Vocabulary topic

English vocabulary — Food topic

261 words · CEFR A1–C2

Total words261
CEFR levelsA1–C2
Native audioYes

A roundup of 261 English vocabulary words for the Food topic across CEFR A1–C2, grouped by meaning and with IPA and English meanings. Learning Food vocabulary in context helps you remember it longer and use it right away in conversation. Tap Study flashcards to review, or browse more English vocabulary by topic and the A1–C2 pathway.

A1Food vocabulary · A1(35 words)Free

A1 pathway
apple: a round hard fruit, red or green
appleA1
/ˈæpəl/

a round hard fruit, red or green

banana: a long yellow fruit
bananaA1
/bəˈnænə/

a long yellow fruit

bottle: a tall glass or plastic container for drinks
bottleA1
/ˈbɑːtəl/

a tall glass or plastic container for drinks

bread: a food made from flour and baked
breadA1
/bred/

a food made from flour and baked

breakfast: the first meal of the day
breakfastA1
/ˈbrekfəst/

the first meal of the day

cake: a sweet food made from flour, eggs and sugar
cakeA1
/keɪk/

a sweet food made from flour, eggs and sugar

cheese: a food made from milk
cheeseA1
/tʃiːz/

a food made from milk

chicken: a bird that farmers keep for eggs and meat
chickenA1
/ˈtʃɪkɪn/

a bird that farmers keep for eggs and meat

coffee: a hot dark drink made from beans
coffeeA1
/ˈkɔːfi/

a hot dark drink made from beans

cook: to make food ready with heat
cookA1
/kʊk/

to make food ready with heat

cup: a small container you drink from
cupA1
/kʌp/

a small container you drink from

dinner: the main meal, usually in the evening
dinnerA1
/ˈdɪnər/

the main meal, usually in the evening

drink: to take liquid into your mouth
drinkA1
/drɪŋk/

to take liquid into your mouth

eat: to take food into your mouth
eatA1
/iːt/

to take food into your mouth

egg: a round thing from a bird, used as food
eggA1
/eg/

a round thing from a bird, used as food

fish: an animal that lives in water
fishA1
/fɪʃ/

an animal that lives in water

food: what people and animals eat
foodA1
/fuːd/

what people and animals eat

fruit: the sweet part of a plant that you eat, like an apple
fruitA1
/fruːt/

the sweet part of a plant that you eat, like an apple

glass: a container you drink from
glassA1
/glæs/

a container you drink from

juice: the liquid from fruit
juiceA1
/dʒuːs/

the liquid from fruit

lunch: the meal you eat in the middle of the day
lunchA1
/lʌntʃ/

the meal you eat in the middle of the day

meat: the food that comes from animals
meatA1
/miːt/

the food that comes from animals

menu: a list of the food a restaurant sells
menuA1
/ˈmenjuː/

a list of the food a restaurant sells

milk: the white drink that comes from cows
milkA1
/mɪlk/

the white drink that comes from cows

plate: a flat round dish you eat from
plateA1
/pleɪt/

a flat round dish you eat from

potato: a round vegetable that grows in the ground
potatoA1
/pəˈteɪtoʊ/

a round vegetable that grows in the ground

restaurant: a place where you pay to eat a meal
restaurantA1
/ˈrestərɑːnt/

a place where you pay to eat a meal

rice: small white grains that people cook and eat
riceA1
/raɪs/

small white grains that people cook and eat

salt: a white powder you put on food
saltA1
/sɔːlt/

a white powder you put on food

soup: a hot liquid food
soupA1
/suːp/

a hot liquid food

sugar: a sweet white powder you put in drinks
sugarA1
/ˈʃʊgər/

a sweet white powder you put in drinks

tea: a hot drink made from leaves
teaA1
/tiː/

a hot drink made from leaves

vegetable: a plant you eat, like a potato
vegetableA1
/ˈvedʒtəbəl/

a plant you eat, like a potato

waiter: a person who brings food in a restaurant
waiterA1
/ˈweɪtər/

a person who brings food in a restaurant

water: the clear liquid people drink
waterA1
/ˈwɔːtər/

the clear liquid people drink

A2Food vocabulary · A2(22 words)

