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Understand Spanish menus ..
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| Look for : | Primeros platos / starters |
| Secundos platos / main courses | Desserts |
A short Spanish-English glossary of essential food terms.
Translations of the main expressions found on Spanish menus. Depending on the restaurant, some dishes shown below as "primeros platos" may (also) appear as "secondos platos", and vice-versa..
Note: Jamon, litterally "ham" is an ingredient in many dishes. Jamon is normally cured ham (i.e. uncooked), not cooked ham. Cooked ham is commonly referred to as Jamon de York.
Primeros platos / first course
| Look for : | Soups (hot or cold) |
| Vegetable dishes | Other dishes |
| Fish and seafood | Descriptive terms |
Soups
Gazpacho : classic cold tomato and cucumber soup
Salmorejo : a delicious cold creamy tomato and almond soup
Sopa castillana : a tomato and vegetable soup with bread and sometimes an egg in it.
Sopa de.... Soup of...
Vegetable dishes (cold or hot)
Alcachofas : artichokes
Espárragos, or trigueros : Asparagus
Ensalada rusa : Russian salad (mayonnaise based)
Ensalada verde : Green salad (lettuce based)
Ensalada de tomate y cebolla con huevo : Tomato and garlic salad, with egg
Fabada: white beans in tomato sauce with chorizo (hot)
Garbanzos : Chick peas
Guisantes con jamón : Green peas with ham
Judías verdes con jamón : Green beans with ham (hot)
Lentejas con chorizo : lentils with sausage
Setas : mushrooms
Other dishes:
Croquetas : Croquettes, rissoles
Embutidos : charcuterie, cold ham and sausages,
Espaguetis : Spagetti, pasta
Huevos : eggs
Jamon ibérico : the finest Spanish cured ham
Migas (extremeñas) : Croutons with pieces of chorizo
Paella : Paella (rice with pieces of meat or shellfish)
Tortilla : Spanish omelette
Fish dishes:
Gambas : prawns
Merluza
: hake, whitefish
Descriptive adjectives / expressions:
Casero(s) /- a(s) : home made, "of the house"
Del dia : of the day
Revuelto(s) /- a(s) : scrambled, stirred, stir-fried
Salteado(s) /- a(s) : sautéd
Secundos platos / Main courses :
| Look for : | Fish and seafood |
| Types of meat | Methods of preparation |
a) Fish & seafood:
Atun : tuna fish
Bacalao : cod
Calamares : squid
Corvina, lubina : sea bass
Dorada : sea bream
Espada : sword-fish
Merluza : hake, whitefish
Paella valenciana : Paella with fish and shellfish
Salmonete : red mullet
Trucha : trout
Salmón : salmon
b) Meat:
Cabrito : kid
Cerdo : pork
Conejo : rabbit
Cordero : lamb
Cordoniz : quail
Ternera, buey : beef
Pato : duck
Pollo: chicken
Perdiz: partridge
Venado : venison
Methods of serving ...
... and describing:These terms can be applied to various meats or fish dishes.
A la plancha : grilled
Albondigas de... : Meatballs of
Asado : grilled, char-grilled, barbecued
Solomillo de... Surloin
Empanado : Breaded
Escalope de, Filete de ... Fillet of
Estofado (de) : stew, stewed
Guiso de: stew
Ibérico : (pork cuts) From top quality free-range animals
Lomo de... Loin of , tenderloin
Relleno de... : Stuffed
Con arroz : with rice
Con (su) guarnicon : with garnish (vegetables and/or potatoes)
Con patatas : with potatoes
Desserts / Postres:
Arroz con leche : rice pudding
Flan : caramel custard
Frutas : Fruit
(Fresas : strawberries - manzanas: apples - narancas ; oranges - uvas: grapes)
Helados : ice cream
Natillas: custard, blancmange
Queso : Cheese
Tarta de... : ... tart
And see also: Menu guide for France
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