If you’ve been a Food Network fan for awhile, you’re more than familiar with the iconic Giada De Laurentiis — and the iconic way that she pronounces her favorite Italian foods. In an Instagram Reel on Tuesday, August 26, the Everyday Italian star addressed an issue that viewers have been wondering for years — why does she place so much emphasis on the enunciation of Italian ingredients and dishes?
While washing dishes in her kitchen, the 55-year-old said she wanted to answer some fan questions about her career, and that her enunciation is a topic that comes up over and over. It turns out — she has a good reason for saying “spah-GEH-tee” and “par-mee-JAH-no reh-JAH-no” over the American pronunciations of spaghetti and Parmigiano Reggiano.
“I moved here in elementary school from Rome,” De Laurentiis explained. “I really didn’t speak any English and I flunked the first grade. I couldn’t practice at home because my parents insisted that we speak Italian”
She went on, “Everything was about Italian food and culture in my house, so when I started on Food Network, it didn’t occur to me to NOT pronounce those words correctly … also my family probably would’ve killed me if I hadn’t pronounced them the right way.”
She also admitted that she never could have predicted that way that fans would eventually react to her Italian accent. “It really surprised me,” she shared. “The emotion that it illicit out of people who watch my shows … I get asked all the time to pronounce words and dishes — it’s hilarious to me.”
“It was that simple … I really didn’t think much about it at the time,” Giada said.
Fans Love the Way Giada Brings Authentic Italian Flair to Our Screens
Supporters raced to the comments section to show Giada some love for the way she pronounces Italian words while speaking English. “I LOVE the authentic way you pronounce Italian dishes!” wrote one fan, while others added, “It shows me how to also do it properly,” “I like hearing how Italians pronounce words. Spaghetti or speegeti!” and “Makes a lot of sense. Plus I love hearing the proper pronunciation.”
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Others thanked De Laurentiis for taking the time to teach them the proper way to say Italian ingredients — and for teaching them to cook. Comments included, “I’ve been watching your segments since you arrived. I enjoyed learning,” “Thank you for pronouncing them correctly. I do too!” and, “You should definitely pronounce them the way they were meant to be said! We love to hear them that way. Started cooking because of you!”
We Love That Giada Is So Influenced By Her Family
It makes total sense that she explained in the video that her family “probably would’ve killed” her if she didn’t pronounce everything correctly, because through all of her shows it’s abundantly clear that family is her number one priority.
In addition being close with her siblings and extended family, Giada seems to be incredibly close to her daughter Jade. It seems as though her 17-year-old isn’t about not roast her own mother either — Jade recently did a review of some of her mom’s famous looks through the years and it was absolutely hilarious.
Now we just need to know if she ribs her mom about the way she says mozzarella. She probably does — and then pronounces it the exact same way. Just a guess.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Dining and Cooking