A Little Something...(Something )
We all love a snack. Italy is no exception. Here's how to ask for one.
For a country united around eating schedules, that prides itself on not eating fuori pasto (between them), Italian has plenty of words for snacks, including the adopted English one.
La Merenda: You Better Work
By far, the most common Italian word for snack, la merenda speaks to Italy’s obsession with ordered eating. There are three very clearly defined main meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
At the root of la merenda is the Latin, meritare (to earn). If you’re going to have nibble between meals, you better deserve it, children especially. After a music lesson, sports practice, and after school, la merenda is de rigueur.
La merenda, or merendina also refers to a little snack cake. Think: Twinkie.
Spuntino: Just the Tip
From the Italian spuntare. S + puntare (to point, from punta). In this case, the letter ‘S’ alters the meaning, in this case, just the tip of it.
Spuntare refers to trimming sharp edges to break the tip off a sharp object like a knife or scissors, or to prune plants.
Puntare is one of those words you can feel. It has a shape and momentum to it. Like the word spring.
In fact, spuntare means to sprout (like a seedling or spring’s first flowers), and to appear out of nowhere. The way we use ‘spring-up.’ Poetic!
As a snack, the spuntino takes the proverbial edge off a jabbing hunger pain.
Interestingly, spuntare also means to check things off a list. I can’t prove they’re connected, but imagine a row crocus tips, and a list of checkmarks. It’s a fabulous visceral and visual.
Somebody Stop Me: Fermino
This one is a bit obscure, but I’ve heard it around Rome enough times to get to the bottom of it.
Fermino comes from fermare: to stop.
Colloquially, fermino refers to a strategy in the card game, Briscola, wherein a player will signal their partner to lay down a lower-value card to slow the momentum so they can stop and regroup.
It can also mean to slow-down or stop raging hunger pangs. A snack, if you will.
Jab Me, Stab Me….Stuzzichini
Whenever you order a drink you can count on a plate of small salty snacks, which also go by stuzzichini.
A plural of stuzzichino, itself derivative of stuzzico via stuzzicare (to stab, jab, pick, or prick, or figuratively :to intrigue, to entice, to tempt). For the word nerds: stuzzicadente is a toothpick.
Stuzzichini come with the aperitivo and are always salty. Plenty of stuzzichini come stabbed on the end of a stuzzicadente. Say that three times fast and pass the olives!
Their job, along with dry or sparkling wine, or a bitters-based aperitif cocktail, is to get you in mood… for food.
The alcohol stimulates digestive juices while salty snacks get your mouth watering.
Stuzzicare is an evocative and sexy verb.
As an adjective, stuzzicante is captivating and makes purse your lips and say, “hmmmmm,” with a twinkle in your eye.