto literally, "labyrinth"; hollow, helical pasta

laccato (1) lacquered; (2) coated with a honey-based sauce prior to roasting (to produce a "lacquered" crust)

laganelle narrow lasagna noodles, usually served in soup with beans, hot peppers, and pecorino

laianelle ricotta-filled, moon-shaped ravioli made entirely by hand, without even the use of a rolling pin; usually stuffed with ricotta and covered with goat meat ragú

lampascioli A plant cultivated exclusively in southern Italy whose edible bulbs are eaten raw or pickled. Similar to the onion in appearance, the bulbs are bitter and can be found in greenmarkets throughout the country.

lanache homemade Pugliese hard-wheat pasta resembling thin tagliatelle and often sauced with stuffed mussels and pecorino

lancette small pasta for soup

lardo An aged, cured pork fat made to be eaten as an antipasto, or used as a flavoring. It's classified as a cold cut rather than a cooking fat, and comes in white slabs resembling bacon. For a perfect antipasto, lardo can be sliced paper-thin and eaten on toasted crostini.

lasagna, pl. lasagne Broad ribbon-shaped pasta, usually in plural; while width of ribbons can vary, narrower ones are often served in a bowl with sauce.

latte di mandorle literally, "almond milk"; milky liquid extracted from almonds to be used in sweets

latte fritto fried custard dessert

lattemiele sweetened whipped cream drink, or whipped cream

latticini fresh cheeses; milk products

leberknodelsuppe A filling soup that combines a rich meat broth with leberknodel. It is a traditional first course in Trentino-Alto Adige.

leccarda, alla drippings; served with the sauce made from the drippings of a roast

lepudrida vegetable soup with pork or beef

lesagnetes type of tagliatelle sauced with cheese or butter, or with ground poppy seeds

licurdia spicy vegetable soup of Calabria; spicy Calabrian pepper sauce

limonata lemon soda, lemonade

linguine thin, flat, spaghetti-like pasta strands (literally, "little tongues")

lombrichelli thick, handmade spaghetti

lucanica Light pink in color, lucanica is a type of sausage from Basilicata that can be eaten raw or cooked. Lucanica can be found throughout Italy but in different versions. Lucanica is prepared with both the fat and the lean parts of pork shoulder, then is seasoned with salt, pepper, and spices. The spices that are used are what differentiates one lucanica from another.

lumellu dried pork with hot peppers

lunetta, pl.lunette half-moon ravioli (potentially referring to anything small and moon-shaped)

** Glossary created with the help of "Dictionary of Italian Cuisine", written by Maureen B. Fant and Howard M. Isaacs. (The Ecco Press: New Jersey, 1998).