TL;DR – How to pronounce acai so you don’t embarrass yourself at Starbucks.
I was recently in New York and everywhere in Manhattan had these food trucks selling gyro (similar to a kebab I guess) and it disturbed me so much that I couldn’t be sure if I was pronouncing it right.
For the record, it’s JEYEroe – like that makes any sense?
So here’s a video,
And 10 other food you’ve most probably been mispronouncing too.
1) Acai
What is it? Basically a really thick fruit smoothie topped with oatmeal, fruit or peanut butter and eaten with a spoon.
And you pronounce it as, ah-sah-ee.
2) Ganache
What is it? A whipped chocolate cream filling that’s typically used in cakes and truffles.
And you pronounce it as, guh–nahsh.
3) Quinoa
What is it? A type of grain typically used as a gluten-free substitute for pasta, rice or couscous.
And you pronounce it as, keen-wah.
4) Poke
What is it? A poke bowl is essentially the Hawaiian chirashi don made up of a base, usually rice or greens, sashimi and toppings such as seaweed and avocado.
And you pronounce it as, POH-keh.
5) Gnocchi
What is it? Pasta dumplings usually made from potato and served with sauce.
And you pronounce it as, nyawk-kee.
6) Espresso
So you won’t embarrass yourself the next time you’re at Starbucks, it’s pronounced as ess-press-o and NOT ex-press-oh.
7) Bruschetta
What is it? The fancy tomatoes on bread appetiser you always see at dinner parties.
And you pronounce it as, broo-sket-ah.
8) Pho
What is it? Best described as Vietnamese beef kway tiao.
And you pronounce it as, more like fah than fur. (Audio)
9) Confit
What is it? Literally meaning “to preserve”, a confit is any type of food that is cooked slowly over a long period of time as a method of preservation. We typically see duck confit being served at French restaurants.
And you pronounce it as, con-fee.
10) Turmeric
There’s a R in the word so we shouldn’t pretend it doesn’t exist. It’s hence ter-mer-ik and not tumour-rick.