Arrabbiata, boscaiola, pancetta: the Italian words on our Dumfries menu, explained

The menu at Ivano's Italiano, the Italian takeaway at 11 Whitesands in Dumfries, is full of Italian names, from arrabbiata to boscaiola. This guide gives the plain English for each word, and what it means on our menu. If you've ever wondered what a Boscaiola is, or whether the Arrabbiata is hot, start here.

A note on spelling: our menu spells a few words its own way, such as Arrabiatta, Cippola and Tagliattelli. They're the same as arrabbiata, cipolla and tagliatelle.

Sauces and styles

Imperiale means "imperial". On our menu it's arrabbiata finished with fresh double cream: halfway between a tomato sauce and a creamy one.

Two words that mean different things in different places

Carbonara. In Rome, where it comes from, carbonara is usually made with egg yolks, cheese, cured pork and black pepper, and no cream. Ours is the creamy kind most people in Britain know: fresh double cream, pancetta and ribbons of ham.

Marinara. In Italy, a pizza marinara has tomato, garlic and oregano, with no seafood at all. In America, marinara sauce is a plain tomato sauce. In Britain it usually means seafood, and so does ours: our Marinara is prawns and mussels in arrabbiata, with a hint of chilli. There's more in our guide to seafood at Ivano's.

Meat and fish

• Pancetta is Italian cured pork belly, a close cousin of streaky bacon. Our menu calls it "pancetta (bacon)".
• Prosciutto cotto means "cooked ham": ordinary sliced ham. It's on our Prosciutto, Funghi & Prosciutto, Miami and Quattro Stagioni pizzas, and it's the "ribbons of ham" in our creamy pasta.
• Prosciutto crudo means "raw ham": ham that's salted and air-dried rather than cooked. Parma ham is the best known, and it's what goes on our Prosciutto Crudo pizza.
• Salsiccia is Italian sausage, as on the Salsiccia & Cippola pizza (sausage and onion).
• Pollo is chicken. Ours is cooked chicken fillet, sliced or in pieces depending on the dish.
• Tonno is tuna, gamberetti are small prawns, and cozze are mussels.

Vegetables and cheese

Funghi are mushrooms and cipolla is onion.

Mozzarella is the mild cheese on almost every pizza; ours is grated Italian mozzarella, and the Caprese salad uses sliced buffalo mozzarella. Mascarpone is a soft, rich Italian cream cheese, gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese, and parmigiano is Parmesan. If you're vegetarian, our vegan and vegetarian guide explains why the cheese is worth asking about.

Pizza names

• Margherita: the simplest classic, tomato and mozzarella.
• Quattro Stagioni means "four seasons". Traditionally each quarter of the pizza gets a different topping. Ours has ham, mushrooms, artichokes and black olives.
• Di Napoli means "from Naples". Ours has anchovies and capers.
• Toscana means Tuscany, Ivano's home region, as in our Vegan Toscana.
• Al Scozzese means "Scottish style": pepperoni, haggis and infused honey. Our haggis article has more.
• Bianca means "white": a pizza with no tomato. Our Bianca Pizza is cheese only, a plain 12-inch base for your own toppings (on sale once our kitchen has checked its allergens).

Bread, dough and pasta

• Calzone comes from the Italian for a trouser leg: a pizza folded over its filling.
• Focaccia is a flat, oven-baked bread; ours is our garlic bread.
• Panzanelle are our fried dough balls, not the Tuscan bread salad panzanella. Our article on focaccia, calzone and panzanelle explains all three.
• Penne means "quills" or "pens", for the tubes cut on a slant. Spaghetti means "little strings". Tagliatelle, from tagliare, to cut, are long, flat ribbons, usually made with egg.
• Risotto is an Italian rice dish. Ours come creamy or in tomato sauce.

The small words

Al and alla mean "in the style of" or "with": alla cacciatora is hunter's style, al tonno is with tuna, al pomodoro is with tomato. And Al Ivanos, our arrabbiata with smoked sausage and a touch of chilli, is simply Ivano's own.

Ready to order?

The full list is on our menu, and our pasta guide groups the dishes by sauce. Wondering how hot a dish is? See our guide to the spicy dishes.

If anyone you're ordering for has a food allergy, check our allergen information and tell us before you order: add it in the notes box at checkout, ring the shop, or tell us at the counter. Once we reopen, order at ivanos.uk, Thursday to Sunday, 4pm to 10pm, for collection from 11 Whitesands, Dumfries DG1 2RR, or delivery across most of the town.

Have an allergy? Please read our allergen information and tell us before you order.

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