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PhrasesOrdering GelatoUna pallina di stracciatella.
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Una pallina di stracciatella.

One scoop of stracciatella.

Pronunciation

strac-cia-TEL-la — five syllables, stress on fourth.

When to use it

When ordering one of Italy's most beloved gelato flavours — vanilla base with shavings of dark chocolate throughout.

What it means

'Stracciatella' means 'torn to shreds' — the dark chocolate is drizzled into the spinning cream as it freezes, creating irregular shards. It was invented in Bergamo in 1961 and is one of the most popular Italian gelato flavours. It is also a type of fresh cheese (different product, same name).

Variations

Stracciatella o fiordilatte?

Stracciatella or pure milk cream?

Clarifying question — stracciatella has chocolate; fiordilatte is plain milk cream

Quanto cioccolato c'è dentro?

How much chocolate is inside?

The ratio of chocolate shards varies by gelateria — more is usually better

È cioccolato fondente o al latte nella stracciatella?

Is the chocolate in the stracciatella dark or milk?

Quality indicator — dark chocolate creates a more complex contrast

Mini Dialogue

— Una pallina di stracciatella. — La nostra stracciatella ha il cioccolato fondente al 70% — molto ricca. — Perfetta. E una di pistacchio accanto. — Bellissima coppia!

— One scoop of stracciatella. — Our stracciatella has 70% dark chocolate — very rich. — Perfect. And a pistachio next to it. — A beautiful pair!

Cultural Note

Stracciatella was invented by Giovanni Enea at the La Marianna gelateria in Bergamo in 1961 by drizzling molten chocolate into spinning vanilla gelato. The technique mimics the effect of Roman 'stracciatella' soup — eggs stirred into hot broth to create shreds. Bergamo is proud of its creation.