New Jersey Italian Primer

I wonder if that is why I never cared for risotto. I have never had homemade risotto...my family never cooked it and it always seemed way to much work for me. I have had it out at restaurants a few times and it never did anything for me. Maybe I should consider making some at home to see if that makes a difference.

Gary - I almost never order lasagne/stuff shells/broccoli and cavatelli out at restaurants...but I have done so a few times in the Caldwell/Little Falls area when I was at work and wanted something like that for lunch...and I will say that there are some places that make great pasta! There is no shortage of good Italian restaurants and pizzeria's in that area...all family run by first and second generation Italians and it's definitely some good stuff.

btw, how do you pronounce cavatelli? We always called it "gava-deal". And we called ricotta, "rig-gought".

...btw, how do you pronounce cavatelli? We always called it "gava-deal". And we called ricotta, "rig-gought".

The Italians in our area also pronouce Soppresota "Super Sod" <accent>. As far as lasagna goes, this past Christmas when I made it, I experimented and put in a layer of roasted red peppers. It went pretty nice.

btw, how do you pronounce cavatelli? We always called it "gava-deal". And we called ricotta, "rig-gought".

New Jersey Italian Primer

ricotta = ree-gott (like you)
cavatelli = ga-va-deel (like you)
sfogliatelle = svoo-ya-dell ("oo" as in "moon")
connoli = ga-nools
prosciutto = brazoot
provolone = brivalone
pastichiotti = bastachut
pinoli/pignoli = bin-yool
Italian Wedding Cake = Italian Wedding Cake
pasta fagioli = basta fazool
acini di pepe = agina pep
soppressata = soopra sod
Nice Italian girl = coo-gee-nett

And I'm thinking this is only the tip of the iceberg. Maybe we should start a thread?

...btw, how do you pronounce cavatelli? We always called it "gava-deal". And we called ricotta, "rig-gought".

The Italians in our area also pronouce Soppresota "Super Sod" <accent>. As far as lasagna goes, this past Christmas when I made it, I experimented and put in a layer of roasted red peppers. It went pretty nice.

I should add that to my list, but we say "soopra sod."

[Jenise]

Gary said:

Maybe we should start a thread?

You just did.

My husband and I go back and forth with this. His business is in a small Italian town outside of Boston. Needless to say, over the years he has spent a lot of time in Italian restaurants and delis there. Apparently there, they pronounce Sopressata: So-PRESS-ada (Accent on PRESS). Guess the different dialects come into play, eh? Everytime I get it for him in Italian deli's out here in CA, they pronounce it so-press-AH-ta.

Funny about Proscuitto in Jersey being brazoot. In MA and RI, they say Prahzschoot.

LOL...at first I thought I had drunk too much vino because I was like, "I know I didn't start a different thread for this..." LOL!

Ok Gary...we do pronounce everything the same so far. My husband asked me about cavatelli the other day, because he could believe that I pronounced it so differently than it was spelled...LOL!

OK, here are few more:

mozzerella - moots-sahd-elle
biscotti - bee-skought
mortadella - mood-da-dell

A tomato based stew with little meatballs and zuchinni - "Jum-bought-tah"

Also...and I know you and I talked about this before Gary...but we almost always called ricotta "pot cheese" and we always referred to tomato sauce as "the gravy". So I always ate my "gava-deal" with "gravy" and "pot cheese".

Nice Italian girl = coo-gee-nett

Hmmmm...not familiar with this one...and I do have 2 younger brothers. I am SURE I don't want to know though...LOL!

Italian Wedding Cake = Italian Wedding Cake

My husband and I go back and forth with this. His business is in a small Italian town outside of Boston. Needless to say, over the years he has spent a lot of time in Italian restaurants and delis there. Apparently there, they pronounce Sopressata: So-PRESS-ada (Accent on PRESS). Guess the different dialects come into play, eh? Everytime I get it for him in Italian deli's out here in CA, they pronounce it so-press-AH-ta.

Funny about Proscuitto in Jersey being brazoot. In MA and RI, they say Prahzschoot.

When my daughter hits the Italian deli here, she has to watch what she says or she gets nothing except blank stares.

Immigrant Italian, especially in the third and fourth generation, is as close to a collection of ideolects as you can get. Even within families people say things differently. And then there's those pesky real Italians who come and confuse the issue all the more. Geez, you'd think it was their language!

He, he he, Maria! We have the same pronunciation for all those words, although we leave the "ah" off of "jam-bott."

Now, as to "cuginetta" (coo-gee-nett), it means "little girl cousin" and refers to the women like on the Sopranos. Meadow Soprano is a cuginetta, although Adriana and Carmela are true examples of such. Hey, you know them. Big hair, lotsa make-up, wraps on their fingernails, silk polka dot blouse, matching Capri pants, high heel mules with a powder puff on the them and long red toe nails stickin' out the front.

