FOOD PROVERBS AND SAYINGS
Scuola Secondaria di 1° Grado R. Monterisi – Bisceglie Italy
A tavola non si invecchia. You don’t get old at the dining table Time spent at the table is well spent
Il pane mangiato, è presto dimenticato Eaten bread is soon forgotten Eaten bread is soon forgotten because once it is consumed the person becomes hungry again.
Buon vino fa buon sangue Good wine engenders good blood Wine appears to lower the health risks associated with high blood pressure
Bere acqua la mattina è già mezza medicina
To drink water in the morning is half medicine It’s a healthy habit to drink a glass of water in the morning when you wake up
Chi ha i denti non ha pane e chi ha pane non ha i denti Who has teeth has no bread and who has bread has no teeth It happens that those who have everything in life do not exploit their full potential while those who are poor make a better use of their potential.
Nella botte piccola c’è il vino buono. A good wine is contained in the small barrell Proverb used to console people of small stature who feel a sense of inferiority
Gallina vecchia fa buon brodo Old hens make the best soup Old things are always the best
Al contadino non far sapere quanto è buono il formaggio con le pere. Don’t let the farmer know how good cheese is with pears. So goes a bourgeois Italian expression: don’t let the proletariat know how good it is to be a member of the ruling class…
La farina del diavolo va tutta in crusca The devil’s flour always turns into bran Proverb used to indicate that whatever is achieved in a dishonest way will never give good results.
Non si può avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca You cannot have a full barrel and a drunk wife at the same time You can’t have your cake and eat it, you can’t have it both ways;
Le arance sono oro al mattino, argento a mezzogiorno e piombo la sera. Oranges are gold in the morning, silver at noon, and lead in the evening. The proverb confirms the good habit, recommended by many nutritionists to eat fruit, in particular citrus fruits, in the morning.
Tanto va la gatta al lardo, che ci lascia lo zampino The cat goes so often to the lard that it looses its paw. The figurative translation is ÂŤ curiosity killed the cat Âť
Ne ammazza più la gola che la spada Gluttony kills more people than a sword Gluttony can be very dangerous
Se non è zuppa è pan bagnato If it isn’t soup, it’s soaked bread The proverb is referred to something which, although presented in a different way, is basically the same.
Non si fanno le nozze con i fichi secchi You cannot make the wedding with dried figs So we say to those who pretend to do something with excessive economy or without having the necessary means. Dried figs are, in our region,a poor and very common food, especially eaten at Christmas, so they are not suitable for celebrating an important ceremony such as a wedding.
Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani It’s better an egg today than a hen tomorrow Be satisfied with what you can get today for sure instead of living in the hope of what you can get in the future.
Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco Not all doughnuts turn out with a hole Not everything turns out as it should
Una mela al giorno leva il medico di torno An apple a day keeps the doctor away Apples have a good claim to promote health. They aid the immune system and reduce cholesterol.
O mangi questa minestra o salti dalla finestra Either you eat this soup or you jump out of the window You have no other choice but the one in front of you.
Quando la pera è matura, casca da sÊ When the pear is ripe, it will fall down by itself All things happen at the right time.