Correct pronunciation of 'bruschetta' has left non-Italians with huge moral dilemma

None of us are perfect, especially when it comes to nailing pronunciation.

We're lucky enough to be surrounded by enough different types of cuisine that we're faced with menus full of dishes from all over the world.

So, who amongst us hasn't stumbled when trying to order 'paella,' 'focaccia', or 'prosciutto'?

If you've smashed them all out of the park first time, then perhaps 'bruschetta' hasn't tripped you up either.

But you'd be far from popular.

Would Italians be proud of you? (Getty Stock Image)

As it turns out, Italians have been confirming for years that it's pronounced 'brus-ketta', with a hard 'sk' sound rather than the fairly prominent 'sh' sound. But do they care if we butcher the word? And how do we feel about getting it so wrong?

One person wrote on X: "I work in an Italian restaurant. Yes, it's pronounced "brus-ketta" but those customers who make a point of it are invariably the arsiest."

Another said: "4 semesters of Italian and all I'm good for is correcting waiters on their pronunciation of "Bruschetta."

A third added: "Italian flatmate correcting my pronunciation; It’s brus-ket-ta not bruschetta."

A fourth said: "Knowing the proper pronunciation of bruschetta is a burden......a curse......"

It seems that the pronunciation of Bruschetta isn't the only Italian food people get protective over.

A UK-based TikTok chef @cookslasheat has urged people to reconsider the way they make their bolognese.

He explained: “Every time I see someone making a Bolognese, I am literally horrified.

“This is a super simple dish – you don’t need a jar of Dolmio sauce, which, by the way, is disgusting.”

Bolognese are also a point of contention (Getty Stock Image)

But while you can probably understand the 'fresh is best’ mentality, there’s something else he believes we’ve been doing wrong.

“In fact, you don’t even need tomatoes.

“Not from a can, not from a vine... because Bolognese is not a tomato sauce, it’s a meat sauce.”

He then nailed the soffrito - onion, carrot and garlic - and threw in the mince.

He said: “Brown it properly, I don’t want to see any grey meat."

The chef then added a 'splash of milk' in a controversial move...

“Please do this you will thank me,” he urged.

One person said: “I’m horrified you added milk!!”

A second questioned: “Milk?? What the hell are you doing?”

But a third reasoned: "The tomato is kind of needed to give the acidity that the milk will work with. Yes, not a tomato sauce, but one half can of tomatoes would elevate it a bit.”

Might be worth a try.