Words at the Spanish table
A handful of words that keep coming up in Spanish recipes and at Spanish tables – with a pronunciation hint that follows the sound and an explanation that goes beyond the translation.
How to read it
- j, g (before e, i)
- The throaty sound of Scottish „loch“.
- ll
- Like y in „yes“: „paella“ is „pa-eh-ya“.
- ñ
- Like ny in „canyon“.
- z, c (before e, i)
- Lisped like English „th“ in Spain, a plain s in Latin America.
- v
- Sounds like b – „verde“ is „ber-deh“.
At the restaurant
| Spanisch | Say it like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| perdone | per-doh-neh | Excuse me. This is how you address the staff – you do not call out. |
| la carta, por favor | la kar-ta por fa-vor | The menu, please. In Spain „menú“ means the set lunch, not the card. |
| ¿qué me recomienda? | keh meh reh-ko-myen-da | What do you recommend? |
| la cuenta, por favor | la kwen-ta por fa-vor | The bill, please. |
| estaba buenísimo | es-ta-ba bweh-nee-see-mo | It was excellent. The usual way of saying thank you on the way out. |
At the table
| Spanisch | Say it like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| buen provecho | bwen pro-ve-cho | Enjoy your meal – said even to strangers at the next table. |
| la sobremesa | la so-bre-meh-sa | The time you stay at the table after eating. Not dessert, not coffee – just staying and talking. |
| tapear | ta-peh-ar | Going from bar to bar and eating something small at each. A verb, not a dish. |
| la ración | la ra-thyon | The large plate for sharing – between a tapa (one bite) and a main course. |
Ingredients
| Spanisch | Say it like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| el pimentón | el pee-men-ton | Smoked paprika. ‚De la Vera‘ means smoked over oak – that is the flavour, not the heat. |
| el sofrito | el so-free-to | Onion, garlic and tomato cooked down slowly in oil. The foundation, not a side. |
| el chorizo | el cho-ree-tho | Air-dried sausage with pimentón. Not to be confused with the soft cooking sausage of the same name. |
| el azafrán | el a-tha-fran | Saffron. Toasted briefly over the flame and crumbled before it goes into the broth. |
In the kitchen
| Spanisch | Say it like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| la cazuela | la ka-thweh-la | The shallow earthenware dish. It holds heat for a long time and goes to the table. |
| el socarrat | el so-ka-rrat | The crisp layer of rice at the bottom of the paella. It forms at the end over high heat and counts as the best part. |
| al ajillo | al a-hee-yo | Fried in olive oil with plenty of garlic – prawns, mushrooms, chicken. |
| en escabeche | en es-ka-beh-cheh | Pickled in vinegar, oil and spices after cooking. Keeps for days and tastes better on the second. |
| a la plancha | a la plan-cha | Cooked on the hot plate, no coating, little oil. |