Kitchen tip
Food is the fastest way into French vocabulary because you meet it three times a day. Learn the ingredient names first, then the verbs on the packet — mijoter, revenir, découper — and recipes stop being a wall of text.
Cooking Methods
The verbs that appear in every French recipe.
to cook
kweer
to boil
boo-yeerr
to fry
freer
to grill
gree-yay
to roast
roh-teer
to braise
bray-zay
to sauté
soh-tay
to blanch
blahn-sheer
Ingredients
What goes in the basket, grouped by aisle.
Vegetables
carrot
lah kah-roht
Orange root vegetable
onion
loh-nyohn
Bulb vegetable used as base for many dishes
garlic
lah-ee
Aromatic bulb used for flavoring
tomato
lah toh-maht
Red fruit used as vegetable
potato
lah pohm duh tair
Starchy tuber, staple food
mushroom
luh shahn-pee-nyohn
Edible fungus
eggplant
loh-bair-zheen
Purple vegetable
zucchini
lah koor-zhet
Green summer squash
Meat
beef
luh buhf
Meat from cattle
pork
luh por
Meat from pigs
lamb
lah-nyoh
Meat from young sheep
chicken
luh poo-lay
Meat from domestic fowl
duck
luh kah-nar
Waterfowl meat
rabbit
luh lah-pan
Small game meat
Seafood
fish
luh pwah-sohn
Aquatic vertebrate
salmon
luh soh-mohn
Pink-fleshed fish
trout
lah trweet
Freshwater fish
shrimp
lay kruh-vet
Small crustacean
mussels
lay mool
Bivalve mollusk
oysters
lay zweet-ruh
Bivalve mollusk, often eaten raw
Herbs
parsley
luh pair-see
Green herb for garnish and flavor
thyme
luh tan
Aromatic Mediterranean herb
rosemary
luh roh-mah-ran
Woody herb with needle-like leaves
chives
lah see-boo-let
Mild onion-flavored herb
basil
luh bah-zee-leek
Aromatic herb, key ingredient in pesto
tarragon
lay-strah-gohn
Licorice-flavored herb
Spices
pepper
luh pwah-vruh
Black or white ground spice
salt
luh sel
Essential seasoning
paprika
luh pah-pree-kah
Red pepper powder
cumin
luh koo-man
Warm, earthy spice
cinnamon
lah kah-nel
Sweet, warm spice from bark
saffron
luh sah-frahn
Expensive spice from crocus flower
Classic Dishes
The plates you will actually meet on a French menu, and what is in them.
Starters
snails
les-kar-goh
Land snails cooked with garlic butter
foie gras
luh fwah grah
Fatty liver of duck or goose
onion soup
lah soop ah loh-nyohn
Traditional French onion soup with cheese
raw vegetables
lay kroo-dee-tay
Fresh vegetables served with dip
Main Courses
rooster in wine
luh kohk oh van
Chicken braised in red wine with vegetables
fish stew
lah boo-yah-bess
Traditional Provençal fish stew
bean stew
luh kah-soo-lay
Slow-cooked bean and meat casserole
vegetable stew
lah rah-tah-too-ee
Provençal vegetable stew
Burgundy beef
luh buhf boor-gee-nyohn
Beef braised in red wine with vegetables
Desserts
burnt cream
lah krem broo-lay
Custard dessert with caramelized sugar top
macaron
luh mah-kah-rohn
Sweet meringue-based confection
upside-down apple tart
lah tart tah-tan
Caramelized apple tart baked upside down
thousand leaves pastry
luh meel-fuh-yuh
Layered pastry with cream filling
pancake
lah krep
Thin pancake, sweet or savory
Drinks
From the café counter to the dinner table.
wine
luh van
beer
lah byair
coffee
luh kah-fay
tea
luh tay
water
loh
Kitchen Utensils
The tools a recipe assumes you already own.
saucepan
lah kah-suh-rohl
Deep cooking pot with handle
frying pan
lah pwah-el
Flat-bottomed pan for frying
knife
luh koo-toh
Cutting tool with blade
fork
lah foor-shet
Eating utensil with prongs
spoon
lah kwee-yair
Eating utensil with bowl
whisk
luh fway
Tool for mixing ingredients
blender
luh meek-suhr
Electric appliance for mixing
oven
luh foor
Cooking appliance for baking
Cooking Terms
The technique words that separate a recipe you can follow from one you cannot.
to mix
may-lahn-zhay
Combine ingredients together
to chop
ah-shay
Cut into small pieces
to slice thinly
ay-man-say
Cut into very thin slices
to peel
ay-ploo-shay
Remove skin from fruits/vegetables
to season
ah-say-zoh-nay
Add salt, pepper, herbs, spices
to taste/savor
day-goos-tay
Taste and enjoy food
to serve
sair-veer
Present food to eaters
to reheat
ray-shoh-fay
Heat up previously cooked food