Pinzimonio

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Raw vegetables (crudités) served in cups with pinzimonio

Pinzimonio is an Italian dipping sauce made with olive oil, salt, pepper, and occasionally wine vinegar, which is served with raw vegetables (crudités)[1][2] typically cold.[3] It is used similarly to bagna càuda, but is simpler and served cold.

Pinzimonio is popular in the area around Rome, with preparations sometimes including lemon juice. The sauce is served in small cups, one per diner. In the summer, it eaten as antipasto.[4] The sauce is also popular in Tuscany.[5] Vegetables eaten with pinzimonio include baby artichokes, celery, endives, fennel, and sweet capsicum.[4][6][7]

Look up pinzimonio in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

During the Renaissance, fruit and vegetables were used in banquets as decoration. Over time, a practice developed where the produce was dipped in the sauces of the dishes they decorated, and by the 19th century the dip was replaced with olive oil.[5] The name is a blend of pinzare (“staple; pinch”) and matrimonio (“wedding, marriage”). In areas of southern and central Italy (including Rome), it is known as cazzimperio.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ Western Pennsylvania History. Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. 1999. p. 167. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Darrow, D.; Maresca, T. (2012). The Seasons of the Italian Kitchen. Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated. p. pt185. ISBN 978-0-8021-9341-4. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  3. ^ Vivian, C.; Sansone, V.P. (2011). Tuscan-American Kitchen, A (in German). Pelican Pub. Company. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-58980-906-2. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Del Conte, Anna (2004) [2001]. The Concise Gastronomy of Italy. New York: Barnes and Nobles. pp. 34, 238, 297. ISBN 0-7607-6344-5.
  5. ^ a b Revelli Sorrini, Alex; Cutini, Susanna (eds.). "Storia del pinzimonio". Taccuini gastrosofici. Enciclopedia digitale di culture e politiche alimentari. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  6. ^ Riley, Gillian (2007). The Oxford Companion to Italian Food. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 24. ISBN 978-0-19-860617-8.
  7. ^ Parasecoli, Fabio (2004). Food culture in Italy. Food culture around the world. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 66. ISBN 0-313-32726-2.
  8. ^ Cacimperio entry (in Italian) in the Enciclopedia Treccani
  9. ^ Pinzimonio entry (in Italian) in the Enciclopedia Treccani