Italian cuisine is one of the most varied in the world. In addition to using diverse ingredients, it includes dishes with names considered “sconci” — a term that can be translated as strange or with a double meaning, sometimes through puns, other times through unusual references.
One of the most famous examples is the Pasta alla puttanesca, a typical dish of the Campania and Lazio tradition, but known throughout Italy and beyond. The recipe includes black olives from Gaeta, capers, tomato sauce, olive oil, garlic, oregano and anchovies.
There are several hypotheses for the name. According to the newspaper La Repubblica, one version claims that a Roman tavern keeper created the dish to serve to customers at a meeting house in the capital in the early 20th century. In the book Naples at Table, Arthur Schwartz writes that the recipe was born in a pleasure house in the Spanish NeighborhoodsOn Nápoles, where it was offered to feed customers.
Other examples in the tradition
Also from the Roman tradition is the Czech Pasta, made with tomato, mozzarella and basil. Despite the name, there is no double meaning: “Checca” is a diminutive of Francesca, the name of a cook.
The I would piss from Piacenza are small gnocchi whose name refers, in dialect, to a similarity with the male sexual organ, called “pisarell".
In Abruzzo, the Mule balls indicate a mortadella from Campotosto, in the province of L'Aquila. It is a salami with a peculiar shape, always sold in pairs — not a casual pun.
Similar is the case of Grandfather's Palle, typical salami from Norcia, in Umbria. The cazzimperio, ancient Roman pinzimonio from the imperial era, got its name from “cazza”, the mestolo (serving spoon). The poet Gioacchino Belli quoted him in verse: “Co ssale e ppepe e cquattro gocce d'ojjo Poderissimo facce er cazzimperio.”
In Lombardy, the cassoeula, a dish made from cabbage and pork, has a name that reminds us of “trowel”, the spatula or ladle used to stir the recipe.
Between sweets and tradition
There is also room for sweets on the list. Zizzona of Battipaglia It is a buffalo mozzarella famous for its large size, resembling large breasts.
In Sicily, the Minnie Mouse by Virgini are typical Sambuca sweets, shaped like breasts, filled with blancmange, chocolate drops and zuccata.
Tradition has it that Minnie Mouse by Virgini They were created by a nun, Suor Virginia Casale di Rocca Menna, at the request of the Marquise of Sambuca, who wanted a special sweet for her son's wedding.
Following the same theme, the Monk's love from Guardiagrele, in Chieti, are made with sponge cake and pastry cream.
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