tritare
/triˈta.re/
The English word 'mince' can be translated into Italian as tritare.
In a culinary context, tritare is used to describe the action of finely chopping food. If you want to refer specifically to the noun 'minced meat', you would use the phrase carne tritata, which combines the noun for meat (carne) with the adjective for minced (tritata).
Meaning: finely chopped meat (noun)
Which one should you use?
While both tritare and macinare can mean to mince or grind, tritare is typically used for chopping food with a knife or a food processor. In contrast, macinare is used for grinding substances such as coffee grains or pepper.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle tritato can be used as an adjective to describe meat that has been minced. To say 'minced meat' in Italian, use the noun carne followed by the adjective tritata.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables: /triˈta.re/. The stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italian, if you describe a person as tritato, it means they are completely exhausted or worn out, as if they have been put through a meat grinder.
- The verb tritare is used beyond the kitchen to describe the total destruction of something, such as a document shredder which is called a tritadocumenti.
- The word macinare, another way to say mince or grind, is used in the idiomatic expression macinare chilometri to describe driving or walking a great distance.
Examples in context
- Mi serve manzo macinatoI need minced beef
- Devo sminuzzare l'aglioI need to mince the garlic
- Devo tritare la carneI need to mince the meat
- Devi tritare la carne per il ragù.You need to mince the meat for the ragù.
- Usa il robot per tritare la carne.Use the food processor to mince the meat.
- Preferisco tritare la carne a mano.I prefer to mince the meat by hand.
Example conversation
Alessandro and Chiara are preparing dinner in their kitchen.
- AlessandroChiara, puoi tritare la carne per noi?Chiara, can you mince the meat for us?
- ChiaraSì, preferisci che io la triti a mano?Yes, do you prefer that I mince it by hand?
- AlessandroNo, usa pure il mixer per tritare.No, go ahead and use the mixer to mince it.
- ChiaraVa bene, lo faccio subito.Alright, I'll do it right away.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tritare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
