Food in English: Guide, Vocabulary & Examples

There are many important topics in English that are crucial to good communication however there are some topics that we need to know well because we use them on a regular basis.

Food is one of the topics which deserves our attention since it is impossible not to bring it up.

When we talk about food, have to make decisions about:

Where to eat
What to eat
Who to eat with
What to buy from the supermarket

Table of Contents

1 Verbs to Talk about Food in English
2 Types of Food
3 More Information

Verbs to Talk about Food in English

The most common verb related to food in English is eat and have.

Let’s start with some questions

What did you have for lunch?
What do you want to have for dinner?
What would you like to eat?
Would you like to have a cup of coffee?

Let’s continue with some statements

I had cereal for breakfast
I ate chicken for lunch
I’ll have a cup of coffee
I always have meat for lunch

Types of Food

These are different types of food but most of the food fall into one of the following categories:

Vegetables in English
Fruits in English
Meats in English
Dairy Products in English

Types of Food: Vegetables

List of vegetables in English

artichoke	cilantro / coriander
eggplant	lavender
asparagus	lemon Grass
alfalfa sprouts	lettuce
bean sprouts	mushrooms
black beans	onions
black-eyed peas	Garlic
chickpeas	onion
green beans	peppers
lentils	Beet (US)
soy beans	carrot
peas	radish
broccoli	wasabi
brussels sprouts	horseradish
cabbage	sweetcorn
cauliflower	squashes
celery	Zucchini
spinach	cucumber
quinoa	pumpkin
herbs and spices	tomato
basil	sweet potato

Types of Food: Fruits

List of fruits in English

apple	lime
apricot	mandarin
avocado	mango
banana	nectarine
blackberry	orange
blackcurrant	papaya
blueberry	passion fruit
cherry	peach
coconut	pear
fig	pineapple
grape	plum
grapefruit	raspberry
kiwifrui	strawberry
lemon	watermelon

Types of Food: Meats

List of meats in English

Beef	Goat
Chicken	Turkey
Fish	Crab
Salmon	Lamb
Octopus	Pig
Sausage	Lobster
Ham	Steak

Dairy Products

List of dairy of proucts in English

Milk	Sour cream
Yogurt	Frozen desserts
Cream Cheese	Condensed milk
Ice Cream	Cream
Butter	Eggnog
SheepMilk	Infant Formula

Vocabulary to Describe Food

These are some adjectives to describe different types of food.

Salty	This popcorn is very salty
Spciy	I love spicy food
Crunchy	I love crunchy fried chicken
Juicy	Ripe pears are very juicy
Ripe	She bought a bunch of ripe bananas
Acidic	You should avoid acidic food

Food Conversation Questions

These are some of the most common food conversation questions to generate conversation among ESL Students.

Food Conversation Questions: Breakfast

Do you usually drink coffee in the morning?
Do you eat cereal in the morning?
Do you usuually skip breakfast?
What breakfast can you prepare?
Do you make your own breakfast?
What’s your favorite breakfast meal?

Food Conversation Questions: Lunch

What time do you usually have lunch ?
What do you usually have for lunch?
Do you eat lunch at school?
What lunch can you prepare?

Food Conversation Questions: Dinner

What time do you usually have dinner?
What do you usually have for dinner?
Where do you usually eat dinner?
What dinner can you prepare?

Food Conversation Questions: International Cuisine

Do you like Italian food?
Do you like Mexican Food?
Do you like Chinese food?

Food Conversation Questions: Diet

What’s a healthy diet?
What do you usually eat to gain weight?
What do you usually eat to lose weight?
Have your intermitent Fasting?
What do you think about diets?
Do you usually think about nutrition when making meal choices?
Do you think about the amount of calories you eat every day?
How many calories do you eat per day?
Do you track the amount of calories that you eat every day?

Food Conversation Questions: Fast Food

What’s your favorite fast food restaurant?
How often do you eat junk food?
If you could, how often would you eat junk food?
What ‘s your favorite fast food?
Do you drink coke?
How often do you drink sodas?
What’s your favorite junk food?
Do you like Hamburgers?
Do you like Pizza?
What’s your favorite pizza place?
What’s your favorite pizza topping?
Do you like unhealthy food?
Do you like Tacos and Sandwiches?
Which fast food restaurant serve healthy food?
How often do you go to fast food restaurants?

Food Conversation Questions: Common Questions

What’s your favorite dessert? How often do you eat it?
What’s the best place to eat in your town?
Do you usually drink milk?
What kind of meals do you like to eat?
Do you like trying new foods?
How many cups of coffee do you drink every day?
Do you know how to cook?
Can you cook very well?
Do you eat bread every day?
Do you eat fruits every day?
What kinds of food did you eat when you were a child?
How often do you eat out?
Do you like chocolate? What is your favourite type?
Do you liek seafood?
Do you like eating vegetables?
What vegetables and fruits don’t you like?
Do you like chocolate? What is your favourite type?
Do you usually drink a beer when you eat?
What is your favorite food? How often do you eat it?
Are you a vegetarian? Why do some people stop eating meat?

Test: 20 Questions

Thee are some of the questions that I make to students when they have oral exams.

What’s your favorite breakfast meal?
What do you usually have for lunch?
What do you usually eat to gain weight?
What do you usually eat to lose weight?
What do you think about diets?
How many calories do you eat per day?
What’s your favorite fast-food restaurant?
How often do you eat junk food?
How often do you drink sodas?
What’s your favorite pizza place?
What’s your favorite dessert?
What kind of meals do you like to eat?
How many cups of coffee do you drink every day?
What vegetables and fruits don’t you like?
What ingredients do you need to make a Pizza?
What seafood do you like to eat?
What’s your favorite drink?
What ingredients do you need to make rice pudding?
What recipes can you prepare?
What meats have you eaten?

More Information

Check these posts before you leave: