salame piccante
/saˈla.me pikˈkan.te/word by wordmasculine
The English phrase "pepperoni" (referring to the sausage) is translated into Italian as salame piccante.
While English speakers use the word "pepperoni" to refer to a specific type of spicy sausage, Italians use salame piccante to describe the same product.
Meaning: sausage (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term salame piccante literally means "spicy salami".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Tuscany, people may use Salamino piccante to describe 'pepperoni'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term salame piccante is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/saˈla.me pikˈkan.te/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use the word "pepperoni" in Italy, but in Italian, peperoni (with one "p" in the middle) refers to bell peppers, not sausage.
Did you know?
- In Italy, the concept of 'pepperoni' as a standard pizza topping is largely an American invention and not a traditional Italian pizza staple.
- The word piccante was not originally Italian but was borrowed from the Middle French word 'piquant'.
- Italian uses the word salame for a wide variety of cured sausages, whereas English often distinguishes between 'salami' and 'pepperoni'.
Examples in context
- Ti piace la pizza con il salame piccante?Do you like pepperoni pizza?This sentence is useful for asking if someone likes pepperoni pizza.Tatoeba #10100736 by Guybrush88, translation #8014035 by OsoHombre
- Vuole del salame piccante sulla sua pizza.He wants pepperoni on his pizza.This sentence is useful for stating that someone wants pepperoni on their pizza.Tatoeba #10100731 by Guybrush88, translation #7391639 by CH
- Ziri vuole della pizza al salame piccante.Ziri wants pepperoni pizza.Tatoeba #11271297 by Guybrush88, translation #10210480 by Amastan
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Matteo are ordering food at a deli.
- ChiaraVorrei un panino con il salame piccante.I would like a sandwich with spicy salami.
- MatteoOttima scelta, Chiara! Ne prendo uno anch'io.Great choice, Chiara! I'll have one too.
- ChiaraVuoi aggiungere del formaggio al salame piccante?Do you want to add some cheese to the spicy salami?
- MatteoSì, per favore, Matteo preferisce il provolone.Yes, please, Matteo prefers provolone.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pepperoni” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (salame, piccante) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries piccante, salame, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
