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June 16, 2009

What is a panzerotto?

June 16. Day 351.

For my last few hours in Milano, the plan was to meet up with La Divina, Il Divo and some of their friends and have a farewell drink.

(By the way, I've gotten one email vote for Il Grillo -- it's more original, this reader says. Hmm. Sounds reasonable. Perhaps I should just defer to the subject himself. Cosa ne dici, carissimo???)

On the way to the bar, we passed by a locale brimming with people.

"That's Luini. The panzerotti place," La Divina explained.

"Panzerotti?" I asked.

"You don't know what a panzerotto is????"

She redirected me to the counter and ordered one for each of us.

And then I discovered.

Panzerotto, n, masculine. Pocket of pizza dough folded into a half moon and stuffed with tomatoes and mozzarella, occasionally variants like pesto, then deep fried and served steaming hot, to go. Originally from Naples. Frequently used as an alcohol sponge, dinner substitute, salty dessert and/or pre-happy hour thirst instigator.

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