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PhrasesOrdering CoffeeUna brioche torinese, per favore.
A2

Una brioche torinese, per favore.

A Turinese brioche, please.

Pronunciation

brio-SCE — two syllables, 'sc' before 'e' is like 'sh'. Stress on second syllable.

When to use it

In Piedmont and northern Italy where 'brioche' refers to the local sweet bread, different from the French version.

What it means

In northern Italy (especially Turin and Liguria), 'brioche' refers to a very light, sweet bun — different from the French brioche and from the southern Italian cornetto. In the rest of Italy, the equivalent is 'cornetto'. Regional terminology matters at the bar.

Variations

Una veneziana.

A Venetian sweet pastry.

In Venice, the equivalent of the cornetto/brioche is the 'veneziana' — a round, sweet, glazed bun

Una maritozzo.

A maritozzo.

Roman cream-filled bun — split open and filled with whipped cream. A Roman breakfast classic.

Una sfogliatella.

A sfogliatella.

Neapolitan flaky pastry filled with ricotta and orange — the greatest of all Italian pastries

Mini Dialogue

— Una brioche torinese e un cappuccino. — La vuole calda la brioche? — Sì, appena riscaldata. — Perfetto, un attimo solo.

— A Turinese brioche and a cappuccino. — Would you like the brioche warm? — Yes, just warmed up. — Perfect, just a moment.

Cultural Note

Italy's regional pastry variations are staggering — every city has its own iconic breakfast sweet. The sfogliatella in Naples, the maritozzo in Rome, the brioche in Turin, the krapfen in Alto Adige. Ordering the local speciality is the best way to understand a city.