stracciatella
/strat.t͡ʃaˈtɛl.la/feminine
stracciatella is the Italian word for a type of Italian ice cream with chocolate shavings.
The term refers to a specific gelato flavor consisting of fine shreds or ribbons of chocolate suspended in a sweet cream base.
Meaning: type of Italian ice cream with chocolate shavings (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word comes from the Italian verb stracciare, meaning to shred or to tear, which describes the appearance of the chocolate bits. It literally means little shreds.
How does it change in a sentence?
While stracciatella is a feminine singular noun, when you are ordering this flavor in a gelato shop, it is common to use the prepositional phrase alla stracciatella to mean 'stracciatella-style'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable. The IPA is /strat.tʃaˈtɛl.la/.
Did you know?
- Before it was a famous gelato flavor, stracciatella referred to a traditional Roman soup made of broken pieces of egg and cheese. The chocolate shavings in the ice cream were chosen specifically to mimic the torn appearance of the egg in that soup.
- The word is built from the verb stracciare, which also gives us the word straccio, meaning a 'rag' used for cleaning. This highlights the 'torn' and 'shredded' nature of the texture.
- In the context of cheese, stracciatella refers to a creamy blend of shreds and cream that forms the heart of the famous burrata cheese.
Examples in context
- Il gelato alla stracciatella è solo gelato alla panna con dei pezzetti di cioccolato.Stracciatella ice-cream is nothing but a plain ice-cream with chocolate chips.This sentence is useful for defining what stracciatella is in relation to plain cream ice-cream.Tatoeba #503550 by Pharamp, translation #691456 by Heracleum
- Mi piacerebbe una coppa di stracciatella, per favore.I would like a cup of stracciatella, please.
- Voglio assaggiare il gelato alla stracciatella, sembra delizioso!I want to taste the stracciatella gelato, it looks delicious!
- Andiamo a prendere un gelato stracciatella dopo cena?Shall we go for a stracciatella gelato after dinner?
- Vorrei un cono alla stracciatella, per favore.I would like a stracciatella cone, please.
- Questa stracciatella è davvero fresca e buona.This stracciatella is really fresh and good.
Example conversation
Two friends are choosing ice cream at a gelateria.
- FrancescoTi piace la stracciatella, Chiara?Do you like stracciatella, Chiara?
- ChiaraSì, è il mio gusto preferito.Yes, it is my favorite flavor.
- FrancescoAllora prendiamo due porzioni alla stracciatella!Then let's get two portions of stracciatella!
- ChiaraOttima idea, Francesco.Great idea, Francesco.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stracciatella” translations and entries stracciatella, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries stracciatella, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
