Food & Cooking (Q&A)

Answer: Al Dente is an adjective which is used to describe Pasta and less commonly to rice or beans that have been cooked so as to be firm but not hard. It also describes vegetables that are cooked to the tender crisp phase - still offering resistance to the bite, but cooked through. It is often considered to be the ideal form of cooked pasta. Keeping the pasta firm is especially important in baked or Al Forno pasta dishes. The term comes from Italian and means - To the Tooth or To the Bite, referring to the need to chew the pasta due to its firmness. The term is also very commonly used as a name for Italian restaurants around the world.

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