A Glossary of Italian Eateries and Markets
June 1, 1996

From Italy for the Gourmet Traveler, by Fred Plotkin.

Alimentari. A grocery store where you can purchase most basic food items you might need.

Bar. Not a dark room for hard drinking, but rather an Italian social institution where one can have coffee, juice, a glass of wine, a stiff drink, a sandwich, or a sweet. You will find that a visit to a bar several times a day will become a pleasurable part of your routine while you are in Italy.

Cantina. A wine cellar. Also, in a winery, the place where wine is produced.

Cassa. The cashier, as in a bar or food store. Traditionally, one pays the cashier before having a drink or taking one's purchase. The cashier will give you a receipt to show to the person behind the counter.

Drogheria. A dry-goods store. In Italy, this is a place that may sell bottled, packaged, and canned goods. It also may carry spices, candies, and detergents. Drogherie are often very interesting places that merit a visit, such as the Drogheria Giuseppe Micheli in Rovereto in the Trentino.

Enoteca. A wine store. Also a place to drink wine, often with small snacks.

Erboristeria. Literally, "herb store." Erboristerie are very intriguing, typically Italian stores that specialize in herb-based products. These might be soaps, hair dyes, liquers, elixirs, medicinal remedies. You will find an endless assortment of herbal teas and, in the Alto Adige, fruit teas. Of course, fresh and dried herbs are also sold, alone or in combination. A visit to an erboristeria will tell you a lot about how Italians use herbs in their lives. My favorite is in Ravenna.

Latteria. A dairy or store that sells milk, cream, butter, and cheese. In Fruili, latteria is common type of cow's-milk cheese.

Nonna, della (Grandma's style). This term appears on menus throughout Italy. While we are certain that every cook in Italy does not have the same grandmother, any dish that is della nonna suggests that it is made with loving care. Once, years ago in Verona, when I was still very new to Italy, I had a very poorly executed dish of tortellini della nonna. When I left the restaurant, I told the confused restaurant owner that I hoped Grandma was feeling better soon. I had not yet realized that there was a nonna's dish on almost every menu in Italy.

Osteria (plural osterie). A tavern or humble restaurant where wine is served as the main attraction and tasty food is prepared to wash it down. In certain cities there are now very upscale restaurants that call themselves osterie, so if there is a pricey menu displayed, you are not in a real osteria. These are great places to meet and enjoy the company of Italians you would never encounter in your customary travels as a tourist.

Ristorante Restaurant. In general, this is a more formal establishment with waiters, printed menus, wine lists, and so on. This does not make it better than a trattoria or an osteria, but the style of eating is often more ambitious, and prices are correspondingly higher.

Salumeria (or salsamentaria). A store that sells cold cuts, including salami, prosciutto, and other sliced meats. Cheeses might be sold as well. A lot of salumerie also carry olives, tuna, sardines, anchovies, and vegetables such as mushrooms, eggplants, onions, peppers that are preserved either in oil or vinegar. This is a good place to put together a tasty, all-purpose meal or to buy delicious if somewhat-fragrant ingredients or food to take on a train trip.

Trattoria (plural trattorie). One of the most popular eating institutions in Italy. A trattoria is usually family-run, and the food and service are usually more casual than in a ristoranti but also warmer and more personal. Clients become regulars at trattorie because their tastes and preferences become known, and they become part of the family.

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