22 Commonly Mispronounced Foods

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I came across this list today of 22 commonly mispronounced foods and was wondering how many you knew correctly?

1. Skyr : skee-er (Skyr, the traditional yogurt of Iceland, is made by incubating milk with live active cultures, then skimming away the watery whey that floats to the top)
2. Acai : ah-sah-EE (Acai is an Amazonian berry that has more antioxidants than the blueberry)
3. Quinoa : keen-wah (Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and provides a solid hit of fiber and magnesium)
4. Poké : po-kay (Poké is a bold and savory chopped raw fish salad that was first created in the late 1970's by Hawaiian fishermen)
5. Edamame : ed-a-ma-may (Edamame is a high fiber content bean usually in its pod which is rich in energy-boosting B vitamins, essential amino acids, and protein)
6. Cacao : ka-cow (Cacao, the flavonol-filled seeds from which chocolate is made, not only tastes great, it increases levels of the mood-boosting hormone serotonin, which can lower stress levels and increase focus)
7. Rooibos : roy-biss (It's tea leaf with a potent source of something called aspalathin, a flavonoid that's been shown to reduce stress hormones that trigger hunger and fat storage)
8. Hummus : hum-us (A Mediterranean dip made from chickpeas)
9. Kefir : keh-fear (Kefir is a tart and tangy cultured milk drink. This smoothie-like concoction contains lactase–an enzyme that breaks down lactose, the sugar in milk that causes stomach issues for some people)
10. Kombucha : com-boo-cha (Kombucha is a fizzy unpasteurized drink made with tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast)
11. Bánh Mì : banh-mee (A Vietnamese sandwich made with bread, chilies, cilantro, veggies, pickles, meat and various condiments and sauces)
12. Pho : fuh—like fun, without the "n" (Pho is a traditional Vietnamese street food made of broth, rice noodles, and meat)
13. Gyro : yeer-o (A Greek dish of beef, lamb, or chicken sandwiches containing a lot of carbs, as well as a substantial amount of sauces like hummus or tahini)
14. Salmon : sam-uhn (A fish which hardly needs an introduction!)
15. Lychee : lee-chee (A slightly sweet Chinese fruit with just 6 calories and 11 percent of the day's vitamin C per fruit)
16. Rutabaga : roo-ta-bay-ga (Rutabagas are sweet-tasting root veggies that are part of the turnip family)
17. Arugula : ah-roo-gu-la (A leafy green)
18. Bruschetta : broo-sket-a or broo-sheh-ta (Toasted Italian bread, topped with olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes)
19. Star Anise : star an-iss (A fruit from an evergreen plant called Illicium verum, widely used as a flavoring agent in Asian cuisine)
20. Bouillon Cube : boo-yawn cube (I think we all know what it is)
21. Turmeric : too-mer-ic (Turmeric is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods in nature's arsenal)
22. Celeriac : sel-air-ee-ack (A lumpy winter root vegetable with a pleasant, celery-like flavour loaded with vitamin K, vitamin C and potassium)

 

[Morning Glory]

Its a rather strange list (to me) as it seems to contain both American words for ingredients such as Rutabaga (swede in parts of UK) and Arugula (Rocket in UK) plus some Asian foods but not many European items.

Pronunciation is a difficult subject. It can depend on where you are and your dialect. I remember hearing Delia Smith on TV pronouncing parsley as paarzlee. She stopped doing that a few years ago.

 

[Lullabelle]

Americans tend to say 'erbs' instead of herbs for whatever reason..... to be fair there are a few items on the list I have never come across so I probably would pronounce them incorrectly

 

[Morning Glory]

Americans tend to say 'erbs' instead of herbs for whatever reason..... to be fair there are a few items on the list I have never come across so I probably would pronounce them incorrectly

Yes. I think it is because of the French pronunciation for herbs which has a silent 'h'. Americans also pronounce a lot of other food words differently from the UK. For example 'oregano' in American puts the stress on the second syllable, whereas in the UK we stress the third syllable. In America its common to pronounce fillet in the French manner: 'fill - ay' , whereas we say 'fillet' to rhyme with 'kill it'. Then there is 'bayzel' in America and 'basil' in the UK. And so on...

I had heard of quite a few of the Asian dishes in the list but that is due to my watching so many TV cookery shows including Australian ones which feature a lot of Asian food. But I hadn't heard of Acai or Poke.

 

[Lullabelle]

Yes. I think it is because of the French pronunciation for herbs which has a silent 'h'. Americans also pronounce a lot of other food words differently from the UK. For example 'oregano' in American puts the stress on the second syllable, whereas in the UK we stress the third syllable. In America its common to pronounce fillet in the French manner: 'fill - ay' , whereas we say 'fillet' to rhyme with 'kill it'. Then there is 'bayzel' in America and 'basil' in the UK. And so on...

I had heard of quite a few of the Asian dishes in the list but that is due to my watching so many TV cookery shows including Australian ones which feature a lot of Asian food. But I hadn't heard of Acai or Poke.

It works better with a French accent which can be quite sexy

 

[The Velvet Curtain]

It works better with a French accent which can be quite sexy

Bonjour.

 

[Lullabelle]

Bonjour.

 

[Berties]

Chorizo is another ,I pronounce it how it is spelt but the true pronunciation envolves a mouth full of saliva and a Spanish twang

 

[Lullabelle]

Chorizo is another ,I pronounce it how it is spelt but the true pronunciation envolves a mouth full of saliva and a Spanish twang

I pronounce how it is spelt because I don"t know how it is supposed to be pronounced.

 

[Berties]

I pronounce how it is spelt because I don"t know how it is supposed to be pronounced.

The z gets pronounced more as a f