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Describe a kind of foreign food you like and you have had: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What the dish is?
  • Where you tried it?
  • What ingredients or taste you enjoyed?
  • And explain why you like it.
Show all 182 answers

Cue 1:What the dish is?

  • Begin by naming the foreign dish you enjoy and give a brief description of it.
  • Mention any unique features of the dish that make it stand out.

Example

One foreign dish that I absolutely love is sushi. It's a traditional Japanese dish that consists of vinegared rice paired with various ingredients, including seafood, vegetables, and sometimes tropical fruits.

Cue 2:Where you tried it?

  • Describe the location where you first tried this dish, whether it was a restaurant, a friend's house, or during a trip.
  • Share any memorable experiences related to that place.

Example

I first tried sushi at a popular Japanese restaurant in my city called 'Sushi House'. I went there with my friends to celebrate my birthday, and the ambiance was vibrant and welcoming, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

Cue 3:What ingredients or taste you enjoyed?

  • Talk about the specific ingredients that you liked in the dish.
  • Describe the flavors and textures that made the dish appealing to you.

Example

What I enjoyed most about sushi were the fresh ingredients, especially the salmon and avocado. The combination of the soft, sticky rice with the creamy avocado and the rich flavor of the salmon created a delightful taste that was both refreshing and satisfying.

Cue 4:And explain why you like it.

  • Explain your personal connection to the dish and why it holds significance for you.
  • Mention any cultural aspects or health benefits that contribute to your preference.

Example

I like sushi not only for its delicious taste but also because it represents a healthy eating option. It’s light yet filling, and I appreciate the artistry involved in making it. Additionally, trying sushi has opened my eyes to Japanese culture, which I find fascinating.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, sushi is more than just a meal for me; it’s an experience that combines flavor, culture, and health. I look forward to trying different varieties of sushi in the future and exploring more of what Japanese cuisine has to offer.

    Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

    Tips to answer this Cue Card

    1: Being Too Vague

    Candidates often provide unclear or general answers without specific details about the dish. This can make the response less engaging and informative.

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    Tip

    Include specific details about the dish, such as its name, ingredients, and unique flavors to create a vivid picture.

    2: Ignoring the Cues

    Some candidates fail to address all the cues provided, which can lead to incomplete answers and lower scores.

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    Tip

    Make sure to cover all the cues: what the dish is, where you tried it, what you enjoyed, and why you like it.

    Lack of Personal Connection

    Responses that lack personal anecdotes or feelings can seem flat and uninteresting, making it hard for the examiner to connect.

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    Tip

    Share a personal story or memory related to the dish to make your answer more relatable and engaging.

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    IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

    Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

    Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

    Answer

    I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.
    Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 8

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    Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

    Answer

    The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.
    Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

    location icon

    Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

    Answer

    As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.
    Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7

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    Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

    Answer

    When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.
    Describe a book you recently read
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 7.5

    location icon

    CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

    Answer

    It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

    All Answers

    Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

    Band 7

    One type of foreign food that I absolutely love is Japanese sushi. I had it for first time at an authentic Japanese restaurant in my city, which is run by a chef who actually trained in Tokyo. Until that moment, I had only seen sushi in movies and food shows, so I was quite curious to experience it myself. Sushi is essential is a combination of vinegar, rice, raw or cooked seafood and sometimes vegetables all rolled together in a sheet of seaweed called nori. It usually served with soya sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi, which add a extra layer of flavor and complexity to the dish. At first, I was little hesitant because I had never eaten raw fish before, but the taste completely exceeded my expectations. The texture was incredibly smooth and the flavors were delicate and refreshing, unlike anything I had tasted before. What really fascinated me was not just the taste, but also the presentation. Each sushi piece looked like a tiny work of art, beautifully crafted with precision and care. The chef explained the cultural significance of sushi in Japan, which is not only considered as a meal, but an expression of harmony and balance. I think people who appreciate fresh ingredients and subtle flavors would truly enjoy sushi. It's light, healthy and full of protein, making it a perfect choice for those who are conscious about their diet. The reason I like this food so much is that it opened my eyes to completely different culinary traditions. It made me realize how food can connect people to different cultures and broaden our understanding of the world. Ever since that experience, I have developed a love for food.

