Tongue Twisted: How to Properly Pronounce Forty Foreign Foods
We’ve all been there — bistro menu in hand, our waiter hovering expectantly over us, two years of high school french all but forgotten. The bouillabaisse with Boudin Nicoise sounds delicious, as does a glass of the Pouilly-Fuisse, but we have no idea how to pronounce either. We don’t want to look like a jackass — not in front of our waiter, and certainly not in front of our date. So we sheepishly point to what we want on the menu and say “I’ll have that.”
And we sink a little lower in our seat. 
But now we can rock the menu in any language, thanks to this fun phonetic guide to the most tongue-twisting foreign foods and wines. (Cheers to The Village Voice for first publishing this!) Spanish, Italian, French, Vietnamese and even Polish dishes are listed here…how many of them have YOU been pronouncing wrong?
Basil (bay-zill)
Boudin (Boo-dan)
Bouillabaisse (booyah bahss)
Bruschetta (broo-SKEH-tah)
Buffet (boo-fay)
Cabernet sauvignon (cabber-nay so-vin-yahwn)
Caramel (car-ah-mel)
Charcuterie (shahr-KOO-tuhr-ee)
Chipotle (chi-poht-lay)
Chorizo (chore-eetz-zo)
Cognac (cone-yack)
Coq au vin (co-ooh-vin)
Crudite (crew-da-tay)
Endive (en-dive)
Escargot (es-car-goh)
Espresso (es-press-o, no ex)
Fajitas (fah-hee-tahs)
Filet or Fillet (fill-ay)
Ghee (ghee, not jee)
Gnocchi (NYOH-kee)
Guacamole (wah-cah-moe-lay)
Gyro (YEER-oh)
Habanero (Hah-bahn-air-oh)
Herb (erb)
Horchata (orr-CHA-ta — silent h, roll the r)
Hors d’oeuvres (ohr-derves)
Huitlacoche (wheet-lah-KOH-chay)
Mole (MOH-lay)
Muffuletta (MOO-fa-la-Tuh)
Nicoise (nee-swaahz)
Paczki (POONCH-key)
Paella (pie-aye-ya)
Pho (fuh — just like that favorite cuss word, without the “k” at the end)
Pinot noir (pee-no nwahr)
Pouilly-Fuisse (poo-yee fwee-SAY)
Prosciutto (proh-SHOO-toe)
Quinoa (keen-wah)
Sake (SAH-kay)
Sriracha (See-rah-cha)
Tortillas (tohr-tee-yahs)
Turmeric (ter-me-rick)
Vichyssoise (vee-she-swaaz)
Worcestershire Sauce (woos-ter-sheer saws)
Now that we’re all more cafe confident, is there a difficult dish you’d like to add to this list? Email me at ShawnaBohnVoyage@gmail.com or leave your comments here.
Related articles
- How to Pronounce Foreign Brand Names (or Not) (bellasugar.com)
- Foreign tongues don’t always come easy (cnn.com)
One of my pet peeves is restaurant staff constantly mispronouncing “bruschetta”, so thanks for setting them straight!
Cheers,
Natasha @ Come Due Maiali