Foods in English: 50+ foods, drinks, and restaurant words with pronunciation

English is the most commonly learned second language in the world. According to Ethnologue’s 2024 data, nearly 1.5 billion people speak it as a first or second language. Food vocabulary is one of the first areas you use in real life, when ordering in a restaurant, shopping, hosting guests, or answering a simple everyday question: “What did you have for lunch?"

Food vocabulary also matters because British and American English differ very clearly here. What people in London call “chips” (French fries), people in New York call “fries”. British “aubergine” is American “eggplant”. These differences are not mistakes, they are the result of natural development in the two varieties, and both the Cambridge English Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary document them.

"The vocabulary of food and eating is one of the most culturally embedded domains of any language, it reflects history, migration, and the daily rhythms of social life."

(David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Cambridge University Press, 2019)

This guide covers food vocabulary from start to finish, from meal names to fruits, vegetables, and meats, then restaurant phrases, and finally a British-American comparison.

Meals in English

English has three main meals a day, but British and American English can differ in the names and typical times. The word “dinner”, for example, can mean different things depending on time and context.

Fruits in English

English fruit vocabulary is mostly from Latin and Germanic roots, but many words entered the language through the colonial era and tropical trade. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “mango” comes from the Tamil word māṅkāy, and “pineapple” comes from 17th-century explorers’ descriptions (the fruit’s shape reminded them of a pine cone, and its taste reminded them of an apple).

The word “cherry” can refer to both sweet cherries and sour cherries. English does not use separate everyday words for them, both are “cherry”. If you want to be specific, say: sweet cherry or sour cherry.

Vegetables in English

When learning vegetable vocabulary, pay close attention to British-American differences. In the United Kingdom and the United States, people often use different words for the same vegetable. This affects both vocabulary learning and reading menus.

Meats and proteins

One of the most important things to know about meat vocabulary is that the animal name and the meat name often differ. This comes from French-English bilingualism after the Norman Conquest (1066). Anglo-Saxon farmers used the original Germanic animal names, while Norman nobles at the table used the French words for the meat.

Breakfast foods

English breakfast is one of the most recognizable cultural food categories. According to the British Council, the "Full English Breakfast" is still one of the best-known British cultural symbols, and many learners associate it with familiar regions.

Drinks

Drink vocabulary also includes British-American differences, especially for soft drinks. English has one of the richest vocabularies for describing drinks. The Oxford English Dictionary includes more than 200 different drink entries.

Restaurant ordering phrases

Food vocabulary is not very useful if you cannot order food. The sentences and phrases below cover most restaurant situations, from asking for a table to paying.

In restaurants, the most polite way to order starts with “I'd like...” or “Could I have...”. Ordering with just a noun (for example, “Chicken!”) sounds unnatural and ruder in English than it does in some other languages. Always add please: “I'd like the chicken, please."

The British-American difference for asking for the bill is simple. In England, “The bill, please” is standard. In the United States, “Check, please” is standard. People understand both in both countries, but the local version sounds more natural.

British-American food glossary

Below is a summary of the most common British-American differences in food vocabulary. This table is especially useful if you watch British shows (where chips = French fries) or read American recipes (where eggplant = aubergine).

These differences are not new. British and American English have developed separately since the 1600s. In many cases, the British form is older, while the American form is a modified or shortened version of the original word. For example, the word eggplant comes from the fact that some white, egg-shaped varieties really do look like eggs.

Useful words to describe food

When ordering and describing food, flavor adjectives are essential. The words below help you say exactly what you want, or describe what you ate.

These are especially useful in restaurants: “Is it very spicy?”, “Is it fresh?”, “How is it cooked?”. Common cooking methods include: grilled, steamed, stir-fried, deep-fried.

Practice with real English content

Food vocabulary sticks best in real life, when you hear these words in natural context. Restaurant scenes, cooking shows, and shopping dialogues are great sources of living vocabulary.

With Wordy, you can hear the words from this guide in English movies and series with interactive subtitles. When a food-related word appears, tap it to see the meaning, hear the pronunciation, and save it for review.

In our guide to the best movies to learn English, you will find several films with lots of food vocabulary, from British comedies to American dramas. Julie & Julia, Ratatouille, and Chef are especially rich in culinary vocabulary, and their restaurant dialogues include many real expressions.