al dente
/al ˈdɛnteɪ
/ /-ti/adjective & adverb
(Of food, typically pasta) cooked so as to be still firm when bitten.In cooking, the adjective al dente describes pasta and (less commonly) rice that has been cooked so as to be firm but not hard....
- Al dente is a fancy term for pasta that's fully cooked, but not overly soft.
- Al dente: The only way to serve pasta! This is an Italian phrase meaning 'to the tooth'.
Origin
Italian, literally 'to the tooth'.