We all relish what’s our favourite on the menu and devour the amazing world delicacies. Do we ever make an effort to check whether we pronounce the names of our favourite food items in the right way? There are several words pertaining to the food industry, that we often mispronounce. You might have all the knowledge of the world about food, beverages, cuisines and spices. But a slight mispronunciation, washes the entire thing down the drain! The list of mispronounced food names is a compilation of some of the very basic food items and beverages that have made their way in our kitchens and dinner tables and we do not spell correctly, also mispronounce. While Dialectal variations will be there due to difference in accents. Here is a checklist to deal with your Mispronounced Food Names worries related to food!
#1 Tortillas
This particularly Mexican delicacy, a type of soft, thin flatbread made from flour that is finely ground, is often mispronounced as TOR-TI-LLAS. While the correct pronunciation is TOHR-TEE-YHAS. Sounds a little tongue twisting? Try avoiding the L sound here. So, the next time you are out to order or buy or simply say TORTILLAS, take a quick dig at the list of food names and their proper pronunciations.
#2 Jalapeno
Is it JA-LA-PEH-NOH or HAH-LAH-PEH-NYOH? Many of us are well aware of its correct pronunciation, but due to our tendency of pronouncing J as the J-sound, we mistake this one. Another Mexican food essential. These mild to moderate chilli peppers find use, in spicing up your food. Before saying, “I need extra Jalapenos on the side”, make sure you pronounce it as HAH-LAH-PEH-NYOH!
#3 Espresso
Another one amongst the commonly mispronounced words, is Espresso! It doesn’t count as one of the food names but it is a trending beverage. This is neither spelled nor pronounced with an “X” anywhere in it. Espresso is coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of boiling water under pressure through finely grounded beans. Do not mistake it for bitter, it’s a bold flavour. It is for sure not pronounced as EX-PRESS-O, while many might do so. The right and the absolutely correct pronunciation is ES-PRESS-OH. Let us all do the beverage some courtesy by saying its name the right way!
#4 Bruschetta
It is BROO-SKET-AH, not BROO-SHET-AH. This toasted Italian bread, drenched in olive oil is served with garlic and tomatoes, say typically or traditionally. Bruschetta is one of the commonly mispronounced food names. Before ordering for a variation in your Bruschetta topping as cheese, cured meat, tomatoes, vegetables etc. remember to pronounce it well. It’s BROO-SKET-AH!
#5 Almond
One of the most commonly pronounced food names, Almond is a basic in the kitchen and equally basic is its pronunciation. People often go around calling it AAL-MUND, while the right things here is, AH-MUND. All you have to do- is, forget the L sound. Consider the L in Almond silent, and the rest remains the same. Eat some Almonds for a better and a sharper memory, but don’t forget the correct pronunciation!
#6 Worcestershire Sauce
You pronounce this the closest possible, yet this particular word follows an entirely different pattern. Frequently called Worcester Sauce, it is a fermented liquid which consists of anchovies layered in brine, tamarind in molasses, garlic in vinegar, chillies, sugar and many more condiments. This sauce is one of its kind and is widely used in preparing a lot of light snack dishes, curries, and soups. While it is traditionally used in salad dressings and burger preparations as well. In America, Worcester Sauce is an easy alternative for Soy Sauce. When you visit a grocery store, and want a bottle of Worcester, you do not have to spell it entirely. Pronouncing it word-by-word will end up sounding as WORE-CHESTER-SHIRE or WORE-SESTER-SHIRE. Which is not the right way. The right and acceptable pronunciation is WOOS-TUH-SHURE. See! You do not have to put in too much of effort in speaking it. Just ignore the CES and IRE sound.
#7 Cocoa
Often used in powdered form for baking purposes, to add flavour to beverages, brew some special varieties of coffee and make chocolates. Cocoa is a very common word from the food terminology and one of the commonly mispronounced food names as well. Cocoa is one effortless word. And its right pronunciation is KOH-KOH, and not KOK-KOH-WA. Well it is also called Cacao, so you might as well say CACAO in this case. But this is a more traditional rather than popular name. In Greece, Cocoa is considered the “food of the gods”, and it is where all our chocolates are derived from. Reason enough to pay it due respect. Remember there’s no A sound in it. An often mispronounced name.
#8 Gnocchi
Cavatielli, Gnudi, Malfatti, Malloreddus, are all variations of this Italian food item. Plump, pillow-textured and mild, these soft dough dumplings are made from semolina, wheat flour, egg, cheese, bread, potato and a few more ingredients. And it accounts for being one of the most mispronounced food names. There are three variations to its pronunciation, and all three might be equally acceptable. You may say NOK-EE or NOH-KEE. But the most accurate Gnocchi pronunciation as per Italians is, NYAWK-KEE. Well the locals pronounce it like this. Let’s nail it the Italian way- NYAWK-KEE!
#9 Salmon
Fond of sea food? And especially fond of fishes? You definitely should have this one pronounced correctly from the list. Many of us go around calling it SAL-MON. but it actually is SAM-UHN. We do not have to literally speak out all the alphabets of a word when we pronounce it. And this tip goes for Salmon especially. Salmon is the common name used for several species of fish belonging to the Salmonide family, native to the tributaries of North Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. It is simply called SAM-UHN, avoid using the AL sound and the rest will fall in place.
#10 Parmesan
It ends with SAN but ends with ZON, when spoken. A hard-dry cheese that is used for toppings and garnishing, Parmesan is an Italian at heart food item. It is chiefly used in grated forms. A lot of Italian dishes, in particular Pastas are considered incomplete without a touch of Parmesan. Parmesan is one of the very often mispronounced food names. So the right way to say is, PAR-MA-ZON, and not PAR-MAY-SEAN!
Also Read: Common Grammatical Mistakes We Overlook