    Band 7

    Food is one of my favorite topics ever since childhood. My parents always told me that I have never been picky about any type of food. So when I grew older, I naturally had the tendency of trying different types of food from different cuisines around the world. Even among Indian foods, I love almost everything that there is for Indian food to offer. But international cuisine sometimes may or may not hit the spot. So when I first tried this dish, it is called a poutine. It is a Canadian dish. So basically it is fries which are golden brown, which are fried to a perfect shade of golden brown. These fries are so perfect and crispy. On top of these fries, there is a saucy cheesy layer along with jalapenos, peppers, bell peppers, along with some other spices, even some ketchup is there on it. So the flavor of this basically is a tanginess from the tomatoes that are there or the onions that are there on it. And also the spiciness from the jalapenos just makes an explosion of flavor in your mouth. When you take a fry up with all of those condiments, it just gives you perfection. I first tried it when I went with my friend to Colaba. There's a restaurant over there known as Cafe Mondegar. So they had this poutine fries. It was one of their specialty items. So we were thinking of ordering something different, something new. And we thought of ordering fries, which were the specialty item. So when we ordered it and we first saw it, we were extremely amazed by how fulfilling it looked. And also it was very colorful.

    Band 7

    A foreign food that I love to have is pizza. I love Italian food in general and pizza is one of my most favorite foods. I have had pizza in a restaurant when I was I think two or three years old. That was the first time I ever had the taste of it and I absolutely loved it. I love the fact that I can taste so many different flavors at one time. I love having a lot of toppings on my pizza. I love having a lot of vegetables and sometimes even a lot of non-vegetarian items as well like chicken or pork on it. I love the fact that I can taste basil and tomato sauce on it. I also love having some fusion with the Italian cuisine like having the incorporation of Indian flavors in the pizza as well. I have tried pizza in almost most of the places in Mumbai but I specifically love the K.S. Charcoal which is a restaurant in Borivali. I love the fact that they have the Napoleon style pizza and they incorporate the stove and the oven that exactly replicates the idea in Italy and I really love having pizza as a fast food. I can have it all time, every time, every day. I know I really love the fact that it was invented by the poor people in Italy during the World War time and they specifically made it because it was easier, it was cheaper to make, it was easier to eat, it was a very handy food. They would actually hold it in their hand and eat it while they were working and now the fact that it has become an international delicacy is something that surprises me a lot. I also love innovating new products with pizza. I have tried chocolate sauce on pizza, I've tried pineapple on pizza and I can very well say that

    Band 7

    A foreign food that I loved was Dosa. When I went to India around a year ago for my vacation, I tried their infamous Dosa along with coconut and mint chutney. The Dosa batter is consisting of lentils and lentils which is spread on a hot pan like pancakes and flipped over. The chutneys are a mixture of spices and ingredients such as coconut and so on. I really liked coconut chutney because it felt a little too weird and it had a bunch of flavors in my mouth as soon as I had it. I enjoyed the combinations of flavors and the variety of side dishes. It was truly a memorable moment for me and a dish that I will go back to.

    Band 7

    One foreign dish that I really enjoyed was Italian pasta, specifically creamy alfredo pasta. I first tried it at an Italian restaurant in my city called Little Italy a few months ago. It was my first time trying authentic Italian food and I was quite curious about how different it would be from Indian cuisine. The dish was made with penne pasta, butter, cream, cheese and a bit of garlic. I had a rich, smooth and slightly cheesy flavor that melted in my mouth. The sauce was creamy and perfectly balanced, not too heavy, not too bland. I especially liked the aroma of garlic and herbs like oregano and basil that gave it a wonderful taste. I liked this dish because it was comforting, flavorful and completely different from the spicy Indian food I usually eat. It felt elegant and simple and I appreciated how the ingredients blended so well. Since then, pasta has become one of my favorite international foods and I even learned how to cook it at home.

