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:

  1. Where to eat
  2. What to eat
  3. Who to eat with
  4. What to buy from the supermarket

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

artichokecilantro / coriander
eggplantlavender
asparaguslemon Grass
alfalfa sproutslettuce
bean sproutsmushrooms 
black beansonions
black-eyed peasGarlic
chickpeasonion
green beanspeppers 
lentilsBeet (US)
soy beanscarrot
peasradish
broccoli wasabi
brussels sproutshorseradish
cabbagesweetcorn 
cauliflowersquashes
celeryZucchini 
spinachcucumber 
quinoapumpkin
herbs and spicestomato 
basilsweet potato

Types of Food: Fruits

List of fruits in English

applelime
apricotmandarin
avocadomango
banananectarine
blackberryorange
blackcurrantpapaya
blueberrypassion fruit
cherrypeach 
coconutpear
figpineapple
grapeplum
grapefruitraspberry
kiwifruistrawberry
lemonwatermelon

Types of Food: Meats

List of meats in English

BeefGoat 
Chicken Turkey
FishCrab
Salmon Lamb
OctopusPig
SausageLobster
Ham Steak

Dairy Products

List of dairy of proucts in English

Milk Sour cream
YogurtFrozen desserts
Cream CheeseCondensed milk
Ice CreamCream
ButterEggnog
SheepMilkInfant Formula

Vocabulary to Describe Food

These are some adjectives to describe different types of food.

SaltyThis popcorn is very salty
SpciyI love spicy food
CrunchyI love crunchy fried chicken
JuicyRipe pears are very juicy
RipeShe bought a bunch of ripe bananas
AcidicYou 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

  1. Do you usually drink coffee in the morning?
  2. Do you eat cereal in the morning?
  3. Do you usuually skip breakfast?
  4. What breakfast can you prepare?
  5. Do you make your own breakfast?
  6. What’s your favorite breakfast meal?

Food Conversation Questions: Lunch

  1. What time do you usually have lunch ?
  2. What do you usually have for lunch?
  3. Do you eat lunch at school?
  4. What lunch can you prepare?

Food Conversation Questions: Dinner

  1. What time do you usually have dinner?
  2. What do you usually have for dinner?
  3. Where do you usually eat dinner?
  4. What dinner can you prepare?

Food Conversation Questions: International Cuisine

  1. Do you like Italian food?
  2. Do you like Mexican Food?
  3. Do you like Chinese food?

Food Conversation Questions: Diet

  1. What’s a healthy diet?
  2. What do you usually eat to gain weight?
  3. What do you usually eat to lose weight?
  4. Have your intermitent Fasting?
  5. What do you think about diets?
  6. Do you usually think about nutrition when making meal choices?
  7. Do you think about the amount of calories you eat every day?
  8. How many calories do you eat per day?
  9. Do you track the amount of calories that you eat every day?

Food Conversation Questions: Fast Food

  1. What’s your favorite fast food restaurant?
  2. How often do you eat junk food?
  3. If you could, how often would you eat junk food?
  4. What ‘s your favorite fast food?
  5. Do you drink coke?
  6. How often do you drink sodas?
  7. What’s your favorite junk food?
  8. Do you like Hamburgers?
  9. Do you like Pizza?
  10. What’s your favorite pizza place?
  11. What’s your favorite pizza topping?
  12. Do you like unhealthy food?
  13. Do you like Tacos and Sandwiches?
  14. Which fast food restaurant serve healthy food?
  15. How often do you go to fast food restaurants?

Food Conversation Questions: Common Questions

  1. What’s your favorite dessert? How often do you eat it?
  2. What’s the best place to eat in your town?
  3. Do you usually drink milk?
  4. What kind of meals do you like to eat?
  5. Do you like trying new foods?
  6. How many cups of coffee do you drink every day?
  7. Do you know how to cook?
  8. Can you cook very well?
  9. Do you eat bread every day?
  10. Do you eat fruits every day?
  11. What kinds of food did you eat when you were a child?
  12. How often do you eat out?
  13. Do you like chocolate? What is your favourite type?
  14. Do you liek seafood?
  15. Do you like eating vegetables?
  16. What vegetables and fruits don’t you like?
  17. Do you like chocolate? What is your favourite type?
  18. Do you usually drink a beer when you eat?
  19. What is your favorite food? How often do you eat it?
  20. 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.

  1. What’s your favorite breakfast meal?
  2. What do you usually have for lunch?
  3. What do you usually eat to gain weight?
  4. What do you usually eat to lose weight?
  5. What do you think about diets?
  6. How many calories do you eat per day?
  7. What’s your favorite fast-food restaurant?
  8. How often do you eat junk food?
  9. How often do you drink sodas?
  10. What’s your favorite pizza place?
  11. What’s your favorite dessert?
  12. What kind of meals do you like to eat?
  13. How many cups of coffee do you drink every day?
  14. What vegetables and fruits don’t you like?
  15. What ingredients do you need to make a Pizza?
  16. What seafood do you like to eat?
  17. What’s your favorite drink?
  18. What ingredients do you need to make rice pudding?
  19. What recipes can you prepare?
  20. What meats have you eaten?

More English Lessons

Check these posts before you leave:

  1. How To Make Comparisons in English
  2. Likes and Dislikes at Work: Guide & Examples
  3. How to Talk about Movies in English
  4. How to Talk about Sports in English
  5. How to Talk about Health Problems in English
  6. How to Describe Jobs in English
  7. How to Make Complaints in English
  8. How to Go Shopping in English
  9. How to Talk About my Soft Skills in English
Manuel Campos, English Professor

Manuel Campos

I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English