al denteadv.adj.
/al ˈdɛnti/, /al ˈdɛnteɪ/, U.S. /ˌæl ˈdɛn(t)eɪ/, /ɑl ˈdɛn(t)eɪ/ A. adv.
With reference to pasta, vegetables, etc.: (cooked) so as to be tender but still firm when eaten.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > [adverb] > lightly cooked
al dente1921
1901 Epicure Feb. 85/1 Neapolitans, as a rule, eat it [sc. macaroni] rather hard, what they call al dente.]
1921 Outing Oct. 30/3 All pastes are easily digested if served ‘al dente’ (i. e., ‘to the tooth’), so that they offer a little resistance in chewing.
1935 ‘Countess Morphy’ Recipes All Nations 133 In Italy it [sc. pasta] is cooked ‘al dente’, as they call it—sufficiently firm to be felt ‘under the tooth’.
1958 W. Bickel tr. R. Hering Dict. Classical & Mod. Cookery 600 Macaroni must be cooked in plenty of boiling salt water ‘al dente’, i.e. done but not soft.
1960 Harper's Bazaar Oct. 153/1 Spaghetti cooked al dente.
1992 European Trav. & Life Apr. 96/2 I ended with rice pudding... Cooked al dente, it was spiked with nutmeg.
2009 Honolulu Weekly 11 Feb. 22/4 The wide sashes of pasta danced between firmness and the slightest tenderness, a feat that only the freshest cooked al dente can achieve.
B. adj.
That has been cooked al dente; tender but firm.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > [adjective] > cooked > under- or lightly-cooked
rearlOE
rare1655
zamzawed1743
al dente1940
1940 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 20 Sept. 4/3 Whaddya eat? spaghetti (must be al dente) gefuellte fisch tacos..with milk sauerbraten eggs.
1949 D. Ogrizek & J. G. Rufenacht Switzerland 152 Spaghetti is preferred ‘al dente’ (slightly undercooked).
1969 New York 7 Apr. 61/3 Properly al dente spaghetti ($1.90) was heady with an abundance of garlic.
2004 H. Blumenthal Family Food 85 Plunge in the pasta and cook on a gentle boil until al dente.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adv.adj.1921