Italian food idioms and sayings

Food is at the centre of Italian life, so it is no surprise that it appears all over the language. These idioms are heard at dinner tables, in offices and in the street. Each entry gives the literal image, then what it means, then an example.

Essere in alto mare

• Literal: "To be on the high sea."
• Meaning: To be far from finishing something, or still at an early stage.
• Example: Il progetto è ancora in alto mare. (The project is still far from done.)

Un uovo oggi o una gallina domani

• Literal: "An egg today or a hen tomorrow."
• Meaning: A small sure thing is better than a bigger, uncertain one. It is the same idea as "a bird in the hand".
• Example: Prendo l'offerta adesso: meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani. (I will take the offer now: better a sure thing today than a maybe tomorrow.)

Essere buono come il pane

• Literal: "To be as good as bread."
• Meaning: To be very kind and good-natured. Bread is a basic, honest food.
• Example: Mio nonno è buono come il pane. (My grandfather is as kind as can be.)

Rimanere con un pugno di mosche

• Literal: "To be left with a fistful of flies."
• Meaning: To end up with nothing, after expecting something.
• Example: Ho aspettato tutto il giorno e sono rimasto con un pugno di mosche. (I waited all day and ended up with nothing.)

Mettere troppa carne al fuoco

• Literal: "To put too much meat on the fire."
• Meaning: To take on too many things at once.
• Example: Hai messo troppa carne al fuoco: non finirai mai. (You have taken on too much, and you will never finish.)

Cadere dalla padella nella brace

• Literal: "To fall from the pan into the embers."
• Meaning: To go from a bad situation to a worse one. It is similar to "out of the frying pan, into the fire".
• Example: Ha cambiato lavoro, ma è caduto dalla padella nella brace. (He changed jobs, but it got even worse.)

Essere al dente

This one is a cooking term more than an idiom, and every Italian cook knows it.

• Literal: "To the tooth."
• Meaning: Pasta cooked until it is firm when you bite it. It is not soft or overcooked.
• Example: Scolo la pasta quando è al dente. (I drain the pasta when it is firm to the bite.)

Practice

For more everyday expressions, see everyday Italian idioms.