A2 pathway
add: to put one thing with another
addA2
/æd/

to put one thing with another

boiled: cooked in hot water
boiledA2
/bɔɪld/

cooked in hot water

chef: a person whose job is cooking in a restaurant
chefA2
/ʃef/

a person whose job is cooking in a restaurant

contain: to hold something inside
containA2
/kənˈteɪn/

to hold something inside

cut: to open or divide something with a knife
cutA2
/kʌt/

to open or divide something with a knife

dessert: sweet food eaten at the end of a meal
dessertA2
/dɪˈzɜːrt/

sweet food eaten at the end of a meal

diet: the food a person usually eats
dietA2
/ˈdaɪət/

the food a person usually eats

dish: food cooked in a particular way
dishA2
/dɪʃ/

food cooked in a particular way

fresh: made or picked a short time ago
freshA2
/freʃ/

made or picked a short time ago

fried: cooked in hot oil
friedA2
/fraɪd/

cooked in hot oil

frozen: kept very cold so it does not go bad
frozenA2
/ˈfroʊzən/

kept very cold so it does not go bad

meal: the food you eat at one time
mealA2
/miːl/

the food you eat at one time

order: to ask for food or goods
orderA2
/ˈɔːrdər/

to ask for food or goods

piece: a part or an amount of something
pieceA2
/piːs/

a part or an amount of something

recipe: instructions for cooking a dish
recipeA2
/ˈresəpi/

instructions for cooking a dish

salty: with a lot of salt
saltyA2
/ˈsɔːlti/

with a lot of salt

slice: a thin flat piece cut from something
sliceA2
/slaɪs/

a thin flat piece cut from something

snack: a small amount of food between meals
snackA2
/snæk/

a small amount of food between meals

sour: with a sharp taste, like a lemon
sourA2
/ˈsaʊər/

with a sharp taste, like a lemon

spicy: with a strong hot taste
spicyA2
/ˈspaɪsi/

with a strong hot taste

Showing 20 of 22 wordsUnlock the other 2 words

B1Food vocabulary · B1(37 words)

B1 pathway
bake: to cook in an oven
bakeB1
/beɪk/

to cook in an oven

beef: the meat of a cow
beefB1
/biːf/

the meat of a cow

bitter: with a sharp taste that is not sweet
bitterB1
/ˈbɪtər/

with a sharp taste that is not sweet

boil: to heat liquid until it bubbles
boilB1
/bɔɪl/

to heat liquid until it bubbles

bowl: a deep round dish
bowlB1
/boʊl/

a deep round dish

chop: to cut into small pieces
chopB1
/tʃɑːp/

to cut into small pieces

delicious: very good to eat
deliciousB1
/dɪˈlɪʃəs/

very good to eat

eat out: to eat in a restaurant
eat outB1
/iːt aʊt/

to eat in a restaurant

flavor: the taste of a food or a drink
flavorB1
/ˈfleɪvər/

the taste of a food or a drink

flour: the powder made from grain for baking
flourB1
/ˈflaʊər/

the powder made from grain for baking

fry: to cook in hot oil
fryB1
/fraɪ/

to cook in hot oil

grill: to cook over or under direct heat
grillB1
/grɪl/

to cook over or under direct heat

herb: a plant used to give food taste
herbB1
/ɜːrb/

a plant used to give food taste

ingredient: one of the foods used to make a dish
ingredientB1
/ɪnˈgriːdiənt/

one of the foods used to make a dish

leftovers: the food not eaten at a meal
leftoversB1
/ˈleftoʊvərz/

the food not eaten at a meal

order in: to have food brought to your home
order inB1
/ˈɔːrdər ɪn/

to have food brought to your home

organic: grown without chemicals
organicB1
/ɔːrˈgænɪk/

grown without chemicals

oven: the part of a cooker where you bake
ovenB1
/ˈʌvən/

the part of a cooker where you bake

pan: a flat metal container for cooking
panB1
/pæn/

a flat metal container for cooking

peel: to take the skin off a fruit or a vegetable
peelB1
/piːl/

to take the skin off a fruit or a vegetable

Showing 20 of 37 wordsUnlock the other 17 words

B2Food vocabulary · B2(45 words)

