Dish guides
What is carpaccio?
Carpaccio is raw beef sliced paper-thin and served cold as a starter, usually dressed with olive oil, lemon, parmigiano shavings and rocket. It's credited to Harry's Bar in Venice and usually dated to 1950. Today the word also covers thin raw slices of fish or other meats, so check what's in it: carpaccio di manzo is beef.
- At a glance
- Carpaccio
- Raw beef sliced paper-thin, with olive oil, lemon and parmigiano.
- Pronunciation
- Say it like kar-PAHT-choh · IPA /karˈpattʃo/
- Also written as
- carpaccio di manzo, beef carpaccio, carpaccio de boeuf, carpaccio de ternera, carpaccio di bresaola
What’s in it
Core ingredients
- raw lean beef (usually fillet or sirloin), sliced paper-thin
- extra virgin olive oil
- lemon juice
- salt and black pepper
Often added
- parmigiano shavings
- rocket (arugula)
- capers
- mayonnaise- or mustard-based dressing
- pine nuts
- truffle or truffle oil
- balsamic glaze
Allergens
| Allergen | How likely |
|---|---|
| Dairy | Often contains |
| Mustard | Sometimes contains |
| Eggs | Sometimes contains |
| Tree nuts | Sometimes contains |
| Sulphites | Sometimes contains |
| Fish | Sometimes contains |
| Gluten | Rarely contains |
| Peanuts | Rarely contains |
| Shellfish | Rarely contains |
| Soy | Rarely contains |
| Sesame | Rarely contains |
| Celery | Rarely contains |
| Diet | Suitable? |
|---|---|
| Vegetarian | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Pescatarian | No |
| Halal | No |
| Kosher | No |
| Gluten-free | Usually |
Allergen and calorie details are AI estimates based on the menu and typical recipes. They can be incomplete — if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.
A Venetian invention
Carpaccio is one of the few classic Italian dishes with a known author. According to the usual account, in 1950 Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar in Venice, served raw beef sliced extremely thin to a countess whose doctor had advised her to eat raw meat. He named it after Vittore Carpaccio, the Renaissance Venetian painter famous for his deep reds and whites. It's often linked to Piedmont's older raw-beef dish, carne cruda. From Harry's Bar it spread around the world.
What arrives at the table
Expect a plate covered edge to edge with thin, deep-red slices of beef, often almost transparent. In Italy the usual dressing is olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper, topped with rocket and shavings of parmigiano. Some restaurants add capers, a few drops of a mayonnaise- or mustard-style sauce (some include Worcestershire sauce, which is made with anchovies), or truffle in season. The beef is not cooked: the lemon may lightly change its colour, but it remains raw.
Abroad the toppings vary more. In the Netherlands and Germany carpaccio often comes with pine nuts and a mayonnaise-style dressing, and balsamic glaze is common in many countries.
Fish, octopus and vegetable 'carpaccio'
Italian menus now use carpaccio for almost anything served in thin slices. Carpaccio di pesce spada (swordfish), di salmone or di tonno are raw or cured fish. Carpaccio di polpo is cooked octopus pressed and sliced. Carpaccio di bresaola uses air-dried cured beef. There are even fruit and vegetable versions, such as courgette or pineapple. If you avoid fish or raw food, read the full name, not just the first word. For more menu words, see the Italy menu guide.
Typical price
Median price 14.5 EUR
Typical range 9.5–20 EUR.
Median of 26 menus, 2025-04 – 2026-04. Basis: Italian-language menus scanned with MenuGuide.
How to order it
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vorrei il carpaccio di manzo, per favore. | I'd like the beef carpaccio, please. |
| È carne cruda? | Is it raw meat? |
| C'è senape o maionese nel condimento? | Is there mustard or mayonnaise in the dressing? |
Not to be confused with
- Steak tartare — Raw beef too, but finely chopped and seasoned, not sliced.
- Vitello tonnato — Cooked cold veal under a tuna sauce, not raw beef.
- Carne cruda all'albese — Piedmont's raw beef, chopped or thinly sliced, with oil, lemon and sometimes truffle.
Frequently asked questions
Is carpaccio raw?
Yes. Classic beef carpaccio is raw beef, sliced very thin and dressed just before serving. Lemon juice in the dressing can make the surface look slightly paler, but it doesn't cook the meat. People who avoid raw meat, such as during pregnancy, usually skip it. Octopus carpaccio is an exception: the octopus is cooked before slicing.
Can you get sick from eating carpaccio?
It's possible, though restaurants use very fresh, high-quality beef and many people eat it without problems. Like any raw meat, it carries some risk of food-borne illness. Health authorities generally advise pregnant women, young children, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system to avoid raw meat. If that applies to you, choose a cooked dish.
How do you pronounce carpaccio?
Say kar-PAHT-choh, with the stress on the middle syllable: in IPA, [karˈpattʃo]. The double c before i sounds like "ch" in "church", and the i is silent, only softening the c. The final o is a short, clear "oh". It's named after the painter Vittore Carpaccio, and pronounced the same way.
What's the difference between carpaccio and tartare?
Both are raw beef, but carpaccio is sliced paper-thin and lightly dressed with oil and lemon, while tartare is finely chopped and mixed with seasonings such as capers, shallot, mustard and often egg yolk. Carpaccio comes from Venice; steak tartare is a French bistro classic. Both are served cold as starters, though tartare is often a main course in France.
.jpg){kind=link}