What side dishes do you have today?
con-TOR-ni — three syllables, stress on second.
After ordering a main course, to choose a vegetable side dish — an important part of the Italian meal structure.
'Contorni' (side dishes) in a trattoria are typically simple seasonal vegetables — sautéed greens, roast potatoes, braised cicoria, grilled zucchini. They are ordered and billed separately from the main course.
Avete le verdure di stagione?
Do you have seasonal vegetables?
Specifically asking for what is seasonal — the best approach in a market-driven kitchen
Una porzione di cicoria ripassata.
A portion of sautéed chicory.
Classic Roman contorno — chicory ('cicoria') sautéed with olive oil and garlic
Patate al forno o arrosto?
Baked potatoes or roast?
Clarifying the potato preparation — two different textures and flavours
The Italian contorno is not an afterthought — it is a fully considered part of the meal. The best trattorias prepare their contorni with the same care as the main dish: greens ('verdure') are cooked to order with olive oil and garlic, potatoes are roasted fresh, not from yesterday's batch.