By: Genevieve Mc Carthy / Last updated: April 9, 2024
Welcome to our comprehensive and convenient food glossary tailored for your unforgettable vacation in Spain! Whether you’re an adventurous food enthusiast or simply curious about Spanish cuisine, this translation guide from Spanish to English will be your trusty companion. Perfectly designed for printing, you can carry it wherever you go, ensuring you never miss out on Spain’s delightful flavors.
Our glossary covers many ingredients, including seafood and fish, succulent meats, luscious fruits and vegetables, creamy dairy products, delicious nuts, and much more. We have meticulously compiled this list to encompass the majority of items you’ll come across on menus, allowing you to explore the diverse culinary landscape of Spain confidently.
Attention, wine enthusiasts! Don’t forget to explore our dedicated Spanish wine glossary, where you’ll find a treasure trove of information to deepen your appreciation of Spain’s renowned winemaking traditions. We strive for perfection and aim to provide you with the most comprehensive resource possible. If there’s an ingredient you believe should be included in this list, please get in touch with us. We value your input and want to ensure this glossary remains a valuable reference for every curious palate.
With this indispensable culinary guide, get ready to embark on an extraordinary gastronomic journey through Spain’s vibrant and diverse cuisine. Let your taste buds be tantalized as you delve into a world of captivating flavors, rich traditions, and culinary delights that will leave you craving more.
FOOD NAMES IN SPANISH
A
Abulon – abalone
Adobo – marinaded in vinegar and spice (often cumin)
Almeja – clam
Aceituna – olive
Agridulce – sweet and sour
Ajo – garlic
Albahaca – basil
Alcachofa – artichoke
Alcaparras – capers
Albóndigas – meatballs
Alcachofa – artichoke
Allioli – A popular sauce in Catalonia made from garlic oil (garlic mayonnaise).
Almendras – almonds
Anchoas – anchovies
Ahumado – smoked.
Arenque – herring
Arroz – rice.
Almejas – clams
Angulas – baby eels
Atún – tuna.
Azafrán – Saffron
B
Bacalao – codfish or salted codfish
Batidos – milkshakes
Barquillos – biscuit rolls
Berberechos – Cockles
Berenjena – aubergine. As a tapa, it usually comes stuffed with béchamel and ham
Berza – cabbage
Besugo -sea bream
Bistec de ternera – veal steak
Bocadillo – A Sandwich
Bogavante – Lobster
Bonito – Tuna
Boquerones – Fresh Anchovies
a la Brasa – cooked over embers
buñuelos – lightly fried pastries
Butifarra -a type of sausage particularly popular in Catalonia and the Balearics
C
Caballa – Mackerel
Cabrales – blue veined cows milk cheese from Asturias
Cabrito Asado – roast kid
Cacahuetes- peanuts
Café Americano – large white coffee
Café con leche – white coffee
Café cortado – white coffee in a small cup
Café sólo – black coffee
Calabacines – courgettes
Calabaza – Pumpkin
Calamares – squid
Caldo – soup
Callos – tripe
Camarónes – Shrimp
Canela – cinnamon
Cangrejo – crab
Caracoles – snails
Caramelos – sweets
Carne – meat
Castaña – chestnut
Cazón – dogfish
Cebollas – onions
Cena – Evening Meal / Dinner
Centollo – spider crab
Cerezas – cherries
Cerveza – beer
Cerdo – Pork
Champiñónes – mushrooms
Chorizo – Spicy sausage
Cherne – wreckfish or stone bass
Chuletas – Chops
Churros – deep-fried pastry
Cigala – crayfish
Cigarra – flat lobster
Ciruelas – plums
Cochinillo – roast suckling pig
Cocido – chickpeas-based stew with meat
Codorniz – Quail
Col – cabbage
Coles de Bruselas – Brussels sprouts
Coliflor – cauliflower
Conejo – rabbit
Costillas – ribs
Cordero – lamb
Crema Catalana – crème brulée
Criadillas – Testicles, Beef Or Lamb
Croqueta -A Deep Fried Bechamel
Crudo – raw
Crujiente, Crocante – crispy
Cuchara – Spoon
Cuchillo- Knife
D
Datiles – dates
Desayuno – Breakfast
Dorada – A type of white fish popular in the Levante (literally, “Golden”), Mahi Mahi
Dulce – sweet
E
Empanada – pastry with meat or fish
En Escabeche – In a tomato, aubergine, courgette based salsa; pickled
Endivias – endives
Ensalada – salad
entrecot – entrêcot steak
Escalfado – poached
Escalope – Breaded Meat
Espinaca – spinach
Espárragos – asparagus
Estofado – a stew
Estragón – tarragon
F
Fabada – bean-based stew
Faisán – pheasant
Fideos – small noodles
Filete – filets of meat
Flan – caramel custard
Fresas – strawberries
Frito – Fried
Fruta – fruit
G
Galera – mantis shrimp
Gallina – hen
Gambas – shrimp
Garbanzos -chickpeas
Gazpacho – in Andalusia, this is a cold vegetable soup
Granada – Pomegranate
Guisado – Casserole
Guisantes – Green peas
H
Habas – Broad beans
Helado – Ice cream
Higado -liver
Higos – Figs
Hinojo – fennel
Huevos – eggs
I-L
Idiazábal – smoked ewe’s milk cheese from the Basque Country
Jamón – ham
