This list includes 14 Italian foods that start with O, from “Oca di Mortara” to “Ossobuco”. They include regional specialties, cheeses, cured meats, pastas and desserts, useful for cooking and travel.
Italian foods that start with O are named dishes, breads, cheeses, cured meats, and desserts from Italy. A notable example is Ossobuco from Milan, a slow-braised veal shank often served with risotto.
Below you’ll find the table with Name, Region, and Main ingredients.
Name: The Italian name of the food, so you can quickly identify it in recipes and menus.
Region: The region or town of origin, so you can locate traditional recipes and regional variations.
Main ingredients: Lists three to five key components so you can gauge flavor, dietary needs, and cooking steps.
Italian foods that start with O
| Name | Region | Category | Main ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive all’ascolana | Marche (Ascoli Piceno) | Antipasto | green olives, mixed minced meat, breadcrumbs, egg, frying oil |
| Oliva Ascolana del Piceno | Marche (Ascoli Piceno) | Preserved fruit (PGI) | green Ascolana olives, pork/beef, breadcrumbs, olive oil, wine |
| Oliva di Gaeta | Lazio (Gaeta) | Preserved olive | Gaeta olives, salt, brine, olive oil, laurel |
| Oliva Taggiasca | Liguria (Imperia) | Olive variety/preserved | Taggiasca olives, salt, brine, olive oil, herbs |
| Orecchiette | Puglia (Bari) | Pasta | durum wheat semolina, water, salt |
| Orecchiette con cime di rapa | Puglia (Bari) | Pasta | orecchiette, broccoli rabe, garlic, anchovies, chili |
| Orecchiette di grano arso | Puglia (Salento) | Pasta | grano arso (charred wheat), durum semolina, water, salt |
| Orzotto | Veneto | Grain dish | pearled barley (orzo), broth, butter, Parmesan, onion |
| Orzata | Sicily (Palermo) | Syrup/beverage | almonds, sugar, water, orange blossom water |
| Ossobuco | Lombardy (Milan) | Meat | veal shank, bone marrow, white wine, soffritto vegetables, gremolata |
| Occhi di bue | Lombardy | Dessert | flour, butter, jam (apricot/strawberry), sugar, eggs |
| Offelle di Parona | Lombardy (Parona) | Biscuit | flour, sugar, butter, eggs, lemon zest |
| Oca di Mortara | Lombardy (Mortara) | Poultry dish | goose, pork fat, breadcrumbs, garlic, aromatic herbs |
| Occelli | Piedmont | Cheese | cow’s milk, salt, rennet, starter cultures, maturation |
Descriptions
Olive all’ascolana
Crispy, fried stuffed olives from Ascoli: pitted green olives filled with a seasoned meat ragù, breaded and deep-fried until golden, often served warm as a classic antipasto.
Oliva Ascolana del Piceno
A Protected Geographical Indication olive: large Ascolana olives pitted, filled with meat-based stuffing, sometimes pre-fried or preserved; prized for balance of savory filling and briny fruit.
Oliva di Gaeta
Traditional black cured olive from Gaeta, softly wrinkled and lightly salty; used whole at table, in antipasti and sauces across central Italy.
Oliva Taggiasca
Small, fruity Ligurian olive used whole or pressed for delicate oil; prized for buttery flavor and common in Ligurian cuisine and bruschette.
Orecchiette
Ear-shaped fresh pasta from Puglia with a slightly concave form that holds sauces; traditionally hand-rolled and paired with vegetables, ragu or cime di rapa.
Orecchiette con cime di rapa
Puglia’s signature dish: orecchiette tossed with sautéed bitter broccoli rabe, garlic and anchovies for a savory, slightly bitter, peppery pasta.
Orecchiette di grano arso
A rustic Salento specialty using charred wheat flour (grano arso) that gives the pasta smoky, nutty notes—paired with simple tomato sauces or vegetables.
Orzotto
A risotto-like dish made with barley instead of rice; cooked slowly like risotto and finished with butter and cheese for a creamy, nutty result.
Orzata
Traditional almond syrup (similar to orgeat) used in Sicilian granitas, pastries and drinks—sweet, floral and concentrated, often diluted with water or lemon.
Ossobuco
Slow-braised veal shank on the bone, cooked until tender in wine and stock; Milanese version finished with bright gremolata and served with risotto alla Milanese.
Occhi di bue
Round, jam-filled sandwich cookie (literally “bull’s-eye”): two shortbreads with a central cutout revealing jam—popular across Italy as a tea-time biscuit.
Offelle di Parona
Small, buttery cookies from Parona with a tender crumb and citrus notes; a local Lombard specialty often enjoyed with coffee.
Oca di Mortara
Mortara’s famous roast/stuffed goose tradition: rich, savory bird prepared with lard or pork fat and herbs, historically central to local festivals and feasts.
Occelli
A traditional Piedmontese cow’s-milk cheese with a subtle, creamy interior and aromatic rind; enjoyed fresh or aged, sometimes paired with local breads and wines.