#so people tend to swap it with the similar and much more common 'agli' sound

[the-eclectic-wonderer]

If you're still interesting you and anons might like to know that Dorothy definitely knows food words in Italian (Sicilian?) Because there's a few times where Sophia is cooking something and only says the name so Dorothy explains the dish to Rose/Blanche. You might remember the jokes where Sophia says gobblegook and Dorothy is like "even I don't know that one" and Sophia says that wasn't a meal that was her dentures slipping lol

Hi anon, of course I'm still interested!! I'm actually in the process of doing some research about all this stuff, it's just taking a long time because I've been very busy lately, haha.

I can confirm that Dorothy understands (or, at least, knows, which is a slightly different thing imho) the names of foods in Italian, yeah! And those names are in Italian alright -- I actually don't recall any instance of Sophia talking in any Sicilian dialect (although, as I mentioned, I'm still researching).

The episode you're referring to is S6E23: Love For Sale. The whole dialogue is:

SOPHIA: I'm not happy with my zabagliones.

BLANCHE: Maybe you just need a push-up bra.

DOROTHY: Blanche, zabaglione is a traditional Italian dessert. It's my Uncle Angelo's favorite.

SOPHIA: Yeah, my brother. He's quite the scungiscoror-or-or.

DOROTHY: Even I don't know that one.

SOPHIA: That wasn't a word. My dentures slipped.

The Zabaione is, indeed, a traditional Italian dessert; it's a sort of sweet cream prepared with egg yolks, sugar, and sweet wine (you can find out more about it here). The way Sophia pronounces it, it sounds as if she's spelling it zabaglione, but that also makes sense from a linguistic POV, because many people (especially uneducated people from poor regions of Italy, like Sophia herself) do tend to spell it that way, to sort of 'overcorrect'.

The zabaione is supposed to have originated in Northern Italy (although the actual origin has been lost to time, unfortunately), but it's become common all over the peninsula, especially in places where they prepare famous sweet wines -- and wouldn't you know, Sicily has exactly the right place for the job! The wine they make in the city of Marsala is delicious and deliciously sweet at that (not to mention very well-known), so it's perfect to prepare the zabaione.

Digressions on Italian wine and desserts aside -- you're absolutely right, anon! Dorothy clearly knows what the zabaione is and acts as a translator for Blanche in this instance. I also recall her naming dishes by their Italian names in other instances, although I have my doubts about the recipes Sophia uses (she makes lasagne with marinara sauce...?). I'll be sure to include a full round-up of all the Italian food mentions I can find in the series in my deep dive!