Discussing Food and Drink in Spanish

Food is an important element of any culture. Each country and region in Latin America has different-tasting food, making restaurant hopping and trying new dishes there among the most diverse experiences possible. The same is true in sunny Spain, where deep-fried fish, mountain-cured ham, and a variety of other tasty treats await you.

¡Buen provecho! Enjoy your meal!

As with any cultural group, some peoples of Latin America are more interested in food than others. Mexicans are as devoted to their food as the French or the Chinese, even in very small places. They have very fine palates and can distinguish among many different fiery flavors. They also have an immense variety of ways to prepare the same foods, such as tortillas and beans, which are basic elements in their meals.

In Mexico you can eat tortillas (tohr-tee-yahs) — round, flat, soft, wafer-like bread made of corn — that are small and thick, and others that are immense and paper-thin, as well as all the sizes and thicknesses in between. Added to these variations are tortillas made of black or yellow corn. Mexicans, and Meso-Americans in general, employ their tortillas as eating utensils. They fold them ingeniously to use them as spoons, they pick up their food with them as we do with our forks, and after all is done, they proceed to eat their spoons! You try that with your spoon!

In Spain, at the tapas (tah-pahs) bars, where enticing treats are served with your drinks, everyone eats from the same dishes, though you can get your own platos (plah-tohs) (plate) if you ask for one.

Here are some other tastes that are popular in various Spanish-speaking countries:

• Argentineans and Chileans eat milder flavored and more European foods than do Mexicans.

• Peruvians and Bolivians like spice in their dishes.

• From the Rio Grande to Central America, the main fare is corn, which can be prepared a thousand ways, just as wheat is in the United States.

• From Colombia on south, potatoes, wheat, and barley join corn as the basis of foods.

• In Peru, you find a native grain called quínoa (kee-noh-ah), which is a bit like barley, and a flour called chuño (choo-nyo), made from freeze-dried potatoes.

• The best beef you can eat is in Argentina. Argentineans are enthusiastic beef eaters and really know how to prepare it so that it tastes superb.

• Spaniards commonly eat a mini-meal of appetizers called tapas (tah-pahs).

Table terms

You may find these phrases useful when you plan a meal:

• ¡A poner la mesa! (ah poh-nehr lah meh-sah) (Set the table!)

• Aquí están los platos y los vasos. (ah-kee ehs-tahn lohs plah-tohs ee lohs bvah-sohs) (Here are the dishes and glasses.)

• ¿Qué cubiertos? (keh koo-bvee-ehr-tohs) (What cutlery?)

• Cuchara, cuchillo, tenedor, y cucharita. (koo-chah-rah koo-chee-yo teh-neh-dohr ee koo-chah-ree-tah) (Spoon, knife, fork, and coffee or demitasse spoon.)

• Aquí están las servilletas. (ah-kee ehs-tahn lahs sehr-bvee-yeh-tahs) (Here are the napkins.)

• Más sal en el salero. (mahs sahl ehn ehl sah-leh-roh) (More salt in the salt shaker.)

Phrases for food and drink

Here are some common terms connected with meals:

• almuerzo (ahl-mooehr-soh) (lunch)

• cena (seh-nah) (supper)

• comida (koh-mee-dah) (dinner)

• desayuno (deh-sah-yoo-noh) (breakfast)

• tengo sed (tehn-goh sehd) (I'm thirsty)

• tiene hambre (tee eh-neh ahm-bvreh) (he/she's hungry)

You may hear these phrases, or speak them yourself, when giving or receiving foods and beverages:

• ¡Buen provecho! (bvooehn proh-bveh-choh) (Enjoy your meal! — the equivalent of the French Bon appetit!)

• ¿Con qué está servido? (kohn keh ehs-tah sehr-bvee-doh) (What does it come with?)

• Está caliente. (ehs-tah kah-lee ehn-teh) (It's hot [temperature].)

• Está frío. (ehs-tah freeoh) (It's cold.)

• Está picante. (ehs-tah pee-kahn-teh) (It's hot (flavor/spicy.)

• Es sabroso. (ehs sah-bvroh-soh) (It's tasty.)

• Lamento, no tenemos . . . (lah-mehn-toh noh teh-neh-mohs) (Sorry, we don't have any . . .)

• ¿Qué ingredientes tiene? (keh een-greh-dee ehn-tehs tee eh-neh) (What are the ingredients?)

• ¿Qué más trae el plato? (keh mahs trah-eh ehl plah-toh) (What else is in the dish?)

These words can help you when you're ordering something to drink:

• Escoger un vino. (ehs-koh-Hehr oon bvee-noh) (Choose a wine)

• ¡Salud! (sah-lood) (Cheers!)

• Tomar un refresco. (toh-mahr oon reh-frehs-koh) (Drink a soda pop)

• Tomar un trago. (toh-mahr oon trah-goh) (Have a drink [alcoholic])

• Un vaso de agua. (oon bvah-soh deh ah-gooah) (A glass of water)

• Un vaso de leche. (oon bvah-soh deh leh-cheh) (A glass of milk)

Three verbs used at the table

Insofar as talking about drinking goes, in Spanish, you do it with two verbs. One is tomar (toh-mahr); the other is beber (bveh-bvehr).

To take and to drink: The verb tomar

Tomar (toh-mahr) means literally "to take" and often means exactly that. But when you say tomar un refresco (toh-mahr oon reh-frehs-koh), you're talking about drinking a soda, not literally taking one, and you know that's what you mean because tomar is followed by something you drink. So tomar is a verb with a certain imprecision.

Tomar is a regular verb of the -ar (ahr) group. The root of the verb is tom- (tohm), as you can see from the table that follows:

For drinking only: The verb beber

In the case of the verb beber, you can have no doubts: This verb applies to drinking only.

Beber (bveh-bvehr) is also a regular verb; it's from the -er (ehr) group. The root of the verb is: beb- (bvehbv), as you can see in the following table:

For eating: The verb comer

Comer (kohm-ehr) means "to eat." A regular verb from the -er (ehr) group, the root of this verb is com- (kohm), as the following table shows: