Large prawns or shrimp, often prepared in Italian cuisine by cooking them quickly in garlic and white wine sauce.
From Italian 'scampi,' the plural of 'scampo,' which refers to a type of Mediterranean shellfish similar to langoustines. The word entered English in the mid-20th century as Italian cuisine became popular.
Scampi shows how food words travel with cuisines—this Italian seafood term is now more English than Italian in how we use it, and it represents post-WWII cultural exchange when soldiers returned from Italy craving its flavors.
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