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brace

embers; glowing coals

noun BRAH-cheh Rare
Food & Drink Cooking

Origin: Latin brasa (live coals), possibly of Germanic origin

Usage Note

Brace is grammatically feminine — la brace. It refers specifically to glowing, ash-covered coals — not an open flame (fiamma) or charcoal (carbone). Alla brace is a cooking term meaning 'grilled over embers' (often on a menu). The Italian proverb 'cadere dalla padella nella brace' equates it with 'out of the frying pan, into the fire.'

Examples

"La carne è cotta alla brace."

Natural Translation

The meat is cooked over embers.

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