Imagine that you are in a restaurant with somebody visiting you from another country. The other person doesn't speak your language, so you are both speaking English. You have to describe to him or her what the different dishes on the menu are. Although it is easy to say what something is (it's a chicken dish, it's a rice dish with mushrooms etc...), it is a lot more difficult to tell them how it is cooked or to describe what something tastes like or what texture it has in English.
Knowing the names in English of the different tastes (if it is sweet or salty) and textures (if it is soft or hard) of food (and even drinks) is very important (a taste that one person loves, another person hates). Knowing this vocabulary will both help you to describe food better in English and help you to choose the right type of food for yourself on a menu in English.
In this first of two online exercise on food, you'll learn and remember the adjectives used in English for describing the different tastes and textures of food and drink.
After you have done this online exercise, go to the second part of this online exercise to complete your knowledge of vocabulary used to talk about food tastes and textures in English.
To learn the English vocabulary for how food is cooked (important for understanding restaurant menus), do our online exercise on 'food cooking methods'.
Click here to see more of our free online exercises on food, drink and restaurant vocabulary
Read the following conversation between Peter and Juan in a restaurant in Yorkshire. Peter is describing the different tastes and textures of the dishes on a menu.
From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.
Peter:'So Juan, what do you fancy having?'
Juan:'I'm not sure. There's lots of food and dishes from around the world on this menu. You've eaten here before, what's the chicken vindaloo curry like?'
Peter:'It's very hot. The last time I had it, my mouth was burning for about 15 minutes. To be honest, it's a bit bland, it doesn't really taste of anything. If you want to have a curry, I would recommend the tikka masala, it's spicy, they use about 15 different spices in it, but it's not hot. I like it, it's really tasty.'
Juan:'I'm not sure I want Indian food. And the fish and chips?'
Peter:'Although I'm English, I don't like it, it's greasy. It's covered in too much oil for me.'
Juan:'What are the salads like here? They have a caesar salad, is it ok?'
Peter:'Well, yeah. I had it a couple of years ago and it was good. They use fried bacon in the salad as well, which is strange for a caesar salad. The iceberg lettuce and the bacon were very crispy, they make a noise when you first chew them. It has fried croutons, which were so crunchy.
Juan:'Just to be sure that I understand you correctly, croutons are the small pieces of cold fried bread you get in the salad?' Peter:'That's correct. They are almost like eating a savoury biscuit, or as the Americans call them, cookie.' Juan:'I hope the caesar sauce here isn't too creamy. In some places it is, it's like you are having a salad with a savoury milkshake. Not good.'
Match the words/phrases in bold from the above text to each of the definitions/descriptions below. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.
When the answer is correct, two icons will appear below the answer. The "" icon contains extra information on the word/phrase. In the "" icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.
Now go to the second part of this online exercise to complete your knowledge of vocabulary used to talk about food tastes and textures in English.
Now that you understand the meaning of the words/phrases and when to use them, practise using them by creating your own sentences with them in English. Also click on the "" icon under each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.
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