Literally 'little chopped-up'. Usually beef, or maybe pork; rarely, the word is used for chicken or fish dishes. The common beef spezzatino might be cooked with potatoes, or peas, or olives, or peperoncini (in the south). It might be served with polenta, gnocchetti or pasta, or spätzle up around the Alps.
In Basilicata they make spezzatino di agnello, lamb stewed with potatoes, onions and peppers in an earthenware pot.
Image by Franz Conde