# Al dente

**Pasta cooked so it stays slightly firm to the bite.**

Al dente means "to the tooth" in Italian. The pasta is cooked but still resists a little. It's the point to aim for when you finish cooking in the sauce: it absorbs the liquid without going soft.

- **Canonical URL:** https://mezze-app.com/glossary/al-dente

## See also

- https://mezze-app.com/recipes/spicy-vodka-pasta

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Definition from the [Mezze glossary](https://mezze-app.com/glossary).