VOCABULARY: FOOD & DISHES

1. Match the dishes with the pictures that describe them:

1. Stew 2. Soup 3. Noodles 4. Curry 5. Porridge

6. Casserole 7. Flatbread 8. Patty 9. Mashed potatoes 10.
Grilled cheese 11. Meatballs 12. Bacon 13. Fried chicken
14. Cornmeal 15. Toast 16. Doughnuts

Stew

Meatballs
 Oatmeal porridge

mashed potatoes

Flatbread
 Casserole

Cornmeal

Grilled cheese
 Bacon

Toast

noodles
 soup

Doughnuts

2. Look at these cooking techniques. Do you know any of them? Then put the definitions in the
correct word-.
Boil A B To cook food in hot oil or fat, usually in a frying pan or deep fryer.

Fry B To cook food by exposing it to steam in a closed environment, typically using a steamer or a
covered pot with a small amount of water.

Bake C C To cook food by dry heat in an oven, typically in an enclosed space.

Sauté D To cook food quickly in a small amount of oil over high heat, stirring constantly in a wok or
frying pan.

Roast E To combine ingredients together until smooth and uniform, usually using a blender or food
processor.

Steam F To cook food over direct heat, usually on a grill or barbecue.

Grill G To cut food into small, uniform pieces, usually cubes.

Stir-fry H To flatten dough or pastry using a rolling pin until it reaches the desired thickness.

Simmer I To cook food gently in liquid at a temperature just below boiling, allowing flavors to blend.

Marinate J To add salt, pepper, herbs, or spices to food to enhance its flavor.

Season K To work dough with the hands to develop gluten, resulting in a smooth and elastic texture.

Dice L To soak food in a seasoned liquid, often containing oil, vinegar, herbs, and spices, to enhance
flavor and tenderness.

Chop M To beat ingredients vigorously with a whisk to incorporate air and achieve a smooth
consistency.

Grate N To cook food quickly in a small amount of oil or fat over high heat, stirring constantly.

Slice Ñ To cut food into small, irregular pieces.

Mix O To shred food into small pieces using a grater.

Roll out P To cook food, usually meat or vegetables, by dry heat in an oven or over an open flame.

Knead Q To cut food into thin, flat pieces.

Whisk R To combine ingredients thoroughly, often by stirring or blending.

Blend S To heat a liquid until bubbles rise constantly and break on the surface.

Other vocabulary for dishes and meals are descriptive adjectives:

● Spicy

● Salty

● Fatty

● Sour

● Sweet

● Savory

● Delicious
 ● Flavorful

● Rich

● Comforting

● Satisfying

● Homemade

● Traditional

● Authentic

● Crispy

● Tender

● Creamy

● Juicy

3. Write a recipe you usually make, or a family recipe that you know or someone else told you
about. Briefly describe the food, why you like it or why someone should make it, then list the
ingredients and finally the directions.
Here is an example from myself:
Fool-proof Nesquick Brownies
This is a recipe I encountered during the pandemic, it is not a big deal but the result will
never fail you. This trustful of recipes were absolutely necessary during those hard times and
I always come back to this one whenever I want some cheap, easy-to-make and still
delicious brownies.

Ingredients:

● One egg

● ½ a cup of sugar

● 50 grams of butter

● 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

 ● ¾ cups of Nesquick

● ½ cup of flour

Steps: Pre-heat the oven at low temp. Whisk together the egg and sugar until it gets some
volume, then mix in with a spoon the melted butter and the vanilla essence. Once all these
ingredients are combined stiff the flour and cacao and mix it in. Pour the batter into a small
pan and bake it in slow heat for no more than 30`.

Tips: notice that recipe instructions are written in directions “Bake” “Whisk”, these are one of
the few cases in English in which there is no subject because of the imperative mood.
Here is a list of some ingredients in case you need inspiration:

● Flour

● Sugar

● Salt

● Pepper

● Garlic

● Onion

● Tomato

● Cheese

● Milk

● Cream

● Butter

● Oil
 ● Vinegar

● Spices

● Herbs

● Chili

● Pork

● Beef

● Chicken

● Fish

● Egg

● Potato

● Rice

● Beans

● Corn

● Spaghetti

● Cream cheese

● Chocolate

Home-made flan (very easy!)

I found this recipe when I was a little boy, in my Mother’s recipe book. You only need the
ingredients and a couple of hours for the time in the oven. Beyond this, it is loved by almost
everyone, so it is a really good choice when you are thinking in about taking a desert to take
to a friends or family meeting.
Ingredients:

● Four eggs

● 1/4 a cup of sugar

● ½ liter of milk

● 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

● 1 can of condensed milk

Steps: Put the milk in a cooking pot over the heat. Slowly, add the condensed milk and the
vanilla essence while you stir. Then let it cool. Meanwhile, stir the eggs (but not too much!)
and make the caramel in a flanera (I guess you know how to do it…). Finally, add the eggs to
the milk, stir a little and pour the whole mixture in the flanera. Bake it on high heat on a
water bath for one hour and a half. Let it cool outside the fridge.
Observation: It is common to serve it with cream and dulce de leche, but this particular flan
recipe is very sweet, so it is not necessary.