Words and phrases to help you talk about food in English.
How food is cooked
boiled – cooked in boiling water
steamed – cooked over a saucepan of boiling water
fried / sauteed – cooked in oil in a frying pan
stir-fried – fried fast in hot oil
pan-fried – fried in a frying pan
roasted – cooked in oil in the oven
grilled – cooked under a grill
baked – cooked in the oven
stewed – cooked for a long time on a low heat
casseroled – cooked slowly in juices
Types of food
meat = lamb, pork or beef
poultry = chicken, turkey, goose, duck
game = rabbit, hare, partridge, pheasant
fish = salt water fish / sea fish, fresh water fish
seafood = prawns, shrimps, lobster, scallops, mussels, crab
vegetables
fruit
Dishes
starter / hors d'oeuvre / appetiser
main course
dessert / pudding
13 comments on “English food vocabulary”
What is the meaning of hors d'oeuvre?
It's a French word, meaning "starter" or "appetiser".
who is the most used in USA, starter or appetiser?
To be honest, I don't know. We use both in British English.
When and how do you use terms as well done, medium red, etc.
"Well done" describes how meat is cooked (i.e. well cooked).
"Medium rare" means that the meat is only half-cooked.
what about overdone or underdone .
Yes, you can say that something is overdone (overcooked) or underdone (undercooked).
hi, When you saw sb eating sth, what must I say meaning a good wish? 'Good Apetite' is only used if you cooked the meal?
You can say "Enjoy your meal" or mention what meal it is: "Enjoy your lunch / dinner".
what is the right word for assorted pastries, and differnt kinds of small foods served at a party?
when is the term savouries used?
naa koshie blankson »
"Appetisers" are the snacks you serve with drinks (usually before a meal). You can also have a "buffet" where people help themselves. A buffet can contain snacks or more substantial dishes. You also serve "nibbles" with drinks (peanuts, crisps etc).
naa » It refers to any food that isn't sweet. So you could use it to refer to snacks.
What's the best way to say it:
"As a starter we serve… As a soup we serve… As a main course we serve… As a dessert we serve…" OR "As starter we serve… As soup we serve… As main course we serve… As dessert we serve…"
For starters we have…
On our main course there's…
For dessert, there's…
With the word CRISP Is it ok to use it with the article A? Is it the same with the word chocolate?
A CRISP
A Chocolate
Yes.
A crisp = one crisp (i.e. from a packet of crisps).
A chocolate = one chocolate (i.e. from a box of chocolates).
