crema pasticcera
feminine
Custard in Italian is crema pasticcera.
The term crema pasticcera refers to a sauce, specifically the cooked egg-and-milk variety used in baking.
Meaning: sauce (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term crema pasticcera literally translates to 'pastry cream'.
Which one should you use?
While crema can mean any cream or custard, crema pasticcera specifically refers to the cooked egg-and-milk custard used in baking.
Did you know?
- A common Italian dessert called zuppa inglese uses layers of crema pasticcera and alchermes liqueur, though it is a cake and not a soup.
- The word pasticcera comes from 'pasticcio', which originally referred to a savory pie or a complex meat dish, not just sweet pastries.
- If you order a crema in an Italian café, you might receive a coffee with a thick layer of vanilla-flavored cream on top rather than a bowl of custard.
Examples in context
- Il fornaio riempì i panini con la crema pasticcera.The baker filled the buns with custard.This sentence shows how the baker used crema pasticcera to fill buns.Tatoeba #13108828 by carlosalberto, translation #11880983 by Amastan
- La crema pasticcera è troppo dolce per me.The custard is too sweet for me.
- Vuoi della crema pasticcera sopra la torta?Do you want some custard on the cake?
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Giulia are preparing a dessert in the kitchen.
- LorenzoGiulia, hai preparato la crema pasticcera?Giulia, did you prepare the custard?
- GiuliaSì, Lorenzo, è pronta nel frigorifero.Yes, Lorenzo, it is ready in the refrigerator.
- LorenzoPerfetto, usiamo questa crema pasticcera per i bignè.Perfect, let's use this custard for the cream puffs.
- GiuliaOttima idea, saranno deliziosi.Great idea, they will be delicious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “custard” translations and entries crema pasticcera, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
