Expressions in Dialect
Jammo cu’ ‘a pala! E Pronte cu’ ‘ a pala!
The pizzaiolo shouts this to prompt the oven worker to bring him the pizza peel so that he can place a pizza on it for baking
Comm’ addora ‘a vasenicola ‘ncopp’ ‘ a pizza
This exclamation reminds everyone to admire the beautiful smell of fresh basil being scattered onto a pizza
Mio signò, ‘ e vvulite ‘ e cecenielle ‘ncopp’ ‘a sti pizzelle?
In Naples the word ‘ceceniello’ means baby anchovies or sardines. In Italian these are usually called ‘bianchetti’.
The pizzaiolo says this to inform his customers that pizza with ‘cecenielli’is available.
Neh! Ca io me cocio!…
The pizzaiolo cries this when the pizza is extrememly hot
Ma che so’ brioche?…
Used to describe a very soft and fluffy dough like the one used to make brioche
Favurite, favurite. Ve ne magnate ciento int’ a ‘nu suscio ‘e viento.
The boy outside the pizzeria shouts this to tempt passers-by to try some pizza…. ‘so light you could eat a hundred of them in the puff of a breeze’
So’ quant’a ‘na rota ‘ carretta!
Describes a pizza with a large diameter, as big as a cart wheel.
Neh! Ca i’ me ne fuio!…
This expression has more than one meaning. It can mean that a pizza is so hot that you have to drop it and run or risk burning yourself. Otherwise it can mean a pizza to be eaten on the go whilst still hot, or it can indicate the speed with which a person can manage to eat a pizza when they’re in a hurry.
Favurite…’a tengo c’’o ceceniello e cu’ ‘a pummarola!
Used to encourage people to come into the pizzeria and try some pizza, either with fish or with tomato.
‘Na lira ‘a mamma e ‘a figlia
The boy would shout this in the street to let everyone know that for just one lira they could buy a whole pizza with a little extra slice thrown in. It was a kind of special offer.
‘O tengo cavere e chino ‘alice!
The pizzaiolo would shout this to let customers know that he is selling hot calzone pizza with anchovy filling.
Often pizza chefs would sing little songs or rhyming jingles, with words made up on the spur of the moment. These were called “voci”, or voices, and they were meant to draw the attention of potential customers and sell more pizza.
‘E tengo caure caure ‘ e ppizze!
‘E tengo c’ ‘o fungetiello e cù alice!
E bide soreta che dice!
Soreta dice: e magnatella ‘a pizza
C’’o fungetiello e alice!
The pizzas are hot, hot
with mushrooms and anchovies
Look which one your sister wants
Your sister says: eat a pizza
With mushrooms and anchovies
Another example would be:
Nu ‘rano, nu ra’ una e meza!
A grain, a grain: a pizza and a half!
Na ‘prubbeca, na ‘prubbeca
Three tornesi, three tornesi (the tornesi was a copper coin incised with the motto ‘publica commoditas’ which entered into
circulation during the reign of Philip III of Spain in 1559)
Cheste songo ‘ sotto ‘ Vesuvio
M’è scurruta ‘ lava ‘ ll’uoglio!
These come from under Vesuvius, the lava oil is dripping!
Nu soldo: a’ mamma e e a’ figlia!
Mother and daughter can both eat for just one coin.
Lo scomodo, expression used by the pizzaiolo to explain to the persona at the till that a customer had brought his pizza topping from home and so only had to pay for dough and labour.
Ogg a otto, In Neapolitan dialect this means ‘the same day next week’. This was a form of credit which was widely used in Neapolitan eateries: you dine today and pay in eight days’ time. It had two advantages: poor customers could take advantage of the offer and at the same time the pizzaiolo created a bond with his customer base.
L’ora ra tiella, A true metaphor describing both the oil boiling in the pan at the perfect temperature and the bustle of customers in the pizzeria during peak hours
Voll, è già caur, means that the oil has reached the perfect temperature
Il sospeso, is a tab left open for a customer to pay later
Comm cazz coc, These three c’s describe the perfection of either a fried pizza or one just out of the oven, translating something like ‘hell, that’s hot!’
Frienn e magnann, A Neapolitan expression which describes hot fried food which is immediately gobbled up
A nzogn è vullent, In the past food was fried in lard; you had to wait for it to melt before frying
Vott e man, This would typically be shouted by the pizzaiolo to encourage his kitchen staff to work faster
A chi vo a palett e o treppere la schiumarola e a votapesce, utensils for frying pizza
Vott a rind, The pizzaiolo shouts this to remind the oven worker that it’s time to put a pizza in the oven
Vai ca a pala, Expression meaning that it’s time to bring the pizza peel to the pizzaiolo because a pizza is ready for baking