Learning food vocabulary in English is super important because it helps us understand what we’re eating and talk about our favorite dishes with friends and family! When we know the names of different foods, like fruits, vegetables, or snacks, it makes it easier to ask for what we want at restaurants or when shopping. It’s like having a secret code to communicate about yummy things we like to eat! Plus, knowing food words helps us make healthy choices by knowing what’s in our meals and finding new recipes to try.
Moreover, learning vocabulary related to food can be an exciting adventure! It allows us to explore various cultures and traditions through their unique food names. For instance, discovering about sushi or tacos introduces us to Japan’s and Mexico’s delicious cuisines! Understanding these names sparks curiosity about the world and might even inspire us to try cooking new dishes from different parts of the globe. Therefore, learning food words isn’t solely about eating – it’s about uncovering new tastes, discovering places, and making eating even more awesome!
Are you a foodie person? Are you interested in food and cooking? Because if you are, this article related to food in English is exactly for you! Since we eat at least 3 meals every day and food plays an important role in our lives, I have decided to talk about the most common vocabulary about food. Are you ready? Let’s start to see the food vocabulary list!
Food vocabulary in English (part 1)
What do you usually order when you go to a restaurant? Hamburger, pizza, pasta, or something else? I have asked a friend of mine, and here is his answer:
“I usually start with a light appetizer. For example, Bruschetta if it is an Italian restaurant. The aroma of freshly baked bread is just lovely. For the main course, I often have a kind of pizza. Italian pizzas are out of this world. They are my favorites. I never order a salad because I think salad is bland and tasteless. I love tasty food and that’s why I love Italian cuisine.”
Look at the bold words. Do you know what they mean? Let’s find out.
1. appetizer (of meals in English vocabulary)
an appetizer is of meals in English vocabulary that is served before the main meal. It’s something very small and usually very tasty. You eat the appetizer as a warm-up because you are getting ready for the main course.
2. Aroma
This word about food in English is a synonym for “smell”. If you enjoy the aroma of freshly baked bread, you like its smell. I particularly like the aroma of freshly brewed coffee!
3. Main course (of meals in English vocabulary)
The main course is also of meals in English vocabulary that you eat as lunch or dinner at a restaurant. Something like pizza or pasta.
4. Out of this world
This phrase is of common vocabulary about food in English. When you say the food is out of the world, it means that it is very delicious.
5. Bland and tasteless
Bland and tasteless are synonymous. They mean “with very little taste”, just like water. When you drink water, do you feel a sweet or sour or bitter taste? No, it’s bland and there is no taste to it.
6. Tasty
Tasty is of the most common vocabulary related to food in English, which is opposed to bland and means delicious and out of this world.
7. Cuisine
Cuisine means the way of cooking of a specific country or place. For example Italian cuisine, Mexican cuisine, Japanese cuisine, etc.
Now we know the first 7 items of the food vocabulary list. Knowing these items and the words that we are going to introduce in this article and memorizing them is so important in our daily conversation with native speakers. Remember that you will never be a good speaker without learning how to improve English vocabulary!
Learn more: Alternatives for boring words in English
Food words in English (part 2)
I asked another friend of mine about what she prefers to order when she goes to a restaurant. Here is her response:
“Restaurants? I don’t like eating out. I know most people love eating at restaurants, but it’s not my cup of tea. I don’t think restaurants use fresh ingredients, also I think the cutlery isn’t clean either. Many people eat fast food, which is basically junk food and gives you heart disease. You shouldn’t really eat out if you are on a diet, but if you do, try having seafood. At least it’s healthy.”
Look at the bold words. Do you know what they mean? Let’s find out.
8.To eat out
To eat out is another vocabulary related to food that means to eat at a restaurant. “I don’t like eating out” means that I don’t like eating at restaurants.
9. Not your cup of tea
This item is of food idioms. When something is not your cup of tea, it means that you don’t like it.
For instance:
- Cooking seafood is not my cup of tea.
- Traveling alone is not my cup of tea.
10. Ingredients (of vocabulary of food in English)
Ingredients are words related to food in English. They represent all the things you use to make a dish or something yummy. For example, when making an omelette, the ingredients you need are:
- Eggs
- Tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Learn more: What is another word for stop?
11. Cutlery
Cutlery means the things that you use to eat food, like knives, spoons, and forks.
Learn more: Learn about health and illness vocabulary
12. Fast-food
This item of food vocabulary list is familiar for all of us. Pizzas, burgers, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, French fries, etc. are all fast-food (I bet you are getting hungry, aren’t you?!)
13. Junk food (of vocabulary about food)
Any food that is not healthy and does not have any valuable ingredients is junk food. Junk food is not nutritious and not good for your body. For example, chips and French fries and considered junk food. (Read the article about English restaurant vocabulary).
