02-06-2025
'You say tomato': Italian chef corrects Australia's common mispronunciations
Australians relish the rich variety of cuisines in our cultural melting pot, but nailing the pronunciation of our favourite dishes could be tricky.
Diners may find themselves stumbling through the words 'prosciutto', 'orecchiette' or 'fagioli' and hoping their waiter won't ask them to repeat their order.
That's where Chef Enrico Marchese, executive chef at Italian Street Kitchen in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, has come to the rescue.
The Italian-born chef has shared a list of the most commonly mispronounced Italian food terms with this masthead to help diners "sound a little more Italian at your next dinner out".
The Italian chef warned of the common mistake made when pronouncing the word 'bruschetta'.
"In English, 'ch' makes a 'sh' sound, but in Italian, it's pronounced like a hard 'k'," Mr Marchese said.
"So bruschetta is actually broos-KET-ta, not broo-SHET-ta. Same with porchetta: it's por-KET-ta, not por-CHET-ta," he said.
The double consonants at the start of 'gnocchi' may be daunting, but Mr Marchese has a helpful tip.
"Many people say gnocchi as G-nock-ee, but the 'gn' in Italian is pronounced like the 'ny' in canyon, so it's NYOH-kee," he said.
READ MORE: Holy olio! Olive oil makers reveal their top tips
Words like prosciutto and focaccia often get butchered, the Italian chef said.
"With prosciutto, people often say pro-SHOO-to. But in Italian, the 'sci' is pronounced 'sh', and the 'u' sounds like 'oo', so it's more like pro-SHOO-toh," he said.
"And it's not fo-ca-sha, it's fo-CAH-cha. The double 'c' before an 'i' or 'e' is always a 'ch' sound."
Vowels may be pronounced slightly differently in Italian words. Some common mistakes included words with the letters 'i' and 'e', Mr Marchese said.
"An 'e' is always an 'eh' sound, and an 'i' is always an 'ee' sound," he said.
"So tagliatelle is pronounced tag-lee-ah-TELL-eh, not tag-li-atell-ee."
Australians relish the rich variety of cuisines in our cultural melting pot, but nailing the pronunciation of our favourite dishes could be tricky.
Diners may find themselves stumbling through the words 'prosciutto', 'orecchiette' or 'fagioli' and hoping their waiter won't ask them to repeat their order.
That's where Chef Enrico Marchese, executive chef at Italian Street Kitchen in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, has come to the rescue.
The Italian-born chef has shared a list of the most commonly mispronounced Italian food terms with this masthead to help diners "sound a little more Italian at your next dinner out".
The Italian chef warned of the common mistake made when pronouncing the word 'bruschetta'.
"In English, 'ch' makes a 'sh' sound, but in Italian, it's pronounced like a hard 'k'," Mr Marchese said.
"So bruschetta is actually broos-KET-ta, not broo-SHET-ta. Same with porchetta: it's por-KET-ta, not por-CHET-ta," he said.
The double consonants at the start of 'gnocchi' may be daunting, but Mr Marchese has a helpful tip.
"Many people say gnocchi as G-nock-ee, but the 'gn' in Italian is pronounced like the 'ny' in canyon, so it's NYOH-kee," he said.
READ MORE: Holy olio! Olive oil makers reveal their top tips
Words like prosciutto and focaccia often get butchered, the Italian chef said.
"With prosciutto, people often say pro-SHOO-to. But in Italian, the 'sci' is pronounced 'sh', and the 'u' sounds like 'oo', so it's more like pro-SHOO-toh," he said.
"And it's not fo-ca-sha, it's fo-CAH-cha. The double 'c' before an 'i' or 'e' is always a 'ch' sound."
Vowels may be pronounced slightly differently in Italian words. Some common mistakes included words with the letters 'i' and 'e', Mr Marchese said.
"An 'e' is always an 'eh' sound, and an 'i' is always an 'ee' sound," he said.
"So tagliatelle is pronounced tag-lee-ah-TELL-eh, not tag-li-atell-ee."