B2 pathway
additive: a substance added to food to keep or color it
additiveB2
/ˈædɪtɪv/

a substance added to food to keep or color it

appetite: the wish to eat
appetiteB2
/ˈæpɪtaɪt/

the wish to eat

aroma: a pleasant smell
aromaB2
/əˈroʊmə/

a pleasant smell

beverage: a drink
beverageB2
/ˈbevərɪdʒ/

a drink

bland: with little taste or character
blandB2
/blænd/

with little taste or character

buffet: a meal where you serve yourself
buffetB2
/bəˈfeɪ/

a meal where you serve yourself

calorie: a unit for measuring energy in food
calorieB2
/ˈkæləri/

a unit for measuring energy in food

carbohydrate: a food substance that gives the body energy
carbohydrateB2
/ˌkɑːrboʊˈhaɪdreɪt/

a food substance that gives the body energy

catering: the business of supplying food for events
cateringB2
/ˈkeɪtərɪŋ/

the business of supplying food for events

creamy: thick and rich like cream
creamyB2
/ˈkriːmi/

thick and rich like cream

cuisine: the style of cooking of a country
cuisineB2
/kwɪˈziːn/

the style of cooking of a country

delicacy: a rare food a region is known for
delicacyB2
/ˈdelɪkəsi/

a rare food a region is known for

dissolve: to mix into a liquid and disappear
dissolveB2
/dɪˈzɑːlv/

to mix into a liquid and disappear

expiry date: the last day something may be used
expiry dateB2
/ɪkˈspaɪri deɪt/

the last day something may be used

food waste: food thrown away instead of eaten
food wasteB2
/fuːd weɪst/

food thrown away instead of eaten

garnish: to add something small to a dish to make it look good
garnishB2
/ˈgɑːrnɪʃ/

to add something small to a dish to make it look good

greasy: covered in or containing a lot of oil
greasyB2
/ˈgriːsi/

covered in or containing a lot of oil

home-grown: grown or produced locally
home-grownB2
/hoʊm groʊn/

grown or produced locally

in season: at the time of year when it grows
in seasonB2
/ɪn ˈsiːzən/

at the time of year when it grows

intake: the amount taken into the body
intakeB2
/ˈɪnteɪk/

the amount taken into the body

Showing 20 of 45 wordsUnlock the other 25 words

C1Food vocabulary · C1(57 words)

C1 pathway
a la carte: ordered as separate dishes, not as a set meal
a la carteC1
/ˌɑː lɑː ˈkɑːrt/

ordered as separate dishes, not as a set meal

aromatic: having a pleasant distinctive smell
aromaticC1
/ˌærəˈmætɪk/

having a pleasant distinctive smell

astringent: causing a dry puckering feeling in the mouth
astringentC1
/əˈstrɪndʒənt/

causing a dry puckering feeling in the mouth

back of house: the kitchen and service areas customers do not see
back of houseC1
/bæk əv haʊs/

the kitchen and service areas customers do not see

battery farming: the raising of animals in small cages
battery farmingC1
/ˈbætəri ˈfɑːrmɪŋ/

the raising of animals in small cages

best before date: the date until which quality is guaranteed
best before dateC1
/best bɪˈfɔːr deɪt/

the date until which quality is guaranteed

blanch: to dip food briefly in boiling water
blanchC1
/blæntʃ/

to dip food briefly in boiling water

braise: to brown food then cook it slowly in liquid
braiseC1
/breɪz/

to brown food then cook it slowly in liquid

brine: salted water used to preserve or flavor food
brineC1
/braɪn/

salted water used to preserve or flavor food

cold chain: the unbroken chain of refrigeration for goods
cold chainC1
/koʊld tʃeɪn/

the unbroken chain of refrigeration for goods

condiment: a sauce or seasoning served with food
condimentC1
/ˈkɑːndɪmənt/

a sauce or seasoning served with food

connoisseur: an expert judge of quality
connoisseurC1
/ˌkɑːnəˈsɜːr/

an expert judge of quality

corkage: the fee charged for drinking wine you brought
corkageC1
/ˈkɔːrkɪdʒ/

the fee charged for drinking wine you brought

covers: the number of meals served in a restaurant
coversC1
/ˈkʌvərz/

the number of meals served in a restaurant

culinary: relating to cooking
culinaryC1
/ˈkʌlɪneri/

relating to cooking

cure meat: to preserve meat with salt or smoke
cure meatC1
/kjʊr miːt/

to preserve meat with salt or smoke

deglaze: to loosen the browned bits in a pan with liquid
deglazeC1
/diːˈgleɪz/

to loosen the browned bits in a pan with liquid

ersatz: an inferior substitute for the real thing
ersatzC1
/ˈerzɑːts/

an inferior substitute for the real thing

farm-to-table: serving food straight from local producers
farm-to-tableC1
/fɑːrm tuː ˈteɪbəl/