I wonder what Paulo has to say about all this. I mean he speaks Brazilian Italian!!

Hmm, ours were pronounced differently:

ravioli- kreplach
pasta- lukshen
biscotti- mondlbrot
caffe- ah glezl varm
verdure- karpas
ceci- arbis

Must be East Italy.

Hmm, ours were pronounced differently:

ravioli- kreplach
pasta- lukshen
biscotti- mondlbrot
caffe- ah glezl varm
verdure- karpas
ceci- arbis

Must be East Italy.

There are points of contact. For instance, Italian for band aid is a gaza strip.

Alright, I'm following along with interest.

Only, my giambotta doesn't have meatballs - it's coo-goots (zucchini) and onions cooked in tomato sauce - and something eaten on a night when meat isn't being served.

How about seafood? Don't youze eat seafood?

You got your skoonjeel and you got your oooobooop , and your merlootz. Unless you're serving galamahd.

Thanks for the memories. All of a sudden, I have an urge to punch someone in the face.

LOL John...

I always wondered about our giambatta recipe...I have never seen anyone else make it or it served anywhere. In fact, that is the first time I have seen how to actually spell it. I wasn't sure if it was a dish made up by my grandparents...LOL!

Maybe youze guys should post some recipes for it.

Our giambatta is made with zucchini, squash, onions, green beans, and tiny meatballs cooked in a marinara sauce. Then my grandfather would stuff squash flowers with a breadcrumb mixture and cook that in the stew as well. YUM!

And the seafood...how could I forget the shrimps and fishes!

Alright, I'm following along with interest.

Only, my giambotta doesn't have meatballs - it's coo-goots (zucchini) and onions cooked in tomato sauce - and something eaten on a night when meat isn't being served.

How about seafood? Don't youze eat seafood?

You got your skoonjeel and you got your oooobooop , and your merlootz. Unless you're serving galamahd.

Thanks for the memories. All of a sudden, I have an urge to punch someone in the face.

You talkin' to me?

Seafood doesn't like me too much, so the vocabulary doesn't readily spring to mind, but we also used "skoon-geel" to refer to someone who was PITA, local usage I suppose. Buit how could I forget "gala-mahld." That is a true sin of omission.

Did you also eat "cheese in gar-otts?" My grandmother used to like to make that.

It's funny. Whe you're out of the environment, the good stuff fades sometimes.

Our giambatta is made with zucchini, squash, onions, green beans, and tiny meatballs cooked in a marinara sauce. Then my grandfather would stuff squash flowers with a breadcrumb mixture and cook that in the stew as well. YUM!

Our "jam-bott" was simple a "mish-go-lanz" of summer veggies, but we also tossed sliced "saw-seedge" into it.

By the may, it was Mother's Day last week. Did you get your tomatoes in? Mother's Day was always the traditional day for this for us. More or less guaranteed that there would be no more frost.

[Robin Garr]

Did you get your tomatoes in? Mother's Day was always the traditional day for this for us. More or less guaranteed that there would be no more frost.

In Louisville it's Derby Day, one week before Mother's Day ... must be the southern location ...

Youza buncha stoonahds!

I couldn't resist a post. But I must say that the dialect we had in Brooklyn said all those words just about the same, only we put a vowel in front of most of them, like, "i-cala-mahd, i-cava-deel or a-stoonahd, and the ever-present "oo-gatz!

Nice to see you, Thomas! I've missed your posts.

Hey Thomas! How are you?

Stoo-nahds! That's what we would say when someone was a PITA! I couldn't think of it...ahhh...memories....what would my Brit hubby say?

Youza buncha stoonahds!

I couldn't resist a post. But I must say that the dialect we had in Brooklyn said all those words just about the same, only we put a vowel in front of most of them, like, "i-cala-mahd, i-cava-deel or a-stoonahd, and the ever-present "oo-gatz!

I was trying to keep this WLDG-G for all audiences, but I believe my vocabulary in this department is a great deal larger than in food department. But you got me thinking. In Rutherford, NJ on 155 Park Ave. there's a halloween costume shop called The Fun Ghoul. (Google it!!) You have got to have some big gozz' to put a sign up like that in Northern New Jersey!!

In Rutherford, NJ on 155 Park Ave. there's a halloween costume shop called The Fun Ghoul.

One of my dad's colleagues as an anesthesiologist was Italian. When my dad asked him how his day was going, he knew the guy was having a bad day if he answered, instead of his usual Italian accent, in perfect, carefully enunciated English, "I found gold" (with the accent, comes out like "ah, fun ghoul").

-Paul W.

Oh, boy!! It seems we forgot about the "ga-ba-gool!!!"