    Band 7

    Recently, I tried a new foreign Nepalese food. It's called Jhol momos. It is basically a soup base with steamed momos. I wasn't quite sure about the taste by the look of it, but I actually happened to like it by the end of it. I tried it at a street food joint close to my college. It tasted very peanutty, a taste that I'm not usually fond of, but I ended up really enjoying the hot, smoky, chilly flavor and the steamed momos. I may or may not try this again, but for a first time, new food, I really enjoyed the taste.

    Band 7

    I recently got exposed to a lot of foreign culture and a lot of the credit goes to the people around me for being extremely generous towards me. Recently during Durga Puja, which is a very big festival in my culture, where we hang out with our friends and family and we spend a good time together, a very close friend of mine took me to a Japanese restaurant to try sushi. I had no experience trying sushi and I had no experience using the chopsticks, but I got to it anyways. The sushi in itself was a whole experience altogether. The umaminess from the soy sauce, the crunchy vegetables, the toasted sesame seeds, the sticky rice, seaweed and the cream cheese bound everything together, making an experience I would never forget. Having it with him and the quality time that I spent together with the food that still lingers to my taste buds, brings back so many memories, making it even more memorable and worthy of remembrance. The best thing about sushi was the amount of umaminess it had and the amount of potential it has in holding on to something that is not just restricted to food, but also to a good time spent together. So I think it was one of the best experiences that I had and I would like to go back to it more often.

    Band 7

    My favorite foreign food definitely has to be the pizza. I tried it for the very first time when I was a second grader. It was a very fascinating flavor and it was very new. My senses were heightened all of a sudden. The most favorite ingredient of all was the Florentine sauce that I have not been able to master till date. It is a very peculiar flavor to Papa John's, a well-known pizzeria chain in the United States of America. Furthermore, it was a place that I always yearned to go to in order to taste the chicken Florentine pizza. I had also tried pizzas in other eateries, but my fondness for this one never reduced. I basically come from Dubai and I am currently working in Bangalore and therefore my visits to Dubai always always had chicken Florentine pizza in my bucket list. The wood fire oven has a peculiar factor that enhances the taste of the pizza.

    Band 7

    A foreign food that I absolutely enjoy is Khaosuey. The first time I tried Khaosuey was in a restaurant called Burma Burma right here in Bangalore. What I absolutely loved about Burma Burma was that they offered a Jain menu that is food items that exclude onion and garlic. This Khaosuey was made incredibly well and my reasons for it are firstly it was really creamy, second the flavor of coconut was prominent and lastly it had the perfect amount of spiciness as well as creaminess incorporated within it. The ingredients were fresh and the broth was really filling. Overall the dish was really comforting and hence I really enjoyed having it. As for the ingredients, I loved the crunchy bean that comes on top. It ties the whole dish in together and I love the Pad Thai noodles that were used in the dish as well.

    Band 7

    Being a foodie, I am a person who absolutely loves exploring foreign food. One of the foreign food that I liked and I would like to talk about today is called as a Kunafa which is a Middle Eastern dessert. I remember few years back when I went to a Middle Eastern restaurant with my family which was named as Beirut. And that was the day when I first tried this dessert. I remember the waiter carrying a beautiful plate with the dazzling slice of Kunafa with some frozen roses in his hand which he sprinkled after crushing upon keeping it on the table. The sight was so mesmerizing that even before tasting it, I had decided that this is going to be my favorite dessert forever. I love it because of the unique sweetness that it has along with the dash of health that it carries because of the dry fruit content inside the dessert. It is made with a lot of pistachios and other dry fruits along with certain flowers and beautiful aromas which makes it a perfect dish to relish among various foreign dishes that we could ever have. Why I weigh this one particularly above all other dishes in the variety of dishes that the globe has to offer is because of the beautiful aroma it carries, the beautiful sight it gives me, the beautiful tickling effect it gives to my taste buds and the way it blends with a different set of dishes even in my country. Be it a cake, it could be blended in that flavor. Be it any other.
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