beccafico

American  

[bek-uh-fee-koh] / ˌbɛk əˈfi koʊ /

noun

1. a small songbird, especially the European garden warbler, Silvia hortensis, eaten as a delicacy in France and the Mediterranean region.

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beccafico British  

/ ˌbɛkəˈfiːkəʊ /

noun

1. any of various European songbirds, esp warblers of the genus Sylvia , eaten as a delicacy in Italy and other countries

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Etymology

Origin of beccafico

1620–25; < Italian: literally, figpecker < beccare “to peck” (< becco “beak” < Latin beccus ) + fico “fig” (< Latin ficus )

Example Sentences

He waits for a thrush, an ortolan, a beccafico, a robin-redbreast, or any other feathered and diminutive biped.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 55, No. 340, February, 1844 by Various

The young birds themselves are said to be very delicate food, and not inferior in richness of flavour to the beccafico.

From The History of Sumatra Containing An Account Of The Government, Laws, Customs And Manners Of The Native Inhabitants by Marsden, William

Among small birds, beyond all doubt, the best is the "beccafico."

From The Physiology of Taste by Robinson, Fayette

Were the beccafico as large as a pheasant, an acre of land would be paid for it.

From The Physiology of Taste by Robinson, Fayette

She had just finished a beccafico, and seemed disposed for conversation.

From Sketches and Studies in Italy and Greece, First Series by Brown, Horatio Robert Forbes