Meaning & use
osso buco
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
An Italian dish made from a thick slice of veal shank, braised with vegetables and often served with rice or pasta.
Grammar: Used like a mass noun: you eat osso buco, not 'an osso buco' (though 'an osso buco' can mean one portion in restaurant menus).
Patterns
- osso buco with something
- a plate of osso buco
The restaurant's specialty is osso buco, slow-cooked until the meat falls off the bone.
She ordered osso buco with saffron risotto for her birthday dinner.
The recipe calls for veal shanks to make traditional osso buco.
Common combinations
- veal osso buco
- The menu lists veal osso buco as the main course.
- osso buco alla Milanese
- Osso buco alla Milanese is served with gremolata and risotto.
- braised osso buco
- The braised osso buco had a rich, savory sauce.
- make osso buco
- It takes hours to make osso buco properly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- braised veal shank
- A descriptive English term for the same cut and cooking method; 'osso buco' is the established Italian name used on menus.
Commonly confused: osso buco or ossobuco?
osso buco vs ossobuco
Sometimes written as one word in English, but the standard spelling keeps the two words separate: osso buco.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'osso buco' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses 'osso buco' as a main dish that can be ordered in a restaurant. Option 1 is wrong because osso buco is a meat dish, not a dessert. Option 2 is wrong because it is made from veal shank, not chicken breast. Option 3 is wrong because it is typically braised and served hot, not as a cold salad.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “osso buco”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.