Jabugo – a small town in Andalucia famous for excellent Jamón Jabugo
Judías – dry beans
Jugo – juice
Langosta – lobster
Langostinas – King Prawns
Leche – milk
Lechón/Tostón / Cochinillo – suckling pig
Lengua- tongue
Lenguado – sole fish/ flounder
Liebre – hare
Limón – lemon
Lubina – Sea Bass
M
Mahón – soft cow’s milk cheese from the Balearic islands
Mandarinas – tangerines
Manos de cerdo – Pigs trotters
Mantecadas – small sponge cakes
Mantequilla – butter
Manzana – apple
Manzanilla – dry sherry
Mariscada – seafood platter
Mariscos – seafood
Mejillones – mussels
Melocotón – peach
melón – melon
Membrillo – quince, a quince “jam,” usually served with cheese
Menestra – vegetable and meat casserole
Menu Del Dia – Menu of the day (fixed price)
Merluza – hake fish
Mero a la Parrilla – Grilled grouper
Mesa – Table
Miel – honey
Morcilla – blood pudding made with Paprika and rice, most famous comes from Burgos
N
Nabos – turnips
Nata – cream
Natillas – cream custard
Naranja – orange
Navajas – razor clams
Necora – swimming crab
Nísperos – loquat
Ñora – dried small red peppers “dulce” sweet or “picante” hot
Nueces – walnuts
O
Oca – goose
Orujo – grape base spirit
oreja (de cerdo) – pigs’ ears
Ostras – oysters
P
Paella – famous rice dish seasoned with saffron and usually made with seafood, meat, and vegetables
Revuelto – scrambled eggs, usually prepared with ham, mushrooms, or peppers
Riñones – kidneys
Rodaballo – turbot
A la Romana – battered (Calamares, Merluza, etc)
Romero – rosemary
Romesco/ Xato, Salbitxada – a red sauce for seafood from the Catalonian & Basque regions
Roscas – doughnut
Roncal – smokey flavored ewe’s milk cheese from Navarra
S
Sabor – taste, “It tastes like…” = “Sabe a .”
Sal – Salt
Salchica – thin pork sausage
Salmonete – red mullet
Salmón – salmon
Salmon Ahumado – smoked salmon
Salsa – sauce
Sandía – watermelon
Sardinas – sardines
Semidulce – medium sweet
Sepia – cuttlefish
Sesos – brains
Setas – wild mushrooms
Sidra – cider
Sofrito – a sauce made of olive oil, onion, and paprika
Solomillo – filet mignon/ tenderloin steak
Sopa – soup
T
Tallarines – noodles
Tarta – cake.
Tenedor – Fork
Ternera – veal
Ternera Picada – minced beef.
Tetilla – Pear-shaped cow’s milk cheese from Galicia. Named for its resemblance to a woman’s breast.
Tiburon – shark
Tila – linden tea
Tomate – tomato
Tomillo – thyme
Tostado – toasted
Tortilla – Spanish omelet, traditionally made with potato and onion and served as a tapa or light meal
Trucha – trout fish
Turrón – nougat
U-Z
Uvas – grapes
Vaso – Glass
Venado/ Ciervo – venison
Verduras – Vegetables
Vieiras / Zamburiña- scallops
Vino – wine
Zanahorias – carrots
Zarzuela – casserole
Zumo – juice
Basque Specialties
“al Pil-pil” – green sauce, served on fish, with a garlic and parsley base
“a la Bizkaina” – red sauce used on fish, with an onion and tomato base
Besugo – red bream
Bonito – similar to tuna
Centollo or Txangurro – spider crab
Ensalada de Angulas – baby eel salad
Kiskillas – prawns
Kokotxa – Basque specialty of Hake cheeks
Lubina a la pimienta Verde – sea bass with green pepper
Marmitako – a typical soupy dish made of bonito fish, potatoes, onions, peppers, and tomato.
Mero – grouper
Ne’coras – small, boxlike crabs
Perretxiku – springtime mushrooms
Porrusalda – soup made from leeks, mushrooms, and potatoes
Txirlas – baby white clams
Txipirones en su tinta – squid prepared in its own ink
Author
Genevieve Mc Carthy
Genevieve, originally from San Diego, California, has spent the last 25 years living in Europe, primarily in Spain, Ireland, and Italy. She has a background in the wine industry, having worked for a top wine importer in Ireland and a prestigious winery in Italy's Franciacorta region. In 2003, Genevieve founded Cellar Tours, a boutique wine tours company based in Madrid, Spain. She holds wine education credentials from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) in London and has a strong network within the European wine industry. Genevieve's company specializes in organizing VIP tours to exclusive wineries that are not accessible to the general public. With a passion for food and wine, fluency in multiple languages, and expertise in luxury travel and tourism, Genevieve has built a successful career in creating unique wine experiences.
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One thought on “Spanish A-Z Food Dictionary: Your Comprehensive Guide to Culinary Translations”
Josie Bennersays:
December 11, 2018 at 4:34 pm
I love this website!! I am doing a project of Spanish foods in Spanish class and this website helped me so much. Thanks
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Josie Bennersays:
December 11, 2018 at 4:34 pm
I love this website!! I am doing a project of Spanish foods in Spanish class and this website helped me so much. Thanks