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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