pasta sfoglia
/ˈpas.ta ˈsfɔʎ.ʎa/word by wordfeminine
Puff pastry in Italian is pasta sfoglia.
pasta sfoglia is used to describe light, flaky pastry. In a culinary context, the term can refer to the finished pastry itself or to the raw dough used to make it.
Meaning: light, flaky pastry (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term literally means 'leafy dough', which refers to the many thin layers of dough that create the characteristic flaky texture.
How does it change in a sentence?
pasta sfoglia is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈpas.ta ˈsfɔʎ.ʎa/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word sfoglia comes from the verb sfogliare, which means to peel or to leaf through a book. This highlights how the pastry's texture is viewed as a series of thin sheets.
- A specialized professional who rolls out this type of dough by hand is called a sfogliatore.
- In Italian, pasta refers to any dough or paste, not just the noodles known as 'pasta' in English.
Examples in context
- Andiamo a prendere due cornetti alla sfoglia?Shall we go get two puff pastry croissants?
- Che buona questa crostata di sfoglia!This puff pastry tart is so delicious!
- La pasta sfoglia è molto leggera.The puff pastry is very light.
- Uso la pasta sfoglia per questa torta.I use puff pastry for this cake.
- Questa pasta sfoglia è croccante.This puff pastry is crunchy.
Example conversation
In a kitchen, Martina and Francesco are preparing dessert.
- MartinaHai comprato la pasta sfoglia?Did you buy the puff pastry?
- FrancescoSì, l'ho presa al supermercato.Yes, I got it at the supermarket.
- MartinaOttimo, la pasta sfoglia è perfetta per i cornetti.Great, the puff pastry is perfect for the croissants.
- FrancescoSpero che la ricetta riesca bene.I hope the recipe turns out well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “puff pastry” translations and entries pasta sfoglia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (pasta, sfoglia) and can differ in connected speech.
