A glossary, along with phrases and explanation of terms where literal translation is not useful is my end goal of this project. In my earlier versions I simply sought out glossaries, anywhere I could find them on the Net. This resulted in several problems: 1) often there are errors in other peoples’ glossaries, often in spelling (esp. diacritical marks; also is singular or plural and genders, that is not using the base word one would find in proper dictionaries; 2) regional differences within Spain lead to confusion in either different spellings (or words) for the same food item or different items from the same word; 3) “Spanish”, of course, includes a lot more of the world than just Spain and often there are severe contradictions between different countries and I really want to stay focused on Spain (although hongo (mushroom) has appeared in Spanish menus and this is primarily a Latin American term, so even the Spanish are inconsistent on this); 4) many words don’t really have a translation to English because either they stand for themselves (e.g paella, chistorra) or a literal translation is not helpful (as already mentioned, see post on revuelto); 5) some colloquial or slang terms are used in Spain just as they are anywhere and these don’t translate easily; and, 6) sometimes food items are modified with brands or regional terms (de Tuledo) that are quite relevant but not terms that can be converted to English.
So many glossaries you find, as I did (the hard way) are fairly inaccurate and/or fail to provide much help for menus. This is the main reason I’m starting my v3.0 effort from menus of restaurants in Spain. While I could look for all restaurants I could find I’m tying my search to my virtual walk along the Camino de Santiago. I started this project when I’d reached just west of Pamplona. So I’ve now covered about 20 miles looking at every restaurant along the way (they have to have webpages and then menus at the website to be useful). So I’ve covered the towns of Cizur Menor, Zariquiegui, Uterga, Muruzábal, Obanos, Puente la Reina, Mañeru, Cirauqui and figured I had enough raw material for my first cut at a glossary (English translation mostly based on Google Translate with some lookups in spanishdict.com). This is a fairly complete list based on no more than extractions from menus. Some words I’ve left off this list as they take more research to get them properly defined (e.g. “beef”, lots of different names for this, and cuts of meat). Other words the literal translation and/or quick searches are insufficient to get a useful (if there is one) definition.
So this is v3.1 and I have a lot more to do to even begin to have anything approaching the final list but already my list is better than many of the others you can find on the Net.
| a elección | of your choice |
| a la parrilla | grilled |
| a la plancha | grilled |
| a su gusto | to your liking (as in how well done) |
| aceite | oil |
| aceite de oliva virgen | virgin olive oil |
| aceitunas | olives |
| acompañado | accompanied |
| agua | water |
| ajetes tiernos | young garlic |
| ajo | garlic |
| albóndigas | meatballs |
| alcachofas | artichokes |
| almejas | clams |
| almendras | almonds |
| almíbar | syrup |
| alubias | beans |
| anchoas | anchovies |
| anís | aniseed |
| aperitivos fríos | cold appetizers |
| arándanos | blueberry |
| aros de cebolla | onion rings |
| arroz | rice |
| artesanos | artisan |
| asado | roast, roasted |
| atún | tuna |
| avellana | hazelnut |
| azúcar | sugar |
| bacalao | cod |
| baja temperature | low temperature |
| bandeja | tray |
| bebida | drink |
| beicon | bacon |
| bellota | acorn |
| besugo | sea bream |
| blanco | white |
| blando | soft |
| bocadillos | snacks |
| bocatas | sandwiches |
| bogavante | lobster |
| borraja | borage |
| brasas | barbecued or fire grilled (also a la brasas) |
| cabra | goat |
| café | coffee |
| calabacín | zucchini |
| calamares en su tinta | squid in ink |
| caliente | hot |
| callos | tripe (even ‘guts’) |
| campo propio | our own field |
| canela | cinnamon |
| canelone | cannelloni |
| cangrejo | crab |
| caramelizada | caramelized |
| cardo | cardoon |
| carnes | meats |
| carrilleras | cheek pieces |
| caseras, caseros | homemade (gender based on modified word) |
