lievito in polvere
Baking powder in Italian is lievito in polvere.
lievito in polvere is used to refer to the dry leavening agent used in baking. In many Italian supermarkets, you will often find this product labeled as lievito per dolci, which literally means leavening for sweets.
Meaning: dry leavening agent used in baking (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of lievito, meaning yeast or leavening agent and in polvere, meaning in powder form.
Which one should you use?
Do not confuse lievito in polvere (baking powder) with lievito di birra, which refers to brewer's yeast (fresh or dry yeast used for bread).
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use lievito di birra when you actually need baking powder, as the former is the yeast used for making bread.
Did you know?
- The Italian word lievito comes from the Latin levātus, which means 'lifted'.
- Because lievito di birra can be bought as a fresh cube of compressed yeast in Italian supermarkets, it looks and feels completely different from lievito in polvere.
- In Italy, lievito is a broad term that covers everything from industrial baking powder to the living fungi used in sourdough and beer.
Examples in context
- Serve un po' di lievito in polvere.A little bit of baking powder is needed.
- Ho dimenticato il lievito in polvere.I forgot the baking powder.
- Controlla se abbiamo il lievito in polvere.Check if we have the baking powder.
Example conversation
Martina and Lorenzo are preparing a cake in the kitchen.
- MartinaLorenzo, dove hai messo il lievito in polvere?Lorenzo, where did you put the baking powder?
- LorenzoÈ nell'armadietto sopra il forno.It is in the cupboard above the oven.
- MartinaNon lo vedo, puoi aiutarmi a cercarlo?I don't see it, can you help me look for it?
- LorenzoEcco, è proprio qui dietro la farina.Here it is, right here behind the flour.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries in, lievito, polvere, CC BY-SA 4.0.
