意大利飯
ji3 daai6 lei6 faan6
The Cantonese word for risotto is 意大利飯 (ji3 daai6 lei6 faan6).
Meaning: food (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 意大利 (Italy) and 飯 (cooked rice/meal).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, some people use 瑞士飯 (seoi6 si6 faan6) to refer to risotto.
How do you pronounce it?
ji3 daai6 lei6 faan6
Did you know?
- If you order 意大利飯 in a traditional Cantonese cafe, you might receive a fried rice dish with Italian ingredients rather than a slow-stirred creamy risotto.
- The characters for 'Italy' 意大利 are chosen for their phonetic similarity to the English name, rather than having an inherent meaning related to the country.
- In Cantonese, adding 飯 to a country name is a common way to describe any foreign rice dish, such as 西班牙飯 for Spanish paella.
Examples in context
- 呢間餐廳嘅意大利飯好出名。ni1 gaan1 caan1 teng1 ge3 yi6 daai3 maahn faan6 hou2 ceot1 ming4.This restaurant's risotto is very famous.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to order at an Italian restaurant.
- 志強 Chi Keung美玲，你想食咩？mei5 ling4, nei5 soeng2 sik6 me1?Meiling, what do you want to eat?
- 美玲 Mei Ling我想食個意大利飯。ngo5 soeng2 sik6 go3 ji4 daai6 ji3 faan2.I want to have a risotto.
- 志強 Chi Keung好啊，我都想試下。hou2 aa3, ngo5 dou1 soeng2 si3 haa5.Okay, I want to try it too.
- 美玲 Mei Ling噉我哋嗌一份分開食啦。gam2 ngo5 dei6 ai3 jat1 fan6 fan1 hoi1 sik6 laa1.Then let's order one portion and share it.