Australians relish the rich variety of cuisines in our cultural melting pot, but nailing the pronunciation of our favourite dishes could be tricky.
Diners may find themselves stumbling through the words 'prosciutto', 'orecchiette' or 'fagioli' and hoping their waiter won't ask them to repeat their order.
That's where Chef Enrico Marchese, executive chef at Italian Street Kitchen in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, has come to the rescue.
The Italian-born chef has shared a list of the most commonly mispronounced Italian food terms with this masthead to help diners "sound a little more Italian at your next dinner out".
The Italian chef warned of the common mistake made when pronouncing the word 'bruschetta'.
"In English, 'ch' makes a 'sh' sound, but in Italian, it's pronounced like a hard 'k'," Mr Marchese said.
"So bruschetta is actually broos-KET-ta, not broo-SHET-ta. Same with porchetta: it's por-KET-ta, not por-CHET-ta," he said.
The double consonants at the start of 'gnocchi' may be daunting, but Mr Marchese has a helpful tip.
"Many people say gnocchi as G-nock-ee, but the 'gn' in Italian is pronounced like the 'ny' in canyon, so it's NYOH-kee," he said.
READ MORE: Holy olio! Olive oil makers reveal their top tips
Words like prosciutto and focaccia often get butchered, the Italian chef said.
"With prosciutto, people often say pro-SHOO-to. But in Italian, the 'sci' is pronounced 'sh', and the 'u' sounds like 'oo', so it's more like pro-SHOO-toh," he said.
"And it's not fo-ca-sha, it's fo-CAH-cha. The double 'c' before an 'i' or 'e' is always a 'ch' sound."
Vowels may be pronounced slightly differently in Italian words. Some common mistakes included words with the letters 'i' and 'e', Mr Marchese said.
"An 'e' is always an 'eh' sound, and an 'i' is always an 'ee' sound," he said.
"So tagliatelle is pronounced tag-lee-ah-TELL-eh, not tag-li-atell-ee."
Australians relish the rich variety of cuisines in our cultural melting pot, but nailing the pronunciation of our favourite dishes could be tricky.
Diners may find themselves stumbling through the words 'prosciutto', 'orecchiette' or 'fagioli' and hoping their waiter won't ask them to repeat their order.
That's where Chef Enrico Marchese, executive chef at Italian Street Kitchen in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, has come to the rescue.
The Italian-born chef has shared a list of the most commonly mispronounced Italian food terms with this masthead to help diners "sound a little more Italian at your next dinner out".
The Italian chef warned of the common mistake made when pronouncing the word 'bruschetta'.
"In English, 'ch' makes a 'sh' sound, but in Italian, it's pronounced like a hard 'k'," Mr Marchese said.
"So bruschetta is actually broos-KET-ta, not broo-SHET-ta. Same with porchetta: it's por-KET-ta, not por-CHET-ta," he said.
The double consonants at the start of 'gnocchi' may be daunting, but Mr Marchese has a helpful tip.
"Many people say gnocchi as G-nock-ee, but the 'gn' in Italian is pronounced like the 'ny' in canyon, so it's NYOH-kee," he said.
READ MORE: Holy olio! Olive oil makers reveal their top tips
Words like prosciutto and focaccia often get butchered, the Italian chef said.
"With prosciutto, people often say pro-SHOO-to. But in Italian, the 'sci' is pronounced 'sh', and the 'u' sounds like 'oo', so it's more like pro-SHOO-toh," he said.
"And it's not fo-ca-sha, it's fo-CAH-cha. The double 'c' before an 'i' or 'e' is always a 'ch' sound."
Vowels may be pronounced slightly differently in Italian words. Some common mistakes included words with the letters 'i' and 'e', Mr Marchese said.
"An 'e' is always an 'eh' sound, and an 'i' is always an 'ee' sound," he said.
"So tagliatelle is pronounced tag-lee-ah-TELL-eh, not tag-li-atell-ee."
