B2.1 - How to describe food

E. Longo

• Food vocabulary
• Tastes vocabulary and collaborative reading
• Giving opinions about food facts. Agreeing and disagreeing

How to describe food and dishesB2.1

• How important is food in your life? What does food mean to you?
• Do you agree that if something tastes great, it's probably bad for you?
• What did you eat for lunch today? Did you choose this dish because it was healthy, cheap or because it was... well, just very tasty?
• Are you a fussy eater or an adventurous gourmet?

Let's start with some warm-up questions. Discuss in small groups

All the exercises in the worksheet can be found in aula virtual

Food vocabulary

Classify them according to their taste:radish • pickle • nuts • chicken • potato crisps • coffee • lemon • banana • ice cream

Salty

Tastes

Bitter

Sour

Sweet

That cheese smells / tastes disgusting (what other adjectives can we use?)It has a very strong (other adjectives?) flavour / taste / aroma / smellThe texture is quite creamy / chewy (can you add more words?)It's a kind of vegetable / side dish / spice.It's a bit like an oyster, but smaller / but not as big.It's made from plums or pears / a special kind of bean.It's cooked with tomatoes and onions and spices.It's served when it's hot / as a snack / as dessert / cold

Some expressions to describe food

That cheese smells / tastes disgusting Can we say 'That cheese is smelling / tasting disgusting?Why? / Why not? (Discuss in pairs)

Some expressions to describe food

The photo is mouthwatering. Apple strudel is made from apples, raisins, pastry, sugar and cinnamon. It tastes sweet. Its texture is crispy in the outside and smooth in the inside. It smells really well. It's a bit like apple pie, but tastier.

This is a photo of one of my favourite desserts: apple strudel. I think it is typical from Austria and Germany, but I am not very sure. In fact, the first time I tried it I was travelling around the south of Germany.

Describing food - Example

Think of a dish that you really like or hate. describe it taking into account: its appearanceits tasteits textureits smellingredients or how it's madeis it similar to other dishes?how it's cooked or servedyour opinion

Describing food - Your turn

KNOWING YOUR TASTES

This is the introduction to a magazine article. It discusses taste and why people like and dislike certain foods. Why do you think people like and dislike certain foods?Why do some people love spicy food and others hate it? Why do many people dislike broccoli? Why do some people want sweets all the time? Human taste is not as simple as liking or disliking something. The kind of tongue you have can affect your food choices and your health.

Adapted from Q Skills for success Intermediate

TASK

Collaborative reading:The rest of the article is divided into 5 parts. You will have a part of the article. Read it carefully, try to remember the information in it, and then put it away.