Food and Drink Vocabulary

Quick Answer: Essential English food vocabulary covers fruit (apple, banana), vegetables (carrot, onion), meat and fish (chicken, beef, salmon), dairy (milk, cheese), grains (bread, rice, pasta) and drinks (water, coffee, tea). Many foods such as bread, rice, cheese and milk are uncountable, so you say a slice of bread or a glass of milk, not a bread.

Key takeaways

• Dessert (double s) is sweet food after a meal; desert (one s) is a sandy place.
• Bread, rice, cheese, milk, sugar and usually fruit are uncountable: some bread, not a bread.
• Use a unit with uncountable food: a loaf of bread, a bowl of rice, a bar of chocolate, a cup of tea.
• The meat often has its own name: cow gives beef, pig gives pork, sheep gives lamb or mutton.
• UK and US words differ: aubergine and eggplant, courgette and zucchini, biscuit and cookie, prawns and shrimp.
• Delicious already means very tasty, so say really delicious, not very delicious.

What are the meals of the day?

• breakfast - the morning meal
• brunch - a late breakfast and lunch together
• lunch - the midday meal
• dinner - the main evening meal
• snack - a small amount of food between meals
• dessert - something sweet after a meal (careful: desert with one s is a sandy place)

"What did you have for breakfast?" - "Just toast and coffee."

Fruit

apple, banana, orange, lemon, strawberry, grape, pear, peach, cherry, watermelon, pineapple, mango, apricot, fig, plum, kiwi.

Note: fruit is usually uncountable: "I eat a lot of fruit." Use "fruits" only when you mean different types.

Vegetables

Vegetable	Vegetable	Vegetable
tomato	potato	onion
garlic	carrot	cucumber
pepper	lettuce	spinach
eggplant (US) / aubergine (UK)	zucchini (US) / courgette (UK)	mushroom
beans	peas	broccoli

Informal: Americans often say veggies; British speakers say veg.

Meat, fish and protein

• Meat: chicken, beef, lamb, pork, turkey, sausage, minced meat (UK) or ground beef (US)
• Fish and seafood: salmon, tuna, sea bass, shrimp (US) or prawns (UK), mussels
• Other protein: eggs, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, nuts

In English, the animal and the meat often have different names: cow and beef, pig and pork, sheep and lamb or mutton.

Dairy and grains

• Dairy: milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, cream, ice cream
• Grains and carbs: bread, rice, pasta, flour, cereal, oats, noodles
• Baked goods: cake, cookie (US) or biscuit (UK), croissant, roll

Drinks

Hot drinks	Cold drinks
coffee	water (still or sparkling)
tea	juice
hot chocolate	soda (US) / fizzy drink (UK)
herbal tea	lemonade
	smoothie

A soft drink has no alcohol. In British English, squash is a fruit syrup you mix with water.

Which foods are countable and uncountable?

This grammar point causes many mistakes.

Countable	Uncountable
an apple, two apples	bread
an egg, six eggs	rice
a tomato, tomatoes	cheese
a sandwich	milk, water, coffee
a cookie	sugar, salt, butter

With uncountable food, use a container or unit:

• a loaf of bread, a slice of bread
• a bottle of water, a glass of milk
• a cup of coffee, a mug of tea
• a bowl of rice, a plate of pasta
• a piece of cheese, a bar of chocolate
• a kilo of sugar, a can of tuna (US) or a tin of tuna (UK)

In cafes, people often make coffee countable: "Two coffees, please." This is natural.

For the full rules, read countable and uncountable nouns and much, many or a lot of.

What are the basic cooking verbs?

• boil - cook in very hot water (boil pasta, boil eggs)
• fry - cook in oil (fry an egg)
• bake - cook in an oven (bake bread, bake a cake)
• grill - cook over direct heat (grill fish)
• roast - cook meat or vegetables in an oven
• chop / cut / slice - cut into pieces
• peel - remove the skin (peel a potato)
• mix / stir - combine ingredients
• add - "Add a pinch of salt."

Example recipe steps: "First, chop the onions. Then fry them in olive oil for five minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir. Finally, boil the pasta and mix everything together."

How do you describe taste in English?

Taste	Opinion	Texture
sweet	delicious	crispy
salty	tasty	creamy
sour	disgusting	crunchy
bitter	bland (no flavor)	soft
spicy / hot	too salty	tender (meat)

"This soup is delicious, but it's a bit too spicy for me."

Avoid saying "This food is very delicious". Delicious already means very tasty, so say "This is delicious" or "This is really delicious".

Talking about food you like

• "I'm a big fan of Italian food."
• "I can't stand olives." (I really dislike them)
• "I'm not a fan of spicy food."
• "My favorite dish is lentil soup."
• "I'm trying to eat less sugar."
• "I'm starving!" (very hungry, informal)
• "I'm full." (I can't eat any more)

What mistakes do learners make with food words?

1. "I ate a bread." - correct: I ate some bread or a slice of bread.
2. "Can I have a water?" - acceptable in restaurants, but a glass of water is clearer.
3. "I love fruits." - usually I love fruit.
4. "The dessert is in the desert." - spelling matters.
5. "Cooker" for a person - a cook is a person; a cooker is a stove in British English.

Practice quiz

Choose the correct unit.

1. a ___ of bread (loaf / bottle)
2. a ___ of chocolate (bar / glass)
3. a ___ of soup (bowl / slice)
4. a ___ of tea (cup / loaf)
5. a ___ of water (bottle / piece)

Answers: 1. loaf 2. bar 3. bowl 4. cup 5. bottle

Ready to use these words? Read how to order food in a restaurant in English, then practice food vocabulary with pictures and audio in our free English vocabulary lessons.

People Also Ask

Is food countable or uncountable in English?

Some food words are countable, like an apple or two eggs. Many are uncountable, like bread, rice, milk and cheese. For uncountable food, use containers or units: a loaf of bread, a glass of milk.

What is the difference between dinner and supper?

Dinner is the main evening meal for most speakers. Supper is a light or informal evening meal and is more common in some regions of the UK and US. In some places dinner can also mean the midday meal.

How do you describe taste in English?

Common taste words are sweet, salty, sour, bitter and spicy. You can also say delicious, tasty, bland or too salty to give an opinion.

What are the main meals of the day in English?

Breakfast in the morning, lunch around midday and dinner in the evening. Brunch is a late morning meal that combines breakfast and lunch.

Related Reading

• How to Order Food in a Restaurant in English
• Countable and Uncountable Nouns in English
• Much, Many or A Lot Of?
• Shopping English Phrases