Food IELTS Vocabulary: Guide on Food Related Vocabulary for IELTS 2023

As the IELTS speaking test is based on what we do every day in our leisure time and what our daily life looks like, improving your vocabulary related to food can help you frame your answer better and thus improve your IELTS score significantly. 

Read on to learn new Vocabulary About Food and improve your language skills as part of your IELTS preparation.

IELTS Vocabulary Related to Food

Food as a topic covers various topics ranging from cuisines, recipes and techniques etc. We have divided the vocabulary related to food into 6 segments so you can understand and associate the words better. These segments can be:

• Food condition
• Food verbs
• Food quantities
• Food taste
• Food types
• Eating and drinking

Important Vocabulary Words Related to Food and Drinks

Vocabulary About Food Condition

Word	Meaning	Usage
Overcooked	Cooked beyond the optimal cooking time	The pasta was overcooked and too soft
Fresh	Food materials or products that have been recently prepared	The marinara at that outlet is prepared fresh every day
Raw	Not cooked properly/at all	The vegetables were raw and hard to chew
Stale/Rotten	Spoiled and past its optimal usage time	The whole room smells like rotten eggs
Unripe	Immature food item – not fit for consumption	The bananas you bought yesterday were unripe
Off	Not tasting as it should	The food at last night’s restaurant seemed off to me

Food Verbs

Word	Meaning	Usage
Bake	Cook food with dry heat and without exposure to a flame Usage: She has been a fan of baking ever since she got back from France	She has been a fan of baking ever since she got back from France
Poach	Cooking an egg without its outer shell in or over boiling water	I like my eggs poached and cooked well
Grill	Cooking food using a grill	That place serves the best-grilled chicken in the city
Food Preparation	Cooking food by mixing and combining ingredients	The food preparation at her house was amazing
Fry	Cooking food in hot oil or fat	While frying, you should always look out for oil splatter

Vocabulary About Food Quantities

Word	Meaning	Usage
Pint	A unit that is equal to 550 millilitres	I grabbed a pint of milk on my way home
Portion	A part or section of a whole	I just want a small portion of the pie
Spoonful	As much as a spoon can hold	I take my coffee with two spoonfuls of sugar
Slice	A small portion of a whole	I am on a diet and had only one slice of the cake

Vocabulary About Food Taste

Word	Meaning	Usage
Bland	Tasteless or having little taste	The food tasted bland without the spices
Spicy	Flavoured with spices	Indians have a taste for spicy food and snacks
Savoury	Delicious	She cooks amazing and savoury food.
Mild	Not hot, sharp or strong in flavour	Elderly people like to have food with mild spices and flavours
Delicious	Extremely good tasting	Cooking delicious food is an art
Tasteless	Having no taste or flavour	The food at that new restaurant is completely tasteless

Types of Food

Word	Meaning	Usage
Cuisine	A style or method of cooking specific to a region, state or country	Italian cuisine is my go-to at any time of the day
Four-course meal	A meal consists of four parts, namely a soup, appetiser, main course and dessert	Indian weddings generally have four-course meals for guests
Nutritious	A meal consisting of all the required nutrients	Having a healthy, nutritious diet plan is the key to a healthy life
Dairy	Products created from milk such as yoghurt, cream, butter, etc	Most vegans avoid dairy products and have shifted to alternatives like almond milk
Barbecue	A meal in which food is cooked over an open fire outdoors or in a special appliance	India doesn’t have the trend of barbecues as much as the West
Buffet	A meal that consists of a number of dishes that guests often have to serve for themselves	Breakfast buffets at hotels are becoming a very popular thing these days
Appetiser	The food is served after the soup and before the main course during a meal	For our appetisers, we’d like to have spring rolls, please, and some hors d’oeuvre

Eating & Drinking

Word	Meaning	Usage
Guzzle	Eat or drink something hurriedly	He guzzled his drink before getting on the train
Gulp	Eating or swallowing food in large mouthfuls	Rather than gulping your food, you should chew and eat it properly
Wining & Dining	Entertainment that includes good food and drinks	The company wined and dined their prospective investors
Swallow	Allowing food or drinks to pass down the throat	Her mannerism of swallowing audibly made everyone uncomfortable
Chew	Biting and crushing food in the mouth to make it easier to swallow	Proper chewing helps with better digestion

Important Phrases & Collocations Related to Food & Drinks

Phrases	Meaning	Usage
A balanced diet	A diet consisting of healthy food with good nutrients	Maintaining a balanced diet is the key to a healthy life
A scrumptious meal	An extremely delicious meal	His mother cooked up a scrumptious meal for us
Calm the hunger pangs	Reducing the discomfort caused by hunger	He grabbed a quick bite to eat to calm his hunger pangs
Cut down on	Reducing the intake	Since diabetes is hereditary in my family, I’ve cut down on my sugar intake
Sweet tooth	A person fond of sweet food	She has a very sweet tooth when it comes to brownies
Junk food	Food with little or no nutritional value	Eating junk food every day can harm your body
My mouth is watering	Feeling hungry for something	My mouth watered at the thought of fried chicken
Fussy eater	Someone who dislikes many foods	Her baby is a fussy eater
Quick Snack	A small meal that you can eat on the go	She was getting late for her office, so she grabbed a quick snack instead of a proper breakfast
Take-away	A meal prepared in a restaurant and eaten at home	I was feeling too lazy to cook, so I ordered a takeaway from my favourite restaurant
A bottle of bubbly	Sparkling wine	To celebrate their anniversary, they opened up a bottle of bubbly at the restaurant

Food Vocab Sample for IELTS Speaking

Part 1

1. What kind of meals do you like?

Ans. Oh, I love different kinds of meat. My mouth waters whenever I see grilled chicken or mutton chops. I don’t like to cook by myself, so I often eat ready-to-eat meals and takeaways.

2. How often do you have dinner with your friends or family?

Ans. I try to dine out with my family as much as possible. Unfortunately, I don’t get enough time for family dinners due to my extremely busy schedule. 

3. When do you usually have dinner?

Ans. I usually have my dinner at about 8 p.m. I’m starving by then and sometimes overeat.

4. What fruits or vegetables do you like or don’t like? Why?

Ans. Well, I’m not a fussy eater, but I hate seafood. I try to avoid going to restaurants that serve seafood.

5. And what is your favourite cuisine?

Ans. I love French cuisine. Its versatility and flavourful ingredients make it my favourite. French cuisine has many dishes, like their famous onion soup and cheese fondue. Also, French food rarely contains artificial ingredients or flavours.

Details On IELTS Travel Vocabulary 

Part 2

1. Have a look at the card and prepare a monologue.

• Describe a place you like to eat at. You should say:
• Where is it
• What kind of food does it serves
• Why do you like its food
• and how often do you eat there

Ans. I would like to talk about a pretty little restaurant within walking distance of my home called “La Pizzeria.” It is situated on an ancient street in the heart of the city. This restaurant serves Italian cuisine, which is one of my favourites. They serve Italian delicacies like pasta, pizza and tomato soup. My favourite among these is the pizza. It is an extremely versatile food and can be made with various toppings and sauces. I love Italian food because its fresh and flavourful ingredients satisfy the heart and soul. Hence, I eat frequently at that restaurant. Although it’s not cheap by any means, the quality of their food justifies the bill.

Conclusion

Food is the language of the world and is different in every nook and cranny around the globe. Thus, there are a plethora of terms and phrases related to food and drink that you can learn and improve your vocab for food for the IELTS exam. Read and understand the terms and phrases and practice them to bring them into your daily lingo. This will help you perform better in the exam and improve your language skills as well.

Frequently Asked Questions