{"id":169292,"date":"2024-03-15T02:38:06","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T06:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/talking-about-food-in-english\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T11:46:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:46:42","slug":"talking-about-food-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/talking-about-food-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Talk About Food in English"},"content":{"rendered":"

Food is one of the biggest topics of conversation in any language. So if you want to participate in these conversations in English, you’ll need many different descriptive English phrases<\/a> and words for food and how it tastes.<\/p>\n

Let’s look at 30 ways to talk about food in English, so you can start ordering food at restaurants<\/a>, feel comfortable at dinner parties or comment on your friend’s latest Instagram food post.<\/p>\n

You can also refer to this lesson from our YouTube channel<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Describing Flavors and Taste<\/h2>\n

1. Tastes great!<\/h3>\n

Eating something delicious right now? Use this expression to say so.<\/p>\n

I’m so glad I ordered this pizza\u2014it tastes great!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

2. Really good!<\/h3>\n

Here’s something else you could say instead of delicious<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Have you tried the chocolate cake? It’s really good!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

3. Wow, [this food] is amazing!<\/h3>\n

If something tastes better than you expected, you could use the word wow<\/em> to express your surprise. If you say something tastes amazing<\/em>, you’re saying it tastes even better than great<\/em>\u00a0or really good<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Wow<\/strong>, this\u00a0pasta salad is amazing!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

4. Yummy<\/h3>\n

This is an informal way of saying something tastes good. If you find something to be delicious, you could simply say “Yummy!”<\/em> or you could expand it into a sentence.<\/p>\n

This cheesecake is really yummy<\/strong>. I’m going for another slice.<\/em><\/p>\n

5. Flavorful<\/h3>\n

This is a great adjective for describing food that’s full of flavor or that has a delicious quality in its taste and smell.<\/p>\n

I love how flavorful<\/strong> this soup is with all the fresh herbs and vegetables in it.<\/em><\/p>\n

6. Mouth-watering<\/h3>\n

This is the perfect adjective to describe something that’s so delicious and flavorful, it’s actually making your mouth water.<\/p>\n

His mom makes such mouth-watering<\/strong> cakes that I just can’t wait to go over to his house tonight.<\/em><\/p>\n

There may be times when you don’t really like the taste of a certain food. But you probably can’t just shout “Yuck!”<\/em> (an informal English word meaning something tastes or smells bad) without offending the cook or your hosts.<\/p>\n

So how can you express that without sounding impolite?<\/p>\n

7. This [food] is too [flavor] for me. \/ This taste is too [flavor] for my taste<\/h3>\n

This is a polite way to explain that you don’t like the food, without blaming the cook. It’s just not right for you.<\/p>\n

Better yet if you can throw in a compliment first!<\/p>\n

This cake is so moist! It’s just too<\/strong> sweet for my taste<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

8. It could use a little more \/ It could use a little less…<\/h3>\n

Use this expression to say that you’d like the food better if the flavors were different.<\/p>\n

This chicken is too spicy. It could use a little less<\/strong> chili sauce.<\/em><\/p>\n

9. This tastes different. I think I prefer [something else]<\/h3>\n

If something tastes new or unfamiliar, you could politely name some other food that you’d prefer or like better.<\/p>\n

This<\/strong> tiramisu tastes different. I think I prefer<\/strong> the chocolate cake.<\/em><\/p>\n

Diet Preferences<\/h2>\n

10. Vegetarian<\/h3>\n

If you’re a vegetarian,<\/em>\u00a0your diet would include only vegetables, fruits and non-meat items such as tofu, nuts, etc.<\/p>\n

I’ve been a vegetarian<\/strong> for a year and I don’t even miss eating meat at all.<\/em><\/p>\n

11. Vegan<\/h3>\n

A vegan<\/em>\u00a0is similar to a vegetarian, however, a vegan would not eat dairy or any product from animals, like honey.<\/p>\n

Every week, my friend and I try a new vegan<\/strong> recipe.<\/em><\/p>\n

12. Flexitarian<\/h3>\n

A flexitarian<\/em> does incorporate some meat into their diet, so their diet is flexible<\/em>. Meat is limited, rather than excluded entirely from their diet.<\/p>\n

While my best friend is a flexitarian<\/strong>, she will always choose a vegetarian option when we eat out.<\/em><\/p>\n

13. Trying to lose weight<\/h3>\n

If you’re trying to lose weight,<\/em> it means you’re trying to become thinner.<\/p>\n

I usually just have a salad for lunch because I’m trying to lose weight<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

14. Low-carb diet<\/h3>\n

The word carb<\/em> is short for carbohydrate<\/em>. A low-carb diet<\/em>\u00a0involves eating less carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread, pancakes and cookies.<\/p>\n

That strawberry muffin looks tempting, but I’m on a low-carb diet<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

15. A balanced diet<\/h3>\n

Most people simply try to keep a balanced diet, <\/em>which includes eating from each of the main food groups like grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and meat.<\/p>\n

To stay healthy, I go to the gym, cycle to work and eat a balanced diet<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

