Are you timid asking for the croissant at your local bakery, ashamed at your lack of French? (It’s pronounced “kwah-SAHNT” not “cross-ant” — and you should give it a try. It sounds prettier and you sound smarter saying it right.)
If certain words like bruschetta (correctly said broo-SKEH-tah with a k) make you hesitate, you’re not alone. Now, the new book “You’re Saying it Wrong” by Ross and Kathryn Petras (Ten Speed Press) will help you glide through your most awkward encounters at the food counter (and in other life situations, too).
Listed below are some of the most common food words that are tricky to get your mouth around, all excerpted from the book:
- gnocchi [NYAW-kee]: Online food delivery service Eat 24 puts gnocchi in their top-10 list of mispronounced food words. The problem is that the Italian gn actually has an ny sound.
- gyro [YEE-ro]: Most Americans pronounce gyro with an English soft g sound (as with gyroscope, which has the same origin). But to the Greek guy slicing your meat, that sounds very, very wrong.
- pho [fuh]: Here’s a well-known foodie joke to remind you how to pronounce these delicious Vietnamese noodles: Q: What do you call a line in a Vietnamese noodle shop? A: Pho queue.
- quinoa [KEEN-wah]: Another one of the most mispronounced food words, quinoa looks like it should be pronounced “KWIN-oh-ah” not “KEEN-wah” — which is correct.
If you know Spanish, you can see why this South American grain is pronounced the way it is.
- Moët & Chandon [Mwett eh SHA-doh]: Want to sound like a true sophisticate? Pronounce the final t in Moët.
Many people don’t, thinking they sound more French that way. But Moët should sound more Dutch than French, because the founder of this famous French champagne company had a Dutch name. So it’s “Mwett” not “Moay.”
Got that?
Très bien.