This expression is very funny. You may think it could have something to do with eating or cooking, since you can translate it literally as « Having salt in the pumpkin » but it has nothing to do with pumpkins!

In Italian, the word « zucca » – pumpkin – is used to talk about the head, because of the rounded shape of the vegetable. « Avere sale in zucca » means having some « salt » in the head, being smart. It’s a nice expression that Italians, especially in Tuscany, love to use!

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