20 words about food that differ between British English and American English
Like we mentioned before, there are words that differ between British English and American English. Normally, we learn American English, and that is why some words, expressions, and pronunciation from the British English are new. Therefore, we present here 20 words that differ used to refer to types of food. Check them out!
British English VS American English
1) Dessert |Afters (informal)
Even though the most common word is still ‘dessert’ for both nations, if you hear someone asking for an ‘after’ in a restaurant, don’t think they want to take the party somewhere else.
2) Aubergine | Eggplant
Europeans might be confused if you ask for an ‘eggplant’.
3) Banger (informal) | Sausage
Another word that is very common is ‘sausage’, however, the original in Europe is banger.
4) Biscuit | Cookie
This is well known and you probably studied about it at school. If you go to America and order a biscuit, don’t be surprised if you get a cake.
5) Candy floss | Cotton candy
Candy floss? Cotton candy is known like that in the UK. The original is ‘Fairy Floss’ and it is used in countries like New Zealand and Australia.
6) Chips | French fries
If you order chips while in Europe, they will give you some French Fries, as known in America.
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READ MORE: 45 words that differ from American to British English
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7) Crisps | Chips
As explained before, crisps are like ‘Pringles’ and ‘Ruffles’, because chips are fries.
8) French Toast | Eggy bread (informal)
Exactly the same dish, but with different names. In British English, it is more specific.
9) Fizzy drink | Soda
Even though ordering a soda by its name, Fizzy drink is a more common name in Europe.
10) Ice Lolly | Popsicle
People usually say ice cream, but they actually have a name.
11) Jam | Jelly
If you want to order it, in Europe you can obtain it by the name ‘jam’, however, some places are called ‘marmalade’.
12) Jelly | Jell-o
It is not common in the UK to use ‘jell-o’ to refer to jelly, since it is a brand, not a product in general.
13) Maize | Corn
A simple word, similar to Spanish, for example.
14) Prawn |Shrimp
Se você tem dúvidas, é melhor apontar o que você quer, porque em alguns lugares da Europa eles até podem chamar shrimps para os camarões.
If you have doubts, it is better to point out what you want.
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READ MORE: 10 fun facts you didn’t know about English
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15) Scone | Biscuit
A type of little cake.
16) Starter | Appetizer
You might also find the word ‘entree’. The most common in UK is Starter, an easy word to remember since it is related to ’start’.
17) Sweet | Candies
Both are understandable, but in Europe, ‘sweets’ is more common.
18) Tin | Can
Even though ‘can’ may be used in both continents, in Europe ‘tin’ is more common.
19) Toastie | Grilled cheese
Exactly the same, ‘toastie’ is very used in the UK and in Ireland.
20) Toffee | Taffy
The difference here is that the caramel is less sweet than the traditional one.
As you can see, some differences are complex and they are what your teachers call collocations.
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