English By Day

The English language has a large range of vocaulary, and that does not change when it comes to desribing the taste of food. Whether you are looking for the most common ways to describe a dish or looking for some more formal descriptive synonyms (perhaps for a restuarant menu) you can find it down below.

Acidic- When foods have a sharp, perhaps soury taste, they tend to be acidic.

Ex: Tomatoes are very acidic.

Ambrosial- Ambrosial can be used to describe foods that are sweet and rich. 

Ex: The milk chocolate tastes ambrosial.

Acerbic- describes food that are sour, or astringent in taste.

Ex: The lemon bites are very acerbic.

Bitter- describes food that tastes harsh or disagreeable.

Ex: The cheese is too bitter for my liking.

Tart- food that is acidy, sour or sharp.

Ex: The pickles are very tart.

Sweet- food that tastes sugary or  honey-like.

Ex: The carrot cake was very sweet. I loved it!

Harsh- Unpleasant in taste

Ex: The sauerkraut tastes very harsh. I think we should change to a different recipe.

Delicious- delightful, pleasing to the taste buds.

Ex: The rib-eye steak was delicious!

Salty- when a food tastes highly seasoned by salt.

Ex: The dressing was a bit too salty for me.

Briny- Like brine, salty.

Ex: The pickles may have tasted too briny for some, but they were perfect for this recipe.

Gamy- Used to describe a tangy flavor, usually associated with meat.

Ex: The venison was very gmay, just the way I like it!

Piquant- sharp, tart, or agreeably pungent

Ex: What a piquant cheese!

Pickled- to have a salty, briny taste

Ex: The veggies were pickled and delicious!

Pungent-acrid, generally used to describe a food’s taste or smell.

Ex: The red onions were initially quite pungent but they turned out to be delicious.

Citrusy- food with a citrus flavor produced by citrus fruits such as  lemons, oranges, 

limes etc.

Ex: The key lime pie was extra citrusy this time.

Cooling- a light, cool taste experienced in such foods as mint.

Ex: The mint was very cooling when added to the recipe.

Earthy- foods that remind one of soil, ground. Generally used to describe root vegetables, mushrooms or even wines.

Ex: This red wine is quite earthy.

Herbal- Foods that are fresh and use herbs.

Ex: Would you like some herbal tea?

Fiery- Spicy, gives off heat.

Ex: Be careful, the salsa is very fiery.

Fresh- Foods that are light and crisp, many times used to describe fruits or vegetables, but can also describe foods such as meat.

The salad is very fresh.

Fruity- taste very sweet, like fruit

Ex: That wine is very fruit.

Good-satisfactory, agreeable, pleasant.

Ex: This lasagna is good!

Great- used to describe foods that are excellent, fantastic or wonderful in taste.

Ex:The pecan pie was great! I will be ordering one to-go.

Okay- acceptable, well-enough, decent.

Ex: The pasta meal was okay. I am satisfied.

Bad- spoiled, rotten, inedible, or overall displeasing to the taste.

Ex: I have to admit, that cappuccino was bad. I should have ordered

A flat white.

Nectarous- produces a delicious or sweet taste.

Ex: The fruit salad was very nectarous.

Nippy- a sharp, tangy taste.

Ex: That Wisconsin cheese was very nippy, but surprisingly good.

Full-bodied-flavorful, rich, usually used to describe wine.

Ex: She wants a glass of full-bodied wine.

Honeyed- foods that have a honey-like taste.

Ex: I would like to find some honeyed peanuts at the fair today.

Nutty- nutlike in flavor.

Ex: The cake is very nutty.

Rich- In regards to taste, it can mean highly seasoned, very sweet or fatty.

Ex: The icing on the cake is too rich for me.

Sharp- bitter or strong in taste.

Ex: Wesley loves sharp cheese.

Robust-foods with a rich, full-bodied flavor.

Ex: Colombian coffee has a very robust flavor.

Refreshing- fresh, pleasant.

Ex: Would you like a refreshing glass of sweet tea?

Scrumptious- delectable, very pleasing in taste.

Ex: The banana nut muffins were scrumptious!

Smoky-to have a smoky, fiery taste.

Ex: The baked beans were smoked.

Sour- to have an acidy or fermented taste.

Ex: The kimchi was a bit too sour for me.

Spicy- to contain spices, to give off a strong, pungent flavor.

Ex: Jimmy loves spicy foods.

Tangy-to have a strong, piquant, distinctive flavor.

Ex: I love tangy wings.

Yeasty-Have a yeast-like flavor.

Ex: The dough was a bit too yeasty for me.

Woody- having a woody flavor, usually used to refer to wine.

Ex: The wine tastes very woody.

Zesty- food that is piquant, full of zest.

Ex: The citrus dressing tastes very zesty.

Light- food that does not have a strong taste.

Ex: The dip was very light. I liked it.

Yummy-tasty, delicious.

Ex: Italian cuisine is so yummy.

Words to describe the Appearance of Food:

Appetizing– used to describe foods that look very appealing, they stimulate one’s appetite.

Ex: The rib-eye looks appetizing.

Crispy– crisp, brittle. Can also be used to describe food that it slightly overcooked.

Ex: The pizza crust looks extra crispy, just the way I like it.

Delectable– delicious, highly pleasing.

Ex: The cake looked delectable! I couldn’t wait to eat it.

Delicious– pleasing, delightful

Ex: The casserole not only looked delicious but tasted dalicious as well.

Dry– to lack moisture. Generally, the word ‘dry’ is used in a negative sense when describing the appearance or taste of food, however there are exceptions, such was when referring to how a food keeps. For example, beans keep better when ‘dry.’

Ex: The meat looks a bit dry. Perhaps we could add more sauce to the recipe.

Fantastic- wonderful, perfect

Ex: The turkey looks fantastic. Great job!

Fluffy– used to describe food that looks light or airy.

Ex: The sponge cake looks very fluffy. I bet it will taste good too.

Good – agreeable, edible, appetizing

Ex: The lasagna looks good. I can’t wait to eat it!

Greasy– Grease-like, very oily

Ex: The pizza looks too greasy for my liking.

Great– delicious, tasty

Ex: Her dessert looks great! Could I have the recipe?

Heavenly– delightful, divine

Ex: The chocolate covered strawberries look heavenly.

Mouth-watering– appetizing in appearance.

Ex: The chef’s premier dish is mouth-watering. I hope he gives each of us a sample.

Piping Hot– to be very hot, referring to the temperature of food

Ex: I like my food piping hot.

Savory– to be agreeable, pleasant

Ex: The jelly looks quite savory.

Scrumptious– delectable, very pleasing

Ex: The carrot cake looks scrumptious.

Tasty- savory, appealing

Ex: The spinach dip looks very tasty.

Sugary-Sweet, high in sugar

Ex: What a sugary donut! I hope it’s not as sweet as it looks.

Yummy– pleasing, appetizing

Ex: Those desserts look yummy!