14. Heart disease
Heart disease means any kind of illness that is related to your heart. By eating junk food, you are at risk of heart disease.
15.To be on a diet
When you are on a diet, you don’t eat everything. You can be on a diet to lose weight, so you are not allowed to eat high-calorie food like fast food.
But sometimes you are on a diet to gain weight, so you eat healthy high-calorie food. Whatever kind of diet you are on, it’s best if you don’t eat out.
16.Seafood
Seafood is also in the food vocabulary list which means anything that you can eat from the sea. Like fish, shrimp, squid, etc.
Learn more: One of the best ways of memorizing the vocabulary about food in English is to watch movies and pay attention to the food vocabulary and phrases. Therefore, choose a good movie, watch it carefully and describe it to a friend. If you don’t know about the ways of describing a movie, read our article about how to describe a movie in English!
Vocabulary about food in English (part 3)
“Personally, I don’t eat out, I cook at home. I ask my mom for recipes and then I cook my own dish. I always try to eat vegetables and nutritious food. I believe that’s the healthiest choice. I don’t want to have health issues when I get older.”
Look at the bold words which are also of vocabulary about food in English. Do you know what they mean? Let’s find out.
17. Recipe
A recipe is a part of English food vocabulary, providing instructions on how to make a dish. It includes the steps you should follow to cook a certain dish, for instance
- First, ……
- Then, ….
- After that, …
- Finally, ….
18. Dish
A dish is of common items in the food vocabulary list that means a portion of food that you prepare to eat.
Nutritious food is food with lots of vitamins, minerals, etc. Nutritious food is good for your body. People who are on a diet usually eat nutritious food.
Learn more: Reading newspapers is also another way to learn and memorize English vocabulary. Do you know about the essential vocabs and phrases about newspapers? Follow the link below to learn about them!
English newspaper vocabulary
Now that you are generally familiar with the vocabulary about food in English , we are going to talk about fast food vocabulary in the next section.
Fast food vocabulary
Here is some common fast food vocabulary you should know about:
Burger:
Burger is of food words in English that is a sandwich made with a ground meat patty, typically beef, served on a bun with various toppings and condiments.
French fries:(of fast food vocabulary)
Thin strips of deep-fried potatoes, often served as a side dish with fast food meals.
Chicken nuggets:
This item of vocabulary about food in English is small, bite-sized pieces of breaded and deep-fried chicken, often served with dipping sauces.
Soft drink:
A carbonated beverage, such as cola, lemon-lime soda, or orange soda, commonly served in fast food restaurants.
Hot dog (of fast food vocabulary) :
A sausage made of beef, pork, or a combination of meats, served in a long, soft bun and typically topped with condiments like ketchup, mustard, and relish.
Pizza:
This food in English is a round, flatbread topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and various toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, or vegetables.
Tip: In order to learn a foreign language very well, it is so important to practice it every day. Use online tools, read books, watch movies and learn about new techniques to memorize the words you learn. If you want to be a master of English grammar and be a good speaker, it is so crucial to learn about the mistakes that many English learners make. To get familiar with these mistakes, read the article related to the common mistakes in English
junk food vocabulary
Junk food is of vocabulary about food in English that refers to food that is usually not very healthy for our bodies. It is often high in unhealthy fats, sugars, and salt, and lacks important nutrients that our bodies need to stay strong and healthy. Junk food includes things like candy, potato chips, soda, and certain fast food items like cheeseburgers and fried chicken. While these foods might taste really good and be fun to eat once in a while, they are not the best choices for our bodies if we eat them all the time. Eating too much junk food and not enough healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can make us feel tired, affect our growth, and may cause problems for our bodies in the long run. So it’s important to enjoy junk food as a treat every now and then, but focus on eating mostly nutritious foods that give us the energy and nutrients we need to stay healthy and strong.
Here is some examples of junk food vocabulary:
Candy:
Sweet treats typically made with sugar or syrup, often available in various flavors and forms like chocolate bars, gummy candies, or lollipops.
Potato chips:(of junk food vocabulary)
Thin slices of potatoes that are deep-fried or baked until crispy, usually seasoned with salt or other flavorings.
Soda:
A sugary, carbonated beverage available in different flavors, often referred to as “pop” or “soft drink.”
Chocolate bar (of junk food vocabulary) :
A solid block of chocolate often containing additional ingredients like nuts, caramel, or nougat, available in various brands and flavors.
Cheeseburger:
This type of burger is a food in English that includes a beef patty topped with cheese, usually served on a bun with condiments like ketchup, mustard, and pickles.
Learn more: Do you know what adjectives you can use when you want to describe someone’s personality in English? Read the article about personality adjectives to get familiar with these words.
