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Bruschette PIZZAIOLA
“Pizza-style bruschetta”
Bruschetta is the singular, bruschette the plural. Remember that hard CH sound in bruschetta, as in “cat”. Pizzaiola is a pizza maker, and its use here refers to pizza-maker-style sauce, a sauce or topping with tomato, garlic, and oregano.
Crocchette ricche in salmone fresco e patate
“Dog food rich in fresh salmon and potatoes”
With food insecurity affecting millions in Italy, I have a hard time looking at dog food with fresh salmon. But look I did.
Crocchette is the term used for dog food, while crocchetta refers to dry animal food or biscuits for pets. The phrase ricche in is interesting: in English we’d say “rich with” or “packed with.” Italian often uses ricco di rather than ricco in, but marketing copy likes to bend grammar for effect.
ESCA FORMICHE, ESCA INSETTICIDA SCARAFAGGI
“Ant bait, insecticidal cockroach bait.”
Esca means “bait” (also “lure” in fishing). Fun fact: scarafaggio is also used metaphorically for something dirty or unpleasant, not just the insect....just like English.
Italian omografi are words with the same spelling but different meaning depending on accent. The difference between formìca and fòrmica is in the stress. formìca (accent on the second syllable) means ant (the insect). Plural: formiche. fòrmica (accent on the first syllable) means Formica®, the brand name of a laminated plastic material, widely used for tables, countertops, and school desks.
“Our American peanuts.”
Peanut butter is still not widely used in Italy. We introduced some Italian friends to it on a camping trip (A Hike Around Lake Silvaplana), and they were hooked. According to Nutrionex, “Americans annually consume an average of 7 pounds of peanut butter per person”, while “Europeans consume [...] about 0.5 pounds a year”.
As for peanuts in Italy, you see them every now and then as snacks with aperitivo drinks and maybe a dish decoration.
Arachidi is the plural of arachide (no, it’s not a spider). Why is “American” written on the packaging? Because peanuts aren’t native to Italy—they’re imported, and the label indicates their origin. The possessive le nostre (“our”) is a marketing trick: it makes imported peanuts feel like part of the family.
NOCI CHE NOCE!
“Walnuts that… wow!” (literally: “Walnuts that walnut.”)
Staying with the nut theme, how about this wordplay? Noce is both the singular “walnut” and the third-person singular of the verb nuocere (“to harm”). But here it’s a pun: “Nuts that are really something” or “Nuts that knock your socks off.”
OLIVE VERDE SNOCCIOLATE
“Green olives, pitted.”
Snocciolate literally means “de-stoned.” The root is nocciolo (pit/stone).
Notice the family of words: noce (walnut), nocciolo (pit), nocciolina (peanut). We're keeping the nut/stone theme rolling, aren't we?
RISPARMIO ANTI SPRECO, scadenza a breve
“Anti-waste savings, short expiration.”
Spreco is wastefulness or squandering. Anti-spreco is a buzzword in Italy now, tied to sustainability. Scadenza a breve means “soon-to-expire.” Shops mark down products close to their sell-by date. It’s an example of how language reflects cultural shifts: frugality and eco-consciousness appearing in supermarket signage.
UOVA FRESCHE da galline allevate a terra
“Fresh eggs from barn-raised chickens”
Straightforward, but worth noting: uovo (singular), uova (plural) is one of those irregular plurals that switch gender. Un uovo (masculine), but due uova (feminine). Italian learners often trip over this, so the egg carton becomes a grammar lesson.
Allevate a terra literally means “raised on the ground,” i.e. not in cages. It’s one of the standard EU labeling categories for eggs:
allevate in gabbia = caged hens
allevate a terra = barn-raised (indoors, but free to move on the ground)
all’aperto = free-range (outdoor access)
biologiche = organic (with stricter feed and welfare rules)
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