Italy is known for its culinary elegance: truffles from Alba, saffron risotto from Milan, delicious seafood, even the simple – but famed – aura of pasta al pomodoro. But beyond polished menus and starred trattorias, Italian cuisine hides a wonderfully irreverent side, one we find in all its – allow me to say – cheekiness in the names of certain dishes.

This playful and sometimes provocative side of Italian food was delightfully highlighted in an article from the English edition of La Cucina Italiana, written by Steve DiMaggio and published in 2023. The piece explored ten famously odd food names and inspired this deeper dive into Italy’s uniquely named culinary curiosities.Rooted in dialects, folklore, or plain old kitchen humor, these names are sometimes just as memorable as the recipes themselves: from body parts to holy metaphors, here’s a tour of Italy’s most bizarrely named food offerings.