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frittata

American  
[fri-tah-tuh, freet-tah-tah] / frɪˈtɑ tə, fritˈtɑ tɑ /

noun

Italian Cooking.
frittatas, plural frittate plural
  1. an omelet resembling a large pancake and containing vegetables, seasonings, and often ricotta, Parmesan, or other cheese.


frittata British  
/ frɪˈtɑːtə /

noun

  1. an Italian dish made with eggs and chopped vegetables or meat, resembling a flat thick omelette

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of frittata

1930–35; < Italian: omelet, equivalent to fritt ( o ) fried ( see frit) + -ata -ade 1

Explanation

A frittata is an egg dish that's usually made with meat, cheese, and vegetables. You can think of a frittata as an Italian omelette. The origin of the word frittata is the Italian friggere, "fried," and in Italy it was once a common way to describe any egg dish cooked in butter or oil in a pan. Some chefs describe frittatas as "open-faced omelettes," since omelettes are eggs folded around a savory filling, while a frittata's ingredients are incorporated into the egg mixture. Next time you have a bunch of eggs and some cheese and peppers, you should try making a frittata.

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Vocabulary lists containing frittata

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

My favorites: the spinach frittata and maple bacon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

In one of the last videos she filmed, posted by the Food Network in May, she was frying sausage for a frittata.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2025

She makes pasta, crudités, focaccia, frittata and baked fish, and along with advice on how to make guests feel extra special, she shows viewers how to arrange flowers and make DIY bath salts.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2025

If I go to Sqirl, I really like the sorrel pesto rice bowl, or the frittata thing they do is beautiful.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2024

She put an omelet in front of him, with toast grilled on the stove with olive oil, or semolina pancakes, or a frittata with peppers and mushrooms.

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead

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