Italian food not found in opening section of dictionary? (5)
I believe the answer is:
pasta
'italian food' is the definition.
(type of Italian food)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for pasta that I've seen before include "Shaped and dried dough" , "Italian cooking staple" , "dish from Italy" , "Italian dough" , "Tapas (anag)" .)