Food I Love — Vocabulary for Eating and Cooking
Food I Love — Vocabulary for Eating and Cooking
Fourteen years in hospitality — The Star, The Ivy, Establishment — meant food was my office. Guests from forty countries, and every single conversation eventually came to food: what they loved, missed, or couldn’t eat.
Food vocabulary is survival and pleasure in one set. Here are the groups you need for markets, menus, and small talk that actually goes somewhere.
🎯 Language Focus
| Group | Words | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit & veg | apple, mango, tomato, spinach | “Fresh mangoes at the market.” |
| Protein | chicken, fish, eggs, lentils | “Lentils every day at home.” |
| Carbs | rice, bread, pasta, potatoes | “Rice with everything in La Réunion.” |
| Drinks | water, tea, coffee, juice | “Still or sparkling water?” |
| Meals | breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack | “Dinner at eight is normal here.” |
| Taste words | sweet, salty, spicy, sour | “Not too spicy for me, thanks.” |
✏️ Quick Practice — Try It, Then Check
1. “I don’t eat meat.” Which word covers it?
2. Name the three daily meals.
3. Sweet or salty: crisps/chips?
4. At a restaurant, water with no bubbles = ?
5. “How spicy is it?” — you want the mildest. Say it.
6. Group: apples, bananas, mangoes = ?
7. Bread, rice, pasta are all…
8. Say your favourite food in a full sentence.
🗣️ Your Turn (60 seconds)
Describe tonight’s dinner — real or imagined — in three sentences: what it is, its taste (sweet/salty/spicy/sour), and who you eat it with. Out loud.
💡 Your 5-Minute Takeaway
Learn food words in groups (fruit, protein, carbs, drinks) and always attach one taste word. “Spicy noodles” sticks in memory far better than “noodles” alone.
Independent educational resource. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification. Grammar reference: Swan, Practical English Usage. Frameworks: PPP, TBLT, ESA (standard ELT methodology).