Crostini is a plural noun referring to small, toasted bread slices typically served with toppings. In culinary contexts, crostini are bite-sized antipasti or hors d'oeuvres, often elaborately topped. The term comes from Italian, literally meaning “little crusts,” and is used in menus and cooking discussions to describe these crispy, savory bites.
"I ordered crostini with roasted peppers and goat cheese as an elegant appetizer."
"The chef suggested crostini with sardines, lemon zest, and herbs."
"We plated assorted crostini—tomato-basil, mushroom, and olive-tapenade—for the tasting."
"At the party, crostini were passed around on platters, pairing nicely with sparkling wine."
Crostini derives from Italian crostino, the diminutive form of zeste or crosta meaning crust. The root crost- traces to crosta, meaning crust or rind, with the diminutive suffix -ino signaling smallness. The term first appears in Italian cooking vocabulary describing the small crusts or crusty slices used as an hors d’oeuvre. In English use, crostini entered culinary discourse as a borrowed word, preserving the plural form with -i, reflecting Italian pluralization. The concept of toasting bread as a base for toppings has deeper European culinary roots, but the exact culinary term crostini is distinctly Italian. In modern menus outside Italy, crostini are widely recognized as elegant, bite-sized toasts, often made from baguette or rustic bread and topped with vegetables, cheeses, or seafood. The English adoption of crostini grew in the late 20th century with the rise of antipasti platters and gastro-pub menus, where authentic Italian-style small toasts became a staple for appetizers and tastings. Its usage has broadened to refer to any small, toasted bread bite served with a topping, across various cuisines and culinary settings.
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Words that rhyme with "Crostini"
-ini sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as KRȯS-ti-nee, with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US /ˈkrɒs.ti.ni/, UK /ˈkrɒs.ti.ni/, AU /ˈkrɒs.ti.ni/. Start with a short back rounded vowel in 'cro' like 'cro-' in 'crock,' then crisp /s/ and /t/ between, finishing with a clear /i/ and a light final /ni/. Ensure each syllable is distinct: CROSTI-NI. If you’re unsure, exaggerate the first syllable slightly, then taper the rest to natural speed.
Common errors: (1) Merging syllables to ‘cros-tee-knee’ or ‘crust-uh-nee’ by softening /t/ and dropping the /i/; (2) Dropping the final /i/ making ‘crostin’ instead of ‘crostini’; (3) Misplacing stress as ‘cro-STEE-ni’ or ‘CRɔs-ti-ni.’ Correction: keep three syllables with clear consonants and stress on the first: /ˈkrɒs.ti.ni/. Practice slow segmenting and rehearse with minimal pairs like ‘cross-tea-knee’ vs ‘crost-i-ni.’
In US and UK rhotic accents, the initial /r/ is not strongly rhoticized, but the vowel in /ɒ/ remains similar; AU tends to be non-rhotic, with vowels slightly broader. All share the three-syllable pattern /ˈkrɒs.ti.ni/ with clear /s/ and /t/. Australians may have a slightly more clipped or centralized /ɒ/ and a touch of rising intonation on the final syllable in casual speech. In non-rhotic varieties, the /r/ is not pronounced if present, but the word begins with ‘cro-’ not ‘cror-.’
Difficulties center on balancing the three distinct syllables and crisp consonants: the final /ni/ must be clearly enunciated without turning into a syllabic /n/; the /ti/ sequence requires a precise alveolar stop followed by a light vowel, not a blend; and the initial /krɒs/ cluster demands a clean /k/ release plus /r/ and /ɒ/ sequence. Practicing with slow, deliberate enunciation and segmenting helps. Maintain liquid-starting /kr/ blend with minimal vowel intrusion before /ɒ/.
Yes. The final /i/ in crostini is pronounced as a short, crisp 'ee' sound, not silent. It should be a distinct syllable, so end with a clear /i/ followed by a light, quick vowel transition to the final /ni/ where /n/ and /i/ are pronounced distinctly. In rapid speech, the final /i/ may be slightly reduced, but avoid dropping it entirely. IPA reference: /ˈkrɒs.ti.ni/.
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