Contorni
A contorno is the vegetable dish that accompanies the secondo — served on its own plate, alongside the main rather than crowded onto it, and chosen to contrast the course it sits beside.
1 recipe in this course
Where Contorni sits in an Italian meal
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.
