General, obscure & dialect

A

abbiocco: the enormous sense of drowsiness you feel after a big meal

acero: maple

acerbo: sour, or unripe

acida: sour (or acidic)

acidulo: tangy or tart, often used to describe goat cheeses.

acquasale: a simple soup of garlic, tomatoes and peperoncini served over bread (Basilicata); southern version of acquacotta

affinocchiata: flavoured with fennel seeds (often referring to sausages)

agro: sour. Not a favourite Italian taste! Something prepared all'agro means a dressing of oil and lemon.

alimentari: grocery shop

àmoli: dried prunes from Gorizia (Friuli)

annecchia: veal scallop (Naples)