Types of food

meat (or “red meat”) = lamb, pork or beef

poultry (or “white meat”) = chicken, turkey, goose, duck
game (“wild” meat) = rabbit, hare, partridge, pheasant
fish = salt water fish / sea fish or fresh water fish
seafood = prawns, shrimps, lobster, scallops, mussels, crab
vegetables = leafy vegetables (such as broccoli or spinach), root vegetables (such as carrots
and onions) etc
fruit = soft fruit (such as plums and peaches); berry fruit (such as strawberries or raspberries)
etc
You can also talk about the different food groups: fats and oils (such as olive oil, butter etc);
fruit; vegetables; protein (such as meat); dairy (such as milk, cheese, and yoghurt); grains
(such as wheat, or corn); and sugar.
How food is cooked
boiled – cooked in boiling water
steamed – cooked over a saucepan of boiling water
fried / sauteed – cooked in oil in a frying pan
stir-fried – fried fast in hot oil
pan-fried – fried in a frying pan
roasted – cooked in oil in the oven
grilled – cooked under a grill or on a ridged pan
baked – cooked in the oven
stewed – cooked for a long time on a low heat
casseroled – cooked slowly in juices
Dishes
Here are some of the names of dishes you can see in restaurant menus:
starter / hors d’oeuvre / appetiser = the first thing you eat as part of a more formal meal
main course = often a meat, fish or vegetarian dish
dessert / pudding = a sweet course at the end of the meal. You might also see cheese or fruit
offered.
Diets
If you are overweight or obese, your doctor will probably recommend that you “go on a diet”.
Here are some words and phrases that we use to talk about dieting, body size and putting on
weight.
watch what you eat = be careful about what you eat, and the quantities you eat
watch your figure = refuse certain food because you want to stay slim
go on a crash diet = start a radical diet to lose weight quickly
count the calories / a calorie-controlled diet = a diet where you measure the calories of each
item of food you eat
snack between meals = to eat between meals (avoid doing this if you are on a diet!)
cut out certain foods altogether (i.e. stop eating bread or pasta, for example)
cut down on = reduce the amount of (fatty or sugary foods, for example)
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
In most parts of the world people have three meals a day. The first is breakfast, then lunch in
the middle of the day and dinner in the evening. Most people have breakfast at home, and
some take a home-made lunch to work or school. Most people also have dinner at home, and
for many modern families dinnertime is the only chance we have to get together and talk to
one another. At family dinners we don't have to follow the rules of etiquette for formal
dining, but if you go to expensive restaurants or travel for business it's useful to know these
rules. You might also need to know them if you're hosting a dinner party or having special
guests for dinner.

Table settings and dining etiquette

Houses and large apartments often have a dining room with a dining table that can seat
many people. Dining rooms are sometimes used for everyday meals, but often they're only
used for big family gatherings, dinner parties or formal meals. If you're hosting a meal like
this, you'll probably use your best set of dinnerware and cutlery. Before your guests arrive
you'll need to set the table. Begin by covering the table with a tablecloth and then place a
centrepiece such as candle sticks or a flower arrangement in the middle of the table. Then
arrange place settings around the table, making sure there's a place for everyone, including
yourself.

Place settings for formal dinners usually include a place mat, or an empty space, in the
middle with a dinner fork and a smaller salad fork to the left, a table knife and soup spoon
to the right, and a dessert fork and spoon across the top. Each place setting also has a bread
plate and butter knife on the left and a drinking glass or tumbler and a wine glass on the
right. Sometimes these glasses are on coasters, but only if place mats are used instead of a
tablecloth. The place settings for dinner in most hotel dining rooms and fancy restaurants are
also like this.

Salad or soup bowls, dinner plates and dessert bowls are often brought to the table during the
meal, and if so they shouldn't be on the table before the meal begins. There should, however,
be a folded napkin at each guest's place, and if you're serving steak or fish you can add a
steak knife or fish knife as well. Salt and pepper shakers and jugs full of drinking water
should also be on the table. If you're serving tea or coffee after the meal, bring cups and
saucers as well as a sugar bowl, teaspoons and a small jug of milk or cream to the table.

bowl (noun): a round dish for soup, salad or a serving of dessert - Where are the soup bowls?
bread plate (noun): a small plate for buttering bread rolls - We need a bread plate for each
guest.
butter knife (noun): a knife with a blunt, rounded end for spreading butter - There should be
a butter knife with each guest's bread plate.
candlestick (noun): a holder, usually tall and thin, for one or more candles - If it's a romantic
dinner for two, you'll need candlesticks.
centrepiece (US spelling "centerpiece") (noun): a display placed in the middle of a dining
table - Did you arrange the flower centrepiece yourself?
coaster (noun): a small mat or flat object under a bottle or glass that protects the table - Put
out some coasters or there'll be round stains on the table.
cup and saucer (noun): a small plate and matching cup for tea or coffee - Do dinnerware sets
usually include cups and saucers?
dessert fork and spoon (noun): a three-pronged fork with an oval spoon for eating desserts
from a bowl or plate - Can we have an extra dessert fork and spoon, please?
dining room (noun): the room in a house or hotel where meals are eaten - Do we really need
such a big dining room?
dining table (also "dinner table") (noun): a table at which several people can sit together to
eat - How many people can you fit around your dining table?
dinner fork (noun): an eating utensil with four prongs used during a main course - Why do
Americans hold a dinner fork in the right hand?
dinner party (noun): a dinner in someone's home to which guests are invited - Can you come
to our dinner party on Saturday night?
dinner plate (noun): a flat dish for eating a meal's main course - You haven't broken another
dinner plate, have you?
dinnertime (noun): the time of day usually spent eating dinner - I only see my kids at
dinnertime these days.
dinnerware (also "dishware or table service") (noun): a set of matching plates, bowls,
cups, saucers etc. for several people - Where did you get this beautiful dinnerware?
etiquette (noun): rules for behaving correctly in social situations - I had to learn all the
etiquette before my first business trip to Europe.
fish knife (noun): a knife with a wide blade for eating fish - Can you lend us your fish knives
for the dinner party?
formal (adjective): requiring official or social rules be followed - If it's a formal occasion,
wear a suit and tie.
napkin (also UK "serviette") (noun): a cloth or paper towel for wiping your mouth and
hands while eating - Can you bring some more napkins, please?
place mat (noun): a flat piece of cloth, plastic or wood at the centre of each place setting on a
dining table - There's a lovely set of eight place mats in that shop.
place setting (noun): dishes, glasses and cutlery arranged in place for one person - Do you
know how to make place settings for a formal meal?
set the table (verb): to arrange place settings for everyone on a dining table - Can you set the
table? Dinner's nearly ready.
shaker (noun): a container for salt, pepper, chili powder, etc. with small holes from which the
contents are shaken out - I love those salt and pepper shakers shaped like dogs.
soup spoon (noun): a round or oval spoon for eating soup - Do you put soup spoons on the
left or the right when you set the table?
steak knife (noun): a knife with a serrated blade for diners to cut steak at the table - The
waiter forgot to bring us steak knives.
tablecloth (noun): a large cloth for covering a dining table - Have we got a clean tablecloth?
This one's got stains on it.
table knife (noun): the knife used for eating a main course - Table knives are bigger than
butter knives, aren't they?
tumbler (noun): a drinking glass with straight sides and no stem or handle - The tumblers are
in a cupboard in the kitchen.
water jug (also US "pitcher") (noun): a large container with a handle from which drinking
water is poured - The water jug's nearly empty.
wine glass (noun): a glass with a long stem and a wide base for drinking wine - I poured
water in my wine glass and someone laughed. I didn't know the etiquette.