• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Short Order Cook

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Food & Fun
  • Products I Love
  • Travel & Dining
  • Meet Angela
    • Bluesky
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Food & Fun
    • Products I Love
    • Travel & Dining
    • Meet Angela
    • Bluesky
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Restaurant Info & Reviews

    Updated: Aug 29, 2023 · Published: Apr 1, 2022 · by Angela · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    What Does Dolce Mean?

    If you have ever looked at an Italian menu and wondered what does dolce mean? For many of us, it may be the most important part of the mean, the dessert. The literal English translation of dolce is sweet. So an Italian restaurant may have a special dolci (sweets) menu where the pastries, cookies, and gelato your heart desires are listed.

    4 recipe images for tiramisu, torta, caramella, and gelato.

    If you ever heard the term "Dolce Vita", the sweet life, you may realize that it can mean the literal sweet treats you eat. When it comes to food, dolce means dessert. Think of it as an opposite to other savory courses like contorni.

    It is that sweet ending to a wonderful Italian meal. You may have seen dolce on the menu at Starbucks coffee shops. There too the word is used to describe something sweet or sweetened.

    Jump to:
    • Dolce Meaning & Definition
    • Italian Dessert Names
    • Dolci Recipes
    • Dolce vs Dolci

    Dolce Meaning & Definition

    Dolce is a word that is used in several languages. Though I am mostly referring to it as a food, recipe, and dining situation here in this article, it does have other meanings. Though for the most part, it means something sweet, it can vary slightly from one country to the next.

    Below are the most common meanings and definitions based on the most popular languages that use the word dolce.

    • Dolce (Italian) - sweet; without salt, nor bitter or sour; pleasant or fragrant (adjective) & sweet as in a dessert (noun); dolci for plural
    • Dolce (French) - smooth, gentle, sweet as in someone's demeanor (adjective)
    • Dolce (English) - soft & smooth, usually to the touch or sound like in music (adjective)
    Plated ready to eat.

    Italian Dessert Names

    When it comes to dolce's meaning for food, it is time for dessert and something to curb your sweet tooth craving. A Dolci menu will likely list desserts you are familiar with but you may not be familiar with the Italian language.

    Here are some quick English translations of the dessert delicacies of Italy. This is a list of the best traditional, classic, and fancy desserts you may find listed on the Dolci menu of an Italian restaurant.

    • Affogato - "to drown" is typically a scoop of vanilla gelato "drowned" in espresso and sometimes a liqueur, such as Frangelico is added.
    • Biscotti - "cookie; twice-baked" is the general term for all cookies in Italy but also for those "twice-baked" a crisp cookie that has literally been baked twice and is enjoyed often with tea or coffee
    • Cannoli - "little tube" is a pastry shell in the shape of a tube traditionally filled with sweet ricotta and other flavors such as chocolate, pistachio, or candied fruits.
    • Caramella - "candy" any homemade candy confection.
    • Crostata - "rustic freeform tart" is an open-faced fruit tart.
    • Gelato - "ice cream" the Italian method of making ice cream uses less cream and more milk & is typically made without eggs.
    • Panna Cotta - "cooked cream" is a creamy dessert made with sweetened cream, gelatin, and sometimes flavored or topped with fruit sauces.
    • Sfogliatelle - "lobster tail" is a flaky puff pastry treat with layers that resemble the shape of a lobster tail.
    • Tiramisu - "pick me up" a light dessert of layers of sweet mascarpone with coffee-soaked ladyfingers.
    • Torta - "cake, tart, or pie" can be any number of flavors of a sweet or savory cake such as torta di fragole (strawberry cake).
    Best Ever Mango Ice Cream ready to eat with a bite on a spoon

    Dolci Recipes

    Here are some sweet desserts that would be great to serve the next time you are ready to enjoy "la dolce vita!" For the full list of dolci on my blog check out DESSERTS. But here are a few of my favorites.

    • plated cookies ready to eat
      Soft Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies
    • Plum Ice Cream in a bowl with fresh plums and a scoop on the table.
      Plum Ice Cream
    • Salted Caramel Espresso Martini all marble top and background featured
      Creamy Salted Caramel Espresso Martini
    • Nutella Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake
      Nutella Swirl Sour Cream Bundt Coffee Cake

    Dolce vs Dolci

    One last quick note, the meaning of Dolci is the same as the meaning of dolce. Both of these Italian words translate to sweet in the English language. Dolci is simply the plural for dolce. So if you are like me and love a little bit of every dessert you see, you are a DOLCI LOVER. May all your meals be sweet and shared with those you love (amore).

    « What to Serve with Pot Roast
    Parts of Broccoli - Crown, Florets, Spears, & More »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Angela the short order cook on a step stool reaching into the top kitchen cupboard.

    Hi, I'm Angela I’m Angela, a petite mom that loves to cook, eat, drink, & explore all things food. As a former personal chef & caterer, I specialize in family recipes that taste great & are easy to make. I rely on my trusty stool every day to create & test recipes I know you will love.

    More about me →

    This site has links to products/services that may make us a commission. #ad

    Popular

    • Red Velvet Brownies with Cake Mix cut in squares on a counter with white chocolate chips.
      Red Velvet Brownies with Cake Mix
    • Deep Fried Sweet Potato Fries featured close up with dipping sauces on the bottom
      Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Fries
    • 4- Ingredient Key Lime Pie in graham cracker crust topped with whipped cream.
      Easy 4- Ingredient Key Lime Pie
    • Naked Chicken Wings on a plate.
      Naked Chicken Wings
    • How to Cook Turkey Bacon in the Microwave Oven featured
      How to Cook Turkey Bacon in the Microwave Oven
    • Fried Spaghetti with Eggs featured closeup overhead of bowl filled and topped with parmesan and parsley
      Fried Spaghetti with Eggs
    • Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream Overhead two bowls of ice cream and black napkin.
      Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream
    • A set of black pots and pans.
      Best Pots & Pans for Gas Stove
    Try Audible Plus
    Join Amazon Prime - Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime - Start Free Trial Now
    Create an Amazon Wedding Registry
    Shop Amazon - Create an Amazon Baby Registry

    The Short Order Cook LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

    Top Categories

    • Main Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Italian
    • Holidays
    • Southern
    • Recipe Roundups

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Disclosure Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Meet Angela
    • Meet the Family

    Copyright © 2019- 2025 The Short Order Cook LLC, All Rights Reserved. All recipes, original photos, and articles on this site are the property of The Short Order Cook LLC. You are welcome to share an original photo ONLY with an accompanying do-follow link to this site. Publishing any item as if it were your own is prohibited & illegal. The Short Order Cook tests every recipe & never uses AI to create recipes or images.

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read Privacy Policy
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT