Home Italy Revisited Bookshelf Plays About Mary Melfi Contact Us
in
Folk Sayings on Eating and Drinking
Italy - Pre 1969 or Around the World, Click here

Puglia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Eating -- Cooking -- by Region -- Puglia
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Whi fatija mangia e chi non fatija mangia e beve.
      o in English: (Literally) Who makes the meal eats, and who doesn't make the meal, eats and drinks. (Meaning) Those who prepare the food, eat it, but those who don't prepare the food end up eating and drinking (Go figure)!
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of the Library of Congress #3b20785r

View full size image

Puglia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Eating -- Pasta -- by Region -- Puglia
     
      o in Italian: I maccheroni sono come il matrimonio, devono essere consumati quando sono molto caldi.
      o in English: Macaroni is like marriage, one has to consume it when it is very warm.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #3b24906r

View full size image

Puglia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Eating & Drinking -- Fish -- by Region -- Puglia
     
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Lu puesc' eia semb' pesc' e ind'a l'acqua cresc'.
      o in English: Fish are always fish -- in the water they always grow.
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Lu buaccala eia pure pesc.
      o in English: Dried cod is also fish.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #403955

View full size image

Puglia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Drinking -- Wine -- by Region -- Puglia
     
      o in Italian: Se vuoi conoscere le persone, ci sono tre modi: la sfortuna, il vino e i soldi.
      o in English: (Literally) If you want to know a person, it's through bad luck, wine and money. (Equivalent) If you want to know what a person is really like, check out how he handles bad luck, his wine and his money.
     
     
Contributed by: Image Courtesy of The New York Library, Digital Gallery #1107586

View full size image

Puglia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Eating & Drinking -- Love & Marriage -- by Region -- Puglia
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Li maccarune so com a lu muatremonie, ss cunsumene quann so bell call call.
      o in English: (Literally) Macaroni is like matrimony: it's consumed when it's nicely hot hot.
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Addu u a caddina crida e lu caddu tace nun c'e pace.
      o in English: (Literally) Where the hen sings and the rooster remains quiet, there is no peace. (Meaning) In a marriage where the woman "wears the pants" and the man "wears the skirt" there can be no bliss, as the role reversals inevitably lead to marital strife and social discord.
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) L'omu e comu l'alburu: bruttu nudusu stortu ma tie nu te na futtire basta cva e fruttifuru.
      o in English: A man is like an olive tree -- he can be knobbly and ugly but it does not matter as long as he is fruitful. (Meaning) The worth of a man does not come from his looks, but rather from how productive he is.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1117730

View full size image

Sardinia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Food -- Bread -- by Region -- Sardinia
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Homine in domu, pani fattu.
      o in English: (Literally) Man at home, bread made. (Meaning) If there is a man who is heading the household, then one can be sure there is a provider for that family who will ensure that there is enough food to eat.
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Menzus chivarzu in domo sua chi non biancu in domo anzena.
      o in English: (Literally) Better to eat black bread at home than white bread in someone else's. P.S. Prior to World War II white bread had more status than black bread. So, the folk saying is suggesting that, "There is no place like home."
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #3g10541

View full size image

Sardinia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Food -- Apples -- by Region -- Sardinia
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Sa femina esti cummenti sa mela, affora bella, e aintru punta.
      o in English: A woman is like an apple, on the outside, beautiful, on the inside, worm-eaten.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1112011

View full size image

Sardinia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Food -- Meat -- by Region -- Sardinia
     
      o in Italian: Sa pezza cocta non tornat mai crua.
      o in English: (Literally) If a piece of meat is cooked, it can't be raw again. (Meaning) Something done can't be undone.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #3g07315r

View full size image

Sardinia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Eating & Drinking -- Table Manners -- by Region -- Sardinia
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Chini cantara in mesa o in lettu, o e maccu o e fettu.
      o in English: Who sings at the table or in bed either is crazy or is stupid.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #3a06876r

View full size image

Sardinia, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Food -- Beans -- by Region -- Sardinia
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Gesu Cristu dona so fai a chini no dda podit arroi.
      o in English: (Literally) Jesus Christ gives fava beans to those who cannot chew. (Meaning) The irony of fate is that you get what you want, when you can no longer enjoy it. This particular folk saying is making specific reference to food so that it is basically saying that those individuals who have teeth don't have food, and those who have food don't have teeth -- so one is never in position to be happy. Also, the folk saying could be saying that while the young and healthy have the means to enjoy life, often they don't have the money to buy what they need, and later on, when they do have money, they can't enjoy what they have as they are no longer healthy. N.B. In most other regions of Italy similar folk sayings don't make reference to beans but rather to bread so they'd say -- "Those who have teeth don't have bread, those who have bread don't have teeth."
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #02937r

View full size image

Page: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / Next >>