serving food straight from local producers

ferment: to change chemically through the action of yeast or bacteria
fermentC1
/fərˈment/

to change chemically through the action of yeast or bacteria

Showing 20 of 57 wordsUnlock the other 37 words

C2Food vocabulary · C2(65 words)

C2 pathway
adulterate: to spoil something by mixing in an inferior substance
adulterateC2
/əˈdʌltəreɪt/

to spoil something by mixing in an inferior substance

aeration of dough: the working of air into a mixture so it rises
aeration of doughC2
/eˈreɪʃən əv doʊ/

the working of air into a mixture so it rises

al dente: cooked so as to stay firm to the bite
al denteC2
/ˌæl ˈdenteɪ/

cooked so as to stay firm to the bite

amanita mushroom: a genus of fungus including several deadly species
amanita mushroomC2
/ˌæməˈniːtə ˈmʌʃruːm/

a genus of fungus including several deadly species

appellation: the formal name given to something
appellationC2
/ˌæpəˈleɪʃən/

the formal name given to something

artisanal: made by hand on a small scale
artisanalC2
/ˈɑːrtɪzənəl/

made by hand on a small scale

astringency: a sharp taste that draws the mouth tight
astringencyC2
/əˈstrɪndʒənsi/

a sharp taste that draws the mouth tight

bain-marie: a pan of hot water used to warm food gently
bain-marieC2
/ˌbeɪn məˈriː/

a pan of hot water used to warm food gently

bibulous: given to drinking a great deal
bibulousC2
/ˈbɪbjələs/

given to drinking a great deal

bibulousness: the habit of heavy drinking
bibulousnessC2
/ˈbɪbjələsnəs/

the habit of heavy drinking

blanch vegetables: to plunge vegetables briefly into boiling water
blanch vegetablesC2
/blæntʃ ˈvedʒtəbəlz/

to plunge vegetables briefly into boiling water

calorific value: the heat a fuel releases when burned
calorific valueC2
/ˌkæləˈrɪfɪk ˈvæljuː/

the heat a fuel releases when burned

caramelization: the browning of sugar under heat
caramelizationC2
/ˌkærəməlaɪˈzeɪʃən/

the browning of sugar under heat

carminative herb: a herb that relieves wind in the gut
carminative herbC2
/kɑːrˈmɪnətɪv ɜːrb/

a herb that relieves wind in the gut

chiffonade: leaves cut into fine ribbons
chiffonadeC2
/ˌʃɪfəˈnɑːd/

leaves cut into fine ribbons

clarify butter: to melt butter and remove the milk solids
clarify butterC2
/ˈklærɪfaɪ ˈbʌtər/

to melt butter and remove the milk solids

coagulate: to thicken into a solid mass
coagulateC2
/koʊˈægjəleɪt/

to thicken into a solid mass

comestible goods: goods that are fit to eat
comestible goodsC2
/kəˈmestəbəl gʊdz/

goods that are fit to eat

commensality: the custom of eating together
commensalityC2
/ˌkɑːmenˈsæləti/

the custom of eating together

confit: meat cooked slowly submerged in its own fat
confitC2
/kɑːnˈfiː/

meat cooked slowly submerged in its own fat

Showing 20 of 65 wordsUnlock the other 45 words

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Learn English vocabulary — Food topic

The Food topic set gathers 261 common English words across CEFR A1–C2. Instead of learning by scattered alphabetical lists, you learn whole word clusters in the Food context — which helps learners associate them more easily and remember them longer.

Every word has clear IPA and English meanings. Read each word aloud, build example sentences, then review with flashcards so your Food vocabulary enters long-term memory. Once you're comfortable with this topic, browse more English vocabulary topics to expand your vocabulary alongside the CEFR pathway.

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