Food dishes vocabulary
A food dish is also of food vocabulary in English which is a specific type of food in English that is prepared and served together in one serving. It’s like a complete meal or a specific recipe that includes different ingredients cooked or combined in a certain way. For example, a dish could be something like spaghetti and meatballs, where you have noodles, a special sauce, and meatballs all mixed together. Or it could be something simpler like a sandwich, where you have bread, meat, cheese, and vegetables stacked together. Each dish has its own unique flavors, ingredients, and way of being made. So, when we talk about a food dish, we’re basically talking about a particular type of food that’s ready to eat and enjoy.
The following food dishes vocabulary are relatively simple to prepare and are commonly enjoyed by people in various cuisines around the world:
Salad:
A mixture of raw or cooked vegetables, often served with dressing.
Omelette (of food dishes vocabulary) :
A dish made by beating eggs and cooking them in a frying pan, often with fillings such as cheese, vegetables, or ham.
Pasta:
A type of Italian noodle made from wheat flour and water, often served with various sauces.
Sandwich:
Of food vocabulary list items made by placing ingredients, such as sliced meat, cheese, and vegetables, between two slices of bread.
Soup:
A liquid dish made by boiling ingredients such as meat, vegetables, and spices in water or broth.
Pancakes (of food dishes vocabulary):
A delicious food in English which is flat, round cakes made from a batter of flour, milk, eggs, and baking powder, often served with syrup or toppings.
Grilled fish:
Fish cooked by direct heat on a grill or barbecue, often seasoned with herbs, spices, or marinades.
Now that we have learned a lot about vocabulary related to food, it would be great if we became familiar with seafood vocabulary in English. Let’s explore this type of food vocabulary list in the next section.
Seafood vocabulary
Learning about seafood vocabulary is exciting and helpful for many reasons! Firstly, knowing the names of different types of seafood helps us understand what we’re eating, making trying new foods even more enjoyable. It also allows us to discuss our favorite dishes with others, enabling us to share experiences and learn from them too. Additionally, by knowing seafood names, we can make smarter and healthier choices when selecting what to eat, particularly if someone has allergies or specific preferences. Here is the list:
Shrimp:
Shrimp is a part of seafood vocabulary, referring to pinkish sea creatures that are often cooked and served in various dishes such as shrimp scampi or shrimp fried rice
Salmon (Of seafood vocabulary):
Salmon is a type of fish with pink flesh that’s rich in flavor and often prepared by grilling, baking, or smoking.
Tuna:
A large fish with firm flesh often used in making sandwiches, sushi, or salads.
Lobster:
A big crustacean with a hard shell and sweet, succulent meat that’s often enjoyed by cracking the shell and dipping the meat in butter.
A clam is a sea creature with a hard shell that lives in the sand or mud at the bottom of the ocean.
Oysters:
Shellfish with a rough, irregular-shaped shell often eaten raw on the half shell or cooked in various recipes.
Sardines:
Small, oily fish often packed in tins and eaten on crackers or toast.
Squid (Of seafood vocabulary):
A mollusk with a tubular body and tentacles often served as calamari, which is battered and fried.
Learn more: Get familiar with the formal and informal words in English
Conclusion for the lesson” food in English”
The table below summarizes all the vocabulary related to food that we’ve learned so far:
| Phrase / Vocabulary | Meaning |
| Appetizer | the first thing you eat when you go out to a restaurant. A kind of warmup for your stomach. |
| Aroma | the smell of something. |
| Main course | the main dish that you want to eat when you go to a restaurant. Like a pizza or a steak. |
| Out of this world | very very delicious. |
| Blend and tasteless | with very little taste or with no taste at all. Like water or salad. |
| Tasty | very very delicious. The opposite of tasteless. |
| To eat out | to go to a restaurant and order something and eat it. |
| Not your cup of tea | you don’t like it very much. |
| Ingredients | all the things that you use to make food. |
| Cutlery | the things you use to eat food at a restaurant(knives, forks, and spoons). |
| Fast-food | a kind of junk food. Something that is prepared fast and usually it’s not good for your body. |
| Junk food | unhealthy food that can give you heart disease. |
| Heart disease | a kind of disease that is related to your heart. |
| To be on a diet | to not eat everything and follow a specific meal plan. |
| Seafood | everything that you can from the sea like fish, clam, and shrimp. |
| Recipe | the instructions on how to make a dish. |
| Dish | a synonym for the main course that you have prepared to eat. |
| Nutritious | something that is good for the body. |
And that’s the end of this article. Try to review the vocabulary for food every day so you won’t forget them.
You can also join my online English course to improve your grammar, vocabulary and your 4 mains skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). You can choose a course depending on your level.
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