There you are with the menu in your hand, you scan it and select the fanciest sounding dish – sadly, you’re not even sure what it is.
You spurt out the name of how you think the dish is pronounced to the waiter and then spot your mates looking at you in shame. That’s definitely not how you pronounce “Nicoise.”
Don’t worry, we’ve been there too.
So in a bid to transport you (and us) out of further embarrassment, we’ve put together a list of the most common mispronounced food items out there.
Here they are with their proper pronunciations.
1) Quinoa (Keen-wah)
Not “kwin-oh-ah” as you often hear being thrown about.
2) Beignet (Ben-yay)
Pic via Wikimedia Commons
The French pastry is known as a “ben-yay” not a “begnet.”
3) Pho (Fuh)
Pic via Wikimedia Commons
That’s right, the popular Vietnamese dish is pronounced as “fuh” not “f-oh.”
4) Bruschetta (Broo-skeh-tah)
It can be quite a challenge trying to figure out whether a word with a “sch” has a “shh” sound or not. But in this case it’s “skeh.”
5) Gnocchi (Nee-ock-ee)
Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it (see what we did there?). But seriously, the “gn” can be very off-putting when tackling pronunciation.
6) Nicoise (Nee-swahz)
We have to admit that we instantly thought about this moment:
7) Prosciutto (Pro-shoo-toe)
Ahh back to the “sc” problem. In this case we’re silencing the centre of the word so it has more of a “shoo” sound.
8) Worcestershire Sauce (Wuss-tur-shur)
Despite there clearly being an “r” in the first syllable of the word, this pronunciation overlooks the fact.
9) Quesadilla (Kay-sah-dee-uh)
Pic via Wikimedia Commons
We hear you; “why are those l’s there if they’re not meant to be pronounced?!” Sorry, but “kay-sah-dee-uh” is the way to go.
10) Acai (Ah-sigh-ee)
There are plenty of people out there who insist that it’s pronounced “ak-i” (we’re looking at you health food stores!), but the correct pronunciation is “ah-sigh-ee.”
11) Paella (Pi-ay-ah)
Paella seems to be one word that sparks debate among food lovers. While some say it’s “pie-ayl-a” others rule that’s definitely “pi-ay-ah.” We’re sticking with the latter.
12) Anise (Ann-iss)
Not like “niece” but “iss.”
13) Espresso (Ess-press-oh)
Yes, there’s definitely no “x” there.
If you’re really into your pronunciations, why not check out Forvo to hear authentic people around the world pronounce them.
