Expanding Your Food Vocabulary

There are a myriad of ways to describe food. I have found, though, that most ESL students only use the word “delicious” to describe food. Food can be so much more than just “delicious”! As a self-proclaimed “foodie“, I have made it my mission to educate my students on how to describe food in a variety of descriptive adjectives.

Below, I have listed different foods and given you a list of 5 adjectives for each that I might use to describe that food. Enjoy!

Apple: crunchy, juicy, ripe, tart, sweet

Avocado: green, healthy, rich, sliced, pitted

Blue Cheese: stinky, marbled, crumbled, spreadable, strong

Cherry pie: sugary, sour, chewy, warm, homey

Eggs: runny, over-medium, over-easy, poached, hard-boiled

Fish: blackened, flaky, dry, peppery, fishy

French fries: soggy, crunchy, salty, crinkle-cut, oily

Milk: organic, pasteurized, spoiled, low-fat, bad

Onions: caramelized, sliced, diced, purple, dried 

Pizza: Chicago-style, deep-dish, cheesy, flavorful, meaty

Salad: mixed, green, bitter, springy, citrus

Steak: rare, tough, pink, thick-cut, bone-in

Wine: full-bodied, oaky, bright, buttery, complex

Yogurt: creamy, thick, nutrient-rich, curdled, tangy

Explore more descriptive food words by brainstorming lists of adjectives. Don’t settle for “delicious” or “yummy”. Discover the thousands of ways you can talk about food!

Since we’re talking all about food today, I’ve included a colorful infographic from our friends at Kaplan International that’s all about food idioms. These idioms have food in their wording, but not in their meaning!

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will answer it for you.

Happy learning!

Andrea