| cebolla | onion |
| centollo | spider crab |
| cerdo | pork (or maybe just pig) |
| chipirón | squid |
| chistorra | chistorra (it is what it is, no translation) |
| ciervo | deer (venison) |
| ciruelas | plums |
| cítricos | citrus |
| cochinillo | suckling pig |
| cocido | boiled |
| coco | coconut |
| codornices | quail |
| coliflor | cauliflower |
| compota | compote |
| confitado | confit |
| consultar disponibilidad | check availability |
| copa | cup |
| cordero | lamb |
| cordero lechal | suckling lamb |
| costillas | ribs |
| crema | cream |
| croquetas | croquettes |
| crujiente | crispy |
| dulce | sweet |
| duro | hard |
| ensalada | salad |
| ensaladilla | salad |
| entrante | starter |
| esparragos | asparagus |
| espárragos enteros blancos | white whole asparagus |
| espinacas | spinach |
| espuma | foam |
| fiambres | cold cuts |
| frambuesas | raspberries |
| fresas | strawberries |
| fresca | fresh |
| frios | cold |
| fritas | fried |
| fruta | fruits |
| fundido | melted |
| gambas | prawns (medium size, other names tied to size) |
| guarniciones | garnishes |
| guisadas | stewed |
| helado | ice cream |
| huertas | gardens, orchards |
| huevo | egg |
| huevo duro | hard-boiled egg |
| incluido | included |
| ingredientes | ingredients |
| jamón | ham |
| Jamón Ibérico de Bellota | acorn Iberian ham |
| lasaña | lasagna |
| leche | milk |
| lechuga | lettuce |
| lenguado | sole |
| limón | lemon |
| lomos | loins (cut of meat, sometimes short for pork loin) |
| loncha | slice |
| lubina | sea bass |
| macarrones | macaroni |
| maíz | corn |
| manitas de cerdo | pork trotters |
| mantequilla | butter |
| manzanas | apples |
| mariscos | seafood (generic) |
| mayonesa | mayonnaise |
| mejillón | mussels |
| melocotón | peaches |
| melosas | sweet |
| membrillo | quince, quince jelly |
| menta | mint |
| merluza | hake |
| mermelada | jam |
| mero | grouper |
| mero salvaje | wild grouper |
| miel | honey |
| mixta | mixed |
| morros | snout, lips, cheeks, nose |
| mostaza | mustard |
| nata | cream |
| natillas | custard |
| negro | black |
| nueces | nuts |
| nuestras especialidades | our specialties |
| oporto | port |
| otros | other |
| pan artesano | artisan bread |
| pasas | raisin |
| patata | potato |
| patata panadera | baked potato |
| pato | duck |
| pechuga | breast (as in de pollo) |
| pepinillo | pickle |
| perdiz | partridge |
| perejil | parsley |
| pescados | fish |
| picatostes | croutons |
| picoteo | snack, nibble |
| pimentón | paprika |
| pimientos | peppers |
| pimientos de temporada | seasonal peppers |
| pimientos del Piquillo | Piquillo peppers |
| pimientos verdes | green peppers |
| piña | pineapple |
| piña caramelizada | caramelized pineapple |
| piñones | pine nuts |
| plátano | banana (term in Spain, other areas use different) |
| plato fuerte | main entree |
| pollo | chicken |
| postres | desserts |
| precio | price |
| precio fijo | fixed price |
| puerro | leek |
| pulpo | octopus |
| purés de patata | mashed potatoes |
| queso | cheese |
| queso de cabra | goat cheese |
| racione | serving |
| rape | monkfish |
| rebozada | breaded |
| refresco | soft drink |
| rellenos | stuffed |
| revuelto | scrambled egg dish (other ingredients than egg) |
| rodaballo | turbot |
| rojos | red |
| rosa | pink |
| rúcula | arugula |
| salsa | sauce |
| salteada | sautéed |
| salvaje | wild (referring to animal) |
| segundo plato | Second course |
| sepia | cuttlefish |
| setas | mushrooms |
| sidra | cider |
| sidrería | cider bar |
| sopa | soup |
| surtido | assorted, assortment |
| templada | warm |
| típico | typical |
| tomate | tomato |
| torrija | French toast |
| trufas | truffles |
| turrón | nougat |
| unidades | units (as in pieces) |
| uvas pasas | raisins (or just pasas) |
| vaca | cow (terms for beef get complicated) |
| vainilla | vanilla |
| variados | varied, assorted |
| ventresca | belly (of a fish, sometimes also means filet of fish) |
| verde | green |
| verduras | vegetable |
| verduras de invierno | winter vegetable |
| vinagreta | vinaigrette |
| vino | wine |
| vino tinto | red wine |
| yema | yolk |
| yogur | yogurt |
| zanahoria | carrot |
| zumo | juice (as in of a fruit vs jugo???) |
