impasto
/imˈpas.to/masculine
In Italian, dough is translated as impasto. Wiktionary also lists pasta.
Meaning: mix of flour and other ingredients (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| impasto | /imˈpas.to/ | masculine |
| pasta | /ˈpas.ta/ | feminine |
Impasto is the standard culinary term used for any dough-like mixture, such as bread dough, cookie dough or cake batter.
What does it mean word for word?
The word impasto comes from the verb impastare, which means to knead or to mix.
Which one should you use?
While impasto refers specifically to the raw dough, pasta can refer to both the raw dough and the finished pasta products like noodles or other shapes.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Emilia-Romagna region, the word sfoglia may be used to refer to dough used for pasta preparations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word impasto is a masculine noun, while pasta is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The word impasto is pronounced /imˈpas.to/. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- Beyond the kitchen, impasto is a technical term in painting for a technique where paint is applied thickly to the canvas to create visible texture.
- While pasta is globally known as a finished dish, in Italian it describes any malleable substance, including the 'paste' used in dental toothpaste pasta dentifricia.
- The Italian word pasta traces its origins back to the Ancient Greek word pastá, which referred to a porridge or a doughy mash.
Examples in context
- Il lievito fa lievitare l'impasto.Yeast makes dough rise.This sentence is useful for showing how yeast affects the impasto.Tatoeba #11637890 by jacopofar, translation #66758 by CM
- Misi troppa farina nell'impasto dei biscotti.I put too much flour in the cookie dough.This sentence shows how to describe flour within the cookie impasto.Tatoeba #13965938 by Guybrush88, translation #9158885 by shekitten
- Grattugia il cioccolato e incorporalo all'impasto.Grate the chocolate and work it into the dough.This sentence demonstrates how to work an ingredient into the impasto.Tatoeba #12786809 by Guybrush88, translation #11097792 by sundown
- Ho bisogno di impastare la pasta per la pizza.I need to knead the dough for the pizza.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Martina are making bread in the kitchen.
- FrancescoMartina, come va l'impasto?Martina, how is the dough going?
- MartinaÈ quasi pronto, Francesco.It is almost ready, Francesco.
- FrancescoL'impasto sembra molto morbido.The dough looks very soft.
- MartinaSì, è perfetto così.Yes, it is perfect like this.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dough” translations and entries impasto, pasta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries impasto, pasta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
