Calzones

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of Italian turnover typically filled with cheese, meats, and vegetables, baked or fried into a pocket-like shape
2. A folded pizza variation that encapsulates various fillings, often including mozzarella, peppers, and seasoned meats
3. An Italian pastry that resembles a stuffed dough, usually filled with ricotta, mozzarella, and assorted toppings, then baked to perfection

Etymology: The word "calzones" is simply the plural of "calzone," an Italian term whose literal meaning is "stocking" or "trouser." The food takes its name from that garment, most likely because the dough is folded over its filling much as a leg is wrapped in a stocking or trouser. English borrowed the Italian word without adapting its spelling or sound, so it still looks and sounds Italian. The same root gives English a surprising cousin. "Chausson," the French term for a turnover-style pastry, is a doublet of "calzone," meaning the two words descend from one ancestor yet took different paths into their languages. Both name a folded pastry after a garment that covers the leg or foot, which shows how often cooks have borrowed the shape of clothing for their food.