The foreign dishes you’re still pronouncing wrong

Directly above view of man eating gnocchi

We’re lucky to have a rich variety of dishes from across the globe right at our fingertips, but are we pronouncing them right?

Crossing cultures, countries and continents, Australia has a fantastic culinary exposure, but with this comes the unexpected challenge of pronouncing the names of these various dishes correctly.

We’ve narrowed down the top five mispronounced menu items with help from the Language learning app, Babbel, and to make sure you order with confidence next time you dine out, or visit the dishes’ origins, we’re showing you how to say them correctly.

1. Take the bruschetta, followed by a serve of gnocchi

Bruschetta Mix

Both dishes are popular Italian fare in Australia. Most people probably know bruschetta (broo-SKEH-tah) is a crispy grilled bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil, usually served with fresh savoury toppings. And while boiled gnocchi (NYOH-kee) can be served as a main with tomato sauce – quite like a pasta – it’s great as a crispy side when it’s pan-fried!

2. A Caipirinha please

Nothing beats a cold Cocktail on a hot summer's day. Taken on Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This tongue-twister is not just a popular alcohol beverage but the national cocktail of Brazil. While a Caipirinha (kai-pee-REEN-ya) is now popularly customised to your taste by adding the liquor of your choice, the original mix consists of cachaça (a distilled sugarcane spirit) sugar and lime.

3. Fajitas and quesadillas for a vibrant and scrumptious fix

Quesadilla on aged wooden table. Stock photo

Fajitas (fuh-HEE-tah) and quesadillas (kesa-DEE-ya) are two delicious Mexican street food dishes likely to be well-known but highly mispronounced by Australians. Knowing how to pronounce these two classics will make you feel nearly as good as if you were eating them beachside in Tulum.

4. Bouillabaisse s’il vous plait

Homemade seafood soup with tomato sauce and coconut milk on an old metal tray, top view

An enjoyable French dish that is both difficult to pronounce and prepare is Bouillabaisse (BOO-yeh-bays). Despite its rumoured Greek and Roman origins, bouillabaisse became most popular in Marseille in the 19th century. While essentially a fish stew, this dish promises to be different from any other because of the unique way it’s prepared and served.

5. The açai breakfast bowl

Acai breakfast superfoods smoothies bowl with chia seeds, bee pollen

One of 2017’s biggest health trends is the açai (aa-sah-EE) bowl. This nutritious meal hit it off as a breakfast trend here in Australia because of the acai berry’s aesthetic appearance, stand out taste and smell. However, the superfood has Portuguese and Brazilian origins and has been around long before it went viral on social media.

If you’re now feeling peckish, check out where to find the top 20 foodie cities, and see if you can pronounce the dishes they’re well known for.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest comments

Bruce says:
December 5, 2017 at 4:55 pm
The #1 mistake is crêpe – its not CRAYPE the e should be is as in egg, that’s what he accent on the e is for! I’ve even seen a business called “Great Crepes” with it obviously wrong as they have made it try to rhyme based upon the embarrassing CRAYPE mistake. Their staff all spoke it wrong too.
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