Primi

Where Primi 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.

1. Course 1

   Antipasto

   What comes before the meal — cured meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables, eaten slowly with the first glass.

2. 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.

3. Course 3

   Secondo

   The main course — meat, fish or another protein, served by itself with nothing piled around it.

4. 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.

5. Course 5

   Dolce

   The sweet close, followed by coffee — espresso, never a cappuccino, after a meal.