Sprach-Guide
Im Restaurant
Das Menü beschreiben
- The dish of the day / daily special = what the restaurant is featuring
- set meal = the starter, main course and dessert are chosen by the restaurant (don’t say “menu”!)
- a la carte = where you choose what you want to eat from the menu
Nach einer Beschreibung des Essens fragen
- What is ‘Wiener Schnitzel’ exactly?
- Is this dish vegetarian?
- What's in spaghetti carbonara?
- Can you tell me how this dish is prepared?
Essen beschreiben
- It's a meat dish, garnished with parsley.
- It's topped with cheese.
- It's served with a side salad.
- Sauces can be cheesy (made with cheese), savoury (not sweet), creamy (smooth), spicy (made with chilli peppers) or delicate (a subtle, rather than strong taste).
- Desserts can be rich (very filling with a strong taste, like chocolate gateau), light (not heavy in taste or texture, like a sorbet), tangy (with a sharp taste of lemon or orange, like a lemon pie), or fruity (made with fruit, like trifle).
Im Restaurant bestellen - Dinge, die Kellner sagen
- Are you ready to order yet?
- Have you decided what you are having?
- Would you like anything to drink with your meal?
- Can I recommend the chef's special?
Im Restaurant bestellen - Dinge, die Gäste sagen
- We'd like a little longer, please.
- Could you give us a couple more minutes?
- We really can't decide. Can you advise us?
- I’ll have/take the schnitzel, please.
- I’d like the vegetarian dish of the day, please.
Arten von Lebensmitteln
meat (or "red meat") | = lamb, pork or beef |
poultry (or "white meat") | chicken, turkey, goose, duck |
game ("wild" meat) | rabbit, hare, partridge, pheasant |
fish | salt water fish / sea fish or fresh water fish |
seafood | prawns, shrimps, lobster, scallops, mussels, crab |
vegetables | leafy vegetables (such as broccoli or spinach), root vegetables (such as carrots and onions) etc. |
fruit | stone fruit (such as plums and peaches); berry fruit (such as strawberries or raspberries) etc. |
Wie das Essen gekocht wird
| boiled | cooked in boiling water |
| steamed | cooked over a saucepan of boiling water |
| fried / sautéed | cooked in oil in a frying pan |
| stir-fried | fried fast in hot oil |
| pan-fried | fried in a frying pan |
| roasted | cooked in oil in the oven |
| grilled | cooked under a grill or on a ridged pan |
| baked | cooked in the oven |
| stewed | cooked for a long time on a low heat |
Gänge im Menü
starter / hors d'oeuvre / appetiser | the first thing you eat as part of a more formal meal |
main course | often a meat, fish or vegetarian dish |
dessert / pudding | a sweet course at the end of the meal (you might also see cheese or fruit offered) |
Diäten
watch what you eat | be careful about what you eat, and the quantities you eat |
watch your figure | refuse certain food because you want to stay slim |
cut out certain foods altogether | stop eating bread or pasta, for example |
cut down on | reduce the amount of (e.g. sugary foods) |
vegetarian | eating no meat or fish |
vegan | avoiding all animal foods |
flexitarian | plant-based diet with occasional consumption of meat or fish |
gluten-free | avoiding gluten, a protein found in wheat and similar grains |
wholefood | plant-base diet of natural, unprocessed and wholemeal foods |
Andere Ausdrücke
| put on / gain weight | become heavier |
| lose / shed weight | become lighter |
| have a sweet tooth | like eating sweet or sugary things like cakes, sweets or chocolate |
| eat sensibly | eat moderate quantities of food, and not over-indulding in unhealthy food |
Besteck und Geschirr
| Gabel | fork |
| Messer | knife |
| Löffel | spoon |
| Kaffeelöffel | teaspoon |
| Kuchengabel | dessert fork |
| Teller | plate |
| Suppenteller | soup bowl |
| Schüssel | bowl |
| Kuchenteller | dessert plate |
Zubereitungsarten
| Braten, Röst-, Brat- | roast |
| angebraten (kurz) | sautéed |
| gebacken (im Backrohr) | baked |
| gebraten | fried |
| gedünstet | steamed |
| gegrillt | grilled |
| gekocht | boiled |
| geräuchert | smoked |
| püriert, -Püree | mashed |
| faschiert | minced |
| paniert | breaded |
| aus biologischem Anbau ("bio") | organic |
| Freilandeier | free-range eggs |
| hartes Ei | hard-boiled egg |
| weiches Ei | soft-boiled / runny egg |
| Spiegelei | fried egg |
| Rührei, "Eierspeis" | scrambled eggs |
Fleischsorten
| Ente | duck |
| Geflügel | poultry |
| Huhn | chicken |
| Kaninchen | rabbit |
| Lammfleisch | lamb |
| Pute | turkey |
| Reh(fleisch) | venison |
| Rindfleisch | beef |
| Schinken | ham |
| Schweinefleisch | pork |
| Speck | bacon |
| Wild(bret) | game |
| Wildschwein | wild boar |
Zuschnitte / Fleischstücke
| Hüfte | rump |
| Keule | leg |
| Kotelett | chop |
| Schulter | shoulder |
Fische
| Brasse | bream |
| Saibling | char |
| Dorsch (Kabeljau) | cod |
| Heilbutt | halibut |
| Lachs | salmon ("l" is not pronounced!) |
| Seebarsch | seabass |
| Forelle | trout |
| Zander | zander |
Gemüsesorten
| Bohnen | beans |
| Erbsen | peas |
| grüner Salat | lettuce |
| Karfiol | cauliflower |
| Kohlsprossen | Brussels sprouts |
| Paprika (grüner) | pepper (green) |
Österreichische Nationalgerichte
| pikant | savoury |
| Wiener Schnitzel vom Kalb mit Erdäpfelsalat | breaded veal cutlets with Viennese-style potato salad |
| Schweinsbraten mi Knödel und Krautsalat | roast pork with dumplings and cabbage salad |
| Tafelspitz mit Braterdäpfel und Apfelkren | prime boiled beef fillet with fried potatoes and horseradish sauce |
| süß | sweet |
| Palatschinken mit Marmelade | pancakes with jam |
| Kaiserschmarrn mit Zwetschkenröster | "Emperor's Mess"; shredded, sweet pancake served with plum sauce |
| Marillenknödel mit Bröseln | apricot dumplings with buttered breadcrumbs |
| Sachertorte mit Schlag | classic chocolate cake served with whipped cream |
Culture tip: Das Büffet ist eröffnet
The German “Das Buffet ist eröffnet” does not exist in English. What you could say, though, is, “There are some refreshments waiting for you outside / next door / over there. Please help yourselves!” or something similar.
Culture tip: Mahlzeit
There is no phrase like the German “Mahlzeit” that people say when they start eating. If you like, though, you could say, “Enjoy your meal!” or use the French “Bon appétit!”
Culture tip: "It's on me!"
The German expression “ich lade dich ein” is not the same as the English “I’ll invite you” (this means “invite somebody to a place or event”). Instead, you should say, “This one is on me!” or “I’ll get this” or “my treat”. If you want to pay for your own meal only, you say, “Let’s split the bill, ok?”