Meaning
spare rib
- a pork rib cut for cooking, especially grilling (usually plural: costine)
- a small rib or ridge in sewing or botany
In a sentence
Domenica faremo una grigliata con salsicce e costine di maiale.
On Sunday we'll have a barbecue with sausages and pork spare ribs.
Quante costine hai ordinato per la cena di stasera?
How many spare ribs did you order for tonight's dinner?
Non mangio le costine perché preferisco piatti a base di verdure.
I don't eat spare ribs because I prefer vegetable-based dishes.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| costina | feminine · singular |
| costine | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- In food contexts, it is almost always heard in the plural ('le costine').
- In Tuscany and central Italy, spare ribs are often called 'rosticciana' or 'spuntature'.