Order Hard-to-Pronounce Menu Items Without Fear
Our jobs are to know anything and everything about food, and we still have trouble pronouncing some culinary terms—especially the French ones—correctly. We can just imagine how non-professionals might feel.
Let’s settle this, once and for all! Here are some of the most difficult and most frequently recurring trouble-starters, pronunciation-wise:
Charcuterie: SHAR-COO-TREE if you want to try to use the French pronunciation; CHAR-COO-TURR-EE if not. The (usually) cured meat products sold in a specialty butcher shop. You’ll often see a charcuterie platter on a menu, which might include a selection of various cured meats to be eaten alongside bread and sometimes cheese.
Prix fixe: PREE-FEEKS if you want to try to use the French pronunciation; PREE-FIX is also acceptable. A complete (multi-course) meal offered at a fixed price.
Sous vide: SUE-VEED. A method of cooking food slowly in a vacuum-sealed pouch at a low temperature, which helps the food (often red meat or poultry) retain moisture and flavor.
Niçoise: NEE-SWAZ. In the style of Nice, a city in France; usually refers to a Niçoise salad, which has tuna, hard-boiled eggs, olives, potatoes, and anchovies.
Got it now? We do, too (phew!). Learn two more terms, aperitif and digestif, in the video above, and then check out our other explainers here. (It goes beyond French terms: What does it mean to macerate? What’s gremolata? Bottarga?) Watch, and you’ll be equipped to order without fear next time.
