20 Most commonly mispronounced food words

Are you sure you are pronouncing correctly these famous international delicacies when ordering them at the restaurant? Click and listen to the correct pronunciation and learn what you are about to eat.
 

Baklava

Baklava is a Turkish dessert prepared with sweet dough pastry, nuts or pistachios, honey, lemon and cinnamon.
The correct pronunciation of baklava is baa-klah-vah.
If you are still not sure, click Baklava to know more about this dessert and to listen to the correct pronunciation of the word.

Béarnaise Sauce

Béarnaise sauce is a French dressing made with clarified butter, egg yolks, white wine vinegar and herbs. Béarnaise is pronounced beh-ahr-nehs.
Click Béarnaise to listen to the French pronunciation of the word.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi is a Korean dish consisting of very thin slices of marinated and grilled beef. The correct pronunciation of this dish is pool-goh-gee, but if you click Bulgogi, you can listen to the correct pronunciation of the word.

Challah

Challah is a Jewish bread usually served during Jewish festivities. When referring to this bread, the plural of challah is challot. The correct pronunciation of the word challah in Hebrew is hahll-ah. Click Challah and listen carefully how to say this word.

Dulce de leche

Dulce de leche is an Argentine sweet made from milk. Its taste and texture resemble to caramel.
The correct pronunciation of dulce de leche in Spanish is dool-seh deh leh-cheh. Click Dulce de leche and learn how to pronounce it correctly in Spanish.

Edamame

Edamame refers to soybeans which are still in a pod, and they are boiled or steamed in saltwater in East Asian cuisine.
The correct pronunciation of edamame is eh-dah-mah-meh.
To read more about edamame and listen to the pronunciation, click Edamame.

General Tso

General Tso's chicken is a deep-fried chicken dish very popular in the United States, where it was invented. The dish was named after the military leader Zuo Zongtang (Romanized as Tso Tsung-t'ang). Click General Tso and listen carefully to the audio pronunciation.

Gochujang

Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste. It is a savoury, sweet, and spicy fermented sauce made from chili powder, rice, fermented soybean powder, and barley malt powder. Gochujang is often used to marinate stews or meat.
The correct pronunciation of gochujang is koh-choo-jan(g). Click Gochujang and pay attention to the audio pronunciation of this Korean word.

Gyro

Gyros or gyro is a Greek dish made with many types of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Once sliced, the meat is wrapped in a pita with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, French fries and Tzatziki sauce.
The question of how to pronounce gyro in Greek is a controversial topic in English-speaking countries, and if you want to know all about it, click the word Gyro (Gyros).

Kombucha

Kombucha is a fermented tea mainly consumed throughout Russia and Eastern Europe. Kombucha is made with sweetened green or black tea, and it is slightly alcoholic. Kombucha is pronounced Kam-boo-chuh. To listen to the audio pronunciation, click Kombucha.

Mochi

Mochi is a traditional Japanese rice cake in a round shape, usually served for Japanese New Year. Mochi can be filled with sweet fillings such as marmalade or with ice cream.
Mochi is often mispronounced: the correct pronunciation is moh-chee. Click Mochi and you can listen to the correct audio pronunciation.

Naan

Naan is a flatbread traditionally served in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and many other cultures in the Middle East and South Asia. Naan is similar to pita bread and can be served plain or with a filling.
Naan is pronounced nah-ahn. If you want to listen to the audio pronunciation, click Naan.

Niçoise

Niçoise is a traditional French salad with tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and anchovies, with a vinaigrette dressing. Click Niçoise and listen to the French pronunciation of the word.

Paella

Paella is a Spanish dish made with white rice, chicken, sausage, seafood, vegetables, and saffron. Click Paella to listen to the Spanish pronunciation of the word.

Pho

Pho is a Vietnamese dish consisting of broth with beef or chicken meat, rice noodles, soybean sprouts, lime, and herbs.
The pronunciation of pho can be transcribed as Fuuuh?, as if asking a question. If you want to hear the audio pronunciation, click Pho.

Quesadilla

A quesadilla is a typical Mexican dish consisting of a corn or flour tortilla which is filled with cheese and folded, and then cooked on a griddle.
The correct pronunciation of quesadilla is keh-sah-dee-yah.
To listen to the Spanish pronunciation of this word, click Quesadilla.

Souvlaki

Souvlaki is a Greek traditional dish consisting of small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer. Souvlaki is pronounced soo-vlah-kee, the stress is on the second syllable. To listen to the correct pronunciation, click Souvlaki.

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a traditional Greek dip made of Greek yogurt, cucumber, mint, garlic, lemon, sea salt and black pepper.
Tzatziki is pronounced tsah-tsee-key, but this doesn’t really tell you how to pronounce tzatziki, especially if you are a native English speaker. Click Tzatziki and you will learn how to pronounce exactly all those z.
 

Vol-au-vent

Vol-au-vent is a French Hors-d'œuvre based on tiny baskets made of puff pastry to be filled with various creamy fillings. Listen to the French pronunciation of Vol-au-vent.

Wagyu

Wagyu is a type of Japanese beef: it is meat that contains intramuscular unsaturated fat, producing a pattern similar to marble.
The correct pronunciation of Wagyu is wah-gyuu. Check the audio pronunciation, clicking Wagyu.