Our resident Italian-American explains the mystery behind the meat.
Everybody knows about salami, prosciutto, and bologna. The staples of the great Italian-American meat and cheese counter have become as well-known as Extra Virgin Olive Oil thanks to over-priced Starbucks breakfast sandwiches and wedding caterers nationwide at What the Hell is ‘Gabagool,’ and Why Does Tony Soprano Talk About It All the Time?. But if you were a fan of The Sopranos–which debuted more than two decades ago–you’ve probably been wondering for a very long time, what the f*ck is “gabagool?”
Known by its former name, capicola, gabagool is not the most fashionable or well-liked Italian cold cut, but it is the most entertaining to pronounce. You’ve probably heard the term used a lot if you’re Italian, grew up in New Jersey, or have ever been in an environment where people from those cultures are present. Words like “gabagool” and “super-sod” (soppressata) have some narrative weight throughout The Sopranos because red meat is a major factor in Tony Soprano’s psychological anguish. In a 2009 mafia episode that will stick in your memory, Michael Scott orders “just the gabagool” to impress his new Italian-American friends at What the Hell is ‘Gabagool,’ and Why Does Tony Soprano Talk About It All the Time?
According to The Daily Meal, capicola is a “type of salumi” that’s basically a “cross between prosciutto and sausage.” Like its salt-cured sisters, capicola, which can also be called just “coppa,” is seasoned with a variety of flavors like wine, garlic, and paprika, stuffed into a meat-based casing, then smoked, slow-roasted, or in most cases, “hung for up to six months to cure at What the Hell is ‘Gabagool,’ and Why Does Tony Soprano Talk About It All the Time?.” It’s red and white, not as spicy as soppressata, but also not as creamy-tasting and mild as, say, mortadella at What the Hell is ‘Gabagool,’ and Why Does Tony Soprano Talk About It All the Time?
Dan Nosowitz on Atlas Obscura did a deep dive on the origin of the gabagool phenomenon in his fantastic piece, How Capicola Became Gabagool: The Italian New Jersey Accent, Explained. After researching with some linguistics experts, Nosowitz discovered that, like the botched American estimations of Italian culture such as meatballs, baked ziti, or whatever Olive Garden is pretending to be, the word “gabagool” is about as Italian as apple pie at What the Hell is ‘Gabagool,’ and Why Does Tony Soprano Talk About It All the Time?
“The word ‘gabagool’ is about as Italian as apple pie.”
According to Nosowitz’s research, many Italians in the United States descend from Southern Italians, “about 80 percent,” in fact. If you know anything about Italy, you’re probably aware that the dialects of the various regions within the country are all vastly different. Similarly, the Italian language that arrived in America back in the time of the great emigration is much different than the Italian language of today at What the Hell is ‘Gabagool,’ and Why Does Tony Soprano Talk About It All the Time?
What we hear in places like Jersey, Staten Island, and New York is actually the result of former immigrants hanging on to their native dialect, and passing elements of that down through generations of Americans who may not even have a clue what the actual contemporary Italian language sounds like today at What the Hell is ‘Gabagool,’ and Why Does Tony Soprano Talk About It All the Time?.
In the case of gabagool, it’s a combination of end vowels being deleted, “oh” sounds being raised, and what linguists call “voiceless consonants,” namely “k” and “c” sounds, being turned into “voiced” consonants, which, in this case, amounts to “g” sounds at What the Hell is ‘Gabagool,’ and Why Does Tony Soprano Talk About It All the Time?
Do you wish to unleash your inner Soprano? First, let’s talk about the capicola. Remove the last vowel. Put “g”s in place of the “c”s. Additionally, emphasize the “o” sound. What’s yours? Gabagool.Why the devil does Tony Soprano talk about “Gabagool” so much and what the hell is it? Nevermind.
