Cosa puoi fare a casa la sera

What does “diavola” mean on an Italian pizza menu?

On an Italian pizza menu, “diavola” tells you the pizza is spicy. The word means “she-devil” (the feminine of “diavolo,” devil), and pizza is a feminine word, so it takes the feminine form. A diavola comes with tomato, mozzarella, and hot salami, so the name itself is the heat warning — order one and you get spice, with no little chili symbol needed.

You can order it by saying “ho una diavola” (“I’m having a diavola”) or “per me una diavola.” The full menu name is “pizza alla diavola,” which means “pizza in the devil’s style.” The “devil” points to the burn from the spicy salami — often a salame piccante (spicy salami), such as a Calabrian one. You may also see it written as “pizza piccante” (“spicy pizza”) or “al salame piccante” (“with spicy salami”), but “diavola” is the name that stuck. Related words: “diavolo” (devil), “piccante” (spicy/hot), “salame piccante” (spicy salami). In this clip, two people plan a cozy night in and decide what to order; one picks a margherita while the other says, “Vabbè io ho una diavola allora” — settling on the spicy one.