Food and cooking – B1 English Vocabulary

Food and cooking

In this intermediate vocabulary lesson, you will learn about a wide range of foods, from fruits and vegetables to different types of meat and seafood, and cooking methods. Check the pictures below and read the definitions and sentence examples to expand your culinary vocabulary.

Fruit and Vegetables

1 Grapes are used to make wine.

2 Cherries are small, round fruit with red skins, often used in desserts.

3 A peach is a sweet summer fruit with pinky-orange skin.

4 Apples and pears are two very common fruits.

5 Mango is a tropical fruit with sweet orange flesh.

6 Watermelon is a big and refreshing fruit with green skin and red flesh.

7 Raspberries are often used in desserts.

8 Carrots are long, thin vegetables with orange skin and flesh.

9 Broccoli is a nutritious green vegetable.

10 Spinach is a vegetable with large dark green leaves packed with vitamins.

11 Green beans are long narrow beans that are eaten as a vegetable.

12 Peppers are green, red, or yellow vegetables that add flavour and colour to many dishes.

13 A courgette (UK) or zucchini (US) is a long thin vegetable with dark green skin and white flesh.

14 An aubergine (UK) or eggplant (US) is with a smooth, dark purple skin.

15 Cabbage is a round vegetable with white, green, or purple leaves.

16 Cauliflower is white and similar in shape to broccoli.

Meat, fish & seafood, types of cooking methods

Meat

1 Beef is the meat of a cow.

2 Turkey is a popular dish for Thanksgiving dinner.

3 Chicken is white meat from a bird, and it’s considered to be healthy.

4 Duck is meat from a bird and is popular in Asian dishes.

5 Pork is the meat of a pig.

6 Lamb is the meat of a sheep.

Fish and seafood

7 Salmon is a popular fish with pink meat.

8 Tuna is a large fish with red meat. We often buy it in tins preserved in oil or water

9 Squid is commonly served as calamari.

10 Prawns have a tasty, soft meat inside.

11 Crabs have a hard shell and large claws.

12 A lobster has a hard shell and claws and it’s an expensive food.

13 Clams have a smooth shell and live in the sand in the sea.

14 Oysters are considered a luxury food. They can also produce pearls.

15 Mussels have a smooth black shell and orange flesh.

Types of cooking methods

16 Steamed means cooked in vapour over boiling water. Steamed food is thought to be healthy, as it is cooked without oil or fat.

• I ordered steamed fish with vegetables.

17 Boiled means cooked in very hot water. Boiling is a healthy way of preparing vegetables or eggs. Pasta is always boiled too, then served with a tasty sauce.

• Boiled eggs are healthier than fried eggs.

18 Fried means cooked in oil or fat in a frying pan. Many people fry eggs and bacon to make a quick and tasty meal.

• I had a fried egg for breakfast.

19 Baked means cooked in the oven using flour and yeast. Common baked foods include bread, cakes, biscuits, and muffins.

• I could smell the freshly baked bread.

20 Roasted means cooked for a long time in the oven or over a fire. Meat is often roasted, surrounded by potatoes and vegetables, for a special meal.

• The chicken was served with roasted potatoes.

Phrasal Verbs

There are also many phrasal verbs that we use when talking about food.

To eat out means to eat away from home, in a restaurant or other establishment serving food. Many people eat out as a social activity or because they don’t have time to cook.

• We often eat out at the weekend.

To cut down on something means to consume less of something. Doctors often advise patients to cut down on salt, fat, or sugar for health reasons.

• I’m trying to cut down on red meat.

To go on a diet means to follow a special eating plan to lose weight or for health reasons. People who go on a diet often cut down on certain foods or stop eating them altogether.

• Tom went on a diet because he needed to lose a few kilos.

To put on weight means to become heavier and to lose weight means to become lighter.

• I put on all the weight that I had lost.

After completing the exercises in this lesson on Food and Cooking, you can use the unit’s Vocabulary Flashcards to revise and help you memorize the terms.