How Do You Pronounce Ciabatta?

A friend of mine packs yummy looking sandwiches for his son’s lunch. The bread is square and thick, golden on top, and looks delicious with a little ham, cheese, and lettuce tucked inside. I asked him where he found it. (In our little town, we only have Food Lion and Wal-Mart for grocery shopping, and neither one stocks exotic food.) He said it’s ciabatta bread, and he found it in the Wal-Mart bakery.

Wal-Mart? Who knew!

I’ve had this bread before, at fancier bakeries and restaurants , but I was never sure how to pronounce it. My friend called it “key-a-batta”. I thought it might be “che- batta” or “che-a-batta”.  My 14-year-old grew weary of my pondering and said, “Mom, just look it up.”

And so, once again, Merriam-Webster helped me clear up this word nerdy confusion, and I will pass on this knowledge to you!

Photo credit: Rebecca Siegel via Flickr CC-BY

Ciabatta \ chə-ˈbä-tə \ Italian, literally translates “slipper”;  a flat oblong bread having a moist interior and a crispy crust

So, when you want to find this delicious bread, ask for ciabatta (pronounced cha-ba-ta).

Word Nerd Workout

Do you enjoy a good ciabatta sandwich? Are there other foody words that give you trouble? Please share. And now I need a snack. 😉

Thanks for getting nerdy with me today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julia Tomiak
I believe in the power of words to improve our lives, and I help people find interesting words to read. Member of SCBWI.

9 Comments

  1. Thanks! I pat myself on the back! I was pronouncing it correctly! I struggle with acai, also! And whatever the word program is here, thinks I even spelled it wrong!! “giggle”

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