More Common Food Words<\/h2>\n

16. Fast food<\/h3>\n

Fast food<\/a><\/em>\u00a0is served very quickly over the counter at restaurants such as McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A. It’s usually a meal with hamburgers or sandwiches, French fries and soda.<\/p>\n

When I’m busy with school, I usually end up eating fast food<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

17. Home-cooked meal<\/h3>\n

A home-cooked meal<\/em>\u00a0is what many of us would like to have waiting for us when we get home from school or work. This is a fresh meal that’s made and eaten at home.<\/p>\n

Whenever I get home early from work, I make myself a nice home-cooked meal<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

18. One-pot meal<\/h3>\n

A one-pot meal<\/em> means exactly what it says. You cook all of your ingredients<\/em>\u00a0(food items) like meat and vegetables in one pot and you’re ready to eat.<\/p>\n

If I’m too tired to cook, I just make a quick and easy one-pot meal<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

19. Microwave meal<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re in a rush or you want an easier meal, you might decide to eat a microwave meal<\/em>\u2014this is a pre-made meal that is cooked in the microwave.<\/p>\n

Before he learned to cook, he used to always buy microwave meals<\/strong> from the grocery store.<\/em><\/p>\n

20. Dessert<\/h3>\n

Dessert<\/em>\u00a0is a sweet dish, like pastry or ice cream, that’s served and eaten at the end of a meal.<\/p>\n

My grandma makes amazing cookies, cakes and pies. I always look forward to\u00a0dessert<\/strong> when I go to her house.<\/em><\/p>\n

21. To have a sweet tooth<\/h3>\n

Do you enjoy eating sweet food very much? Well then, you must have a sweet tooth<\/em>\u00a0for sure.<\/p>\n

I’ll admit I have a sweet tooth<\/strong> because I can never say no to cakes, pastries and ice cream.<\/em><\/p>\n

22. To eat healthy<\/h3>\n

Here’s an easy one. To eat healthy<\/em>\u00a0simply means choosing to eat food that’s good for your health.<\/p>\n

No matter how busy I am, I try to eat healthy<\/strong> and exercise every day.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chicken Preparation Styles<\/h2>\n

23. Fried or deep-fried<\/h3>\n

Fried<\/em> chicken is made by cooking the meat in hot oil. Often the fried chicken we get at restaurants is actually deep-fried<\/em>.<\/p>\n

So what’s the difference between frying and deep-frying? Well, deep-frying uses a lot more oil than frying. Most times, people just say\u00a0fried chicken<\/em> when referring to\u00a0deep-fried chicken<\/em>\u00a0because the word is shorter and easier to say.<\/p>\n

I can’t think of anything I like better than fried <\/strong>chicken, can you?<\/em><\/p>\n

24. Grilled<\/h3>\n

Grilled<\/em>\u00a0chicken is made by cooking the meat directly on a heated grill.<\/p>\n

I think I’ll invite my friends over for some grilled <\/strong>chicken this weekend.<\/em><\/p>\n

25. Roast<\/h3>\n

Roast<\/em> chicken usually refers to chicken that is cooked (or roasted) in the oven.<\/p>\n

After talking to my family, we decided to surprise my grandpa for Father\u2019s Day with roast <\/strong>chicken as it\u2019s his favorite meal.<\/em><\/p>\n

26. Crunchy<\/h3>\n

If you deep-fry your chicken well, it’ll be crunchy<\/em>, which means it’ll make a crunching, cracking sound when you bite and chew on it.<\/p>\n

That fried chicken I had for lunch was so crunchy<\/strong> and yummy. I just can’t stop thinking about it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Egg Cooking Methods<\/h2>\n

27. Scrambled<\/h3>\n

Scrambled<\/em>\u00a0eggs are made by stirring and mixing them together while cooking.<\/p>\n

I usually make\u00a0scrambled <\/strong>eggs for breakfast because they’re so easy.<\/em><\/p>\n

28. Poached<\/h3>\n

Poached<\/em>\u00a0eggs are made by partially cooking the egg in simmering water. When it’s served, the egg whites will be soft and you’ll be able to see the whole yolk.<\/p>\n

I’ve never had a poached<\/strong> egg but I’d sure like to try it.<\/em><\/p>\n

29. Sunny-side up<\/h3>\n

Sunny-side up<\/em>\u00a0refers to an egg that’s been fried on only one side. Its name comes from the fact that the yolk sits whole in the middle of the fried egg, making it look like the sun.<\/p>\n

The only way my son will eat eggs is if I make them\u00a0sunny-side up<\/strong>. He likes to see the yellow yolk!<\/em><\/p>\n

30. Boiled<\/h3>\n

Boiled<\/em> eggs are eggs that have been cooked in very hot (boiling) water.<\/p>\n

On the weekend, I usually have a boiled <\/strong>egg for breakfast with toast and orange juice.<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the best ways to start learning these words is to see them in authentic English contexts. For example, you could try watching cooking videos or you could use an immersive language learning program like FluentU<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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