spicchi

Spicchi is the plural of spicchio, an Italian noun meaning a small piece or segment of something. In everyday usage, spicchi describe portions prepared for eating, especially portions of fruit, vegetables, or aromatics. The term is common in recipes and menus and conveys a sense of a curved or wedge-shaped piece rather than a flat slice.

Etymology and usage notes: The noun spicchio has long been part of standard Italian, with origins that are not precisely documented. It is used across formal and informal language to refer to modular pieces of various foods and, more broadly, to any small segment of a whole.

Common uses: Spicchi di aglio refers to garlic cloves, spicchi di limone to lemon wedges, and spicchi di arancia to orange segments. In cooking, spicchi are often peeled or prepared before use, and the term can describe pieces of other fruits or vegetables that naturally split into segments. The plural form spicchi is used with numerical qualifiers, e.g., tre spicchi d’aglio or due spicchi di limone.

Relation to other terms: Fetta denotes a flat slice, while spicchio emphasizes a small, typically curved segment. Spicchi can also describe partial pieces of non-food items when speaking metaphorically or descriptively, though its primary association remains culinary. Overall, spicchi provides a precise way to refer to bite-sized portions that are not full slices.