Antipasti
Antipasti is the course that opens an Italian meal — cured meats, cheeses and marinated vegetables, eaten slowly with the first glass before the primo.
2 recipes in this course
Antipasti is the course that sets the tempo of the evening. A small board of things to pick at — cured meat, marinated vegetables, good bread and something sharp — means the cooking is already settling down before anyone sits, and the first glass of wine has company.
The Italian habit is restraint, not abundance: three or four things done well rather than a crowded table. Everything in this course can be prepared ahead, which is precisely the point — the kitchen stays calm while the conversation starts.
The evening, course by course
An Italian meal is served in sequence, one plate at a time, rather than as a single crowded plate. Each course arrives on its own, is eaten on its own, and is cleared before the next.
- Course 1
Antipasto
What comes before the meal — cured meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables, eaten slowly with the first glass.
- Course 2
Primo
The first course: pasta, risotto, soup or gnocchi. It arrives on its own plate and is never a starter to a bigger dish.
- Course 3
Secondo
The main course — meat, fish or another protein, served by itself with nothing piled around it.
- Course 4
Contorno
A vegetable dish served alongside the secondo, usually on its own separate plate. It is chosen to contrast the main rather than to fill the plate, which is what separates it from an American side dish.
- Course 5
Dolce
The sweet close, followed by coffee — espresso, never a cappuccino, after a meal.
Every Antipasti recipe in the archive
PugliaBurrata, Figs & Prosciutto
Creamy burrata, jammy figs, salt-cured prosciutto. The most romantic ten minutes in cooking.
10 min Easy
LiguriaFocaccia
Golden, olive-oil-rich focaccia emerges with a crisp base, airy crumb, and deeply dimpled surface scattered with rosemary and coarse salt. This small Ligurian loaf is generous enough to share yet manageable for two. Its slow rise does the work, leaving only the pleasure of pressing, drenching, baking, and tearing together.
120 min Easy
Antipasti, asked plainly
What is antipasti? What does it mean?
Antipasti is the opening course of an Italian meal, with small savoury plates served before the primo; the name means 'before the meal'. In the archive, Burrata, Figs & Prosciutto brings together fresh cheese and cured meat, while Focaccia offers olive-oil-rich bread to share.
How much antipasti should I make for two people?
Two or three plates shared between you is the romantic-sized portion — roughly four or five good pieces each. Antipasti is an invitation to linger, not a course to finish.
Can I prepare antipasti in advance?
Yes, and most of it improves. Marinated vegetables and cured elements can be readied hours ahead and held at room temperature; only the bread wants to be cut close to serving.
What should I pour with antipasti?
Something dry and light that refreshes between bites: a prosecco, a crisp white like a Gavi, or a low-tannin red slightly chilled. The antipasti glass is usually the easiest choice of the evening.
Antipasto vs antipasti?
Antipasto is singular; antipasti is plural, referring to several opening dishes or the course as a whole. Burrata, Figs & Prosciutto can be one antipasto, while serving it with Focaccia makes a small selection of antipasti.