TOP 10 AMERICAN vs BRITISH FOOD DIFFERENCES | English Vocabulary Lesson

(light techno music)

- Hello everyone, and welcome back to English with Lucy.

I've got a pronunciation video for you today,

no I haven't, I haven't.

I don't, it's not a pronunciation video.

Hello everyone, and welcome back to English with Lucy.

Today I've got an American versus British

video for you today.

I did one ages ago,

I think it was just a video on American English

versus British English, I'll put a card up here.

But, recently I was looking at the names of foods

that we commonly mispronounce.

That video will come out soon, if it's not already out.

Then, I started to think about the differences

between American food and British food,

and how we have different names for the same thing.

So, I thought I would go through

that list with you today.

Quickly, before we get started,

I'd just like to remind you

how useful Audible is.

You can click on the link below,

and get a 30 day free trial, that's a free audio book,

and it will seriously help you with your listening

and your speaking, because you can read an actual book,

and then you can listen to how the words are pronounced.

Reading is great, but it doesn't improve your pronunciation,

because English isn't a phonetic language.

So, if you team up reading with listening as well,

it will also improve your pronunciation,

because you can hear how the words are pronounced.

The link is in the description,

along with some audiobook recommendations

for English learners.

Right, let's get on with the lesson.

Okay, so I'm going to say the American word first,

and then I'm going to the say

the word that we use in British English.

So, number one.

In America, this would be cilantro.

Cilantro.

Do I need to do an American accent, cilantro.

Dreadful I know, my American accent is so cringe worthy.

(chuckles)

Feel free to punch the screen.

In the UK, in British English, we call this coriander.

Coriander.

So, if you're reading a British recipe book,

something by Gordon Ramsey or Jamie Oliver,

and it says coriander, you know that that's cilantro.

Comment down below, do you love it do you hate it?

Because I love it, and my boyfriend hates it,

and it makes meal times so stressful.

The next one, I did mention this in the previous video,

but I think it's important because it's related to food.

It is cookies.

Cookies in American English.

In British English, we say biscuits,

which I understand is something that Americans,

it's a sort of thing you have with gravy?

Biscuits and gravy, am I right there?

Yeah, but for us, biscuits are cookies.

So, we always have tea and biscuits.

Tea and cookies.

Next, we have

eggplant.

Eggplant.

So, the Americans call it eggplant,

and I found out recently why they it call it eggplant.

It's because, I think it's when the flowers,

or the fruit is growing, it does look like an egg.

But in British English, we tend to call it aubergine.

Aubergine, which I think is a beautiful word.

I love any word with the,

sound in it, aubergine.

It's even sexier in Spanish though,

berenjenas.

(sighs) Berenjena, what a sexy plant, who would've thought.

Aubergine.

On to another vegetable.

In America, they say zucchini.

In the UK, we say courgette.

It's another one of those sexy sounds.

Courgette, both lovely words I think you'll agree.

Next.

In America, they're called shrimp.

But in England, we might use the word shrimp

for very small shrimp.

But, in general we will saw prawns.

Prawns.

So, the big ones, we'll call them king prawns,

or tiger prawns, but the small ones

that Americans would refer to as shrimp,

we just call them prawns.

That's actually one of my favourite sandwich fillings.

Prawn mayo, prawn and mayonnaise.

The next one is

candy.

Now of course, we would understand

when you're talking about candy in America.

But in British English,

we tend to refer to candy

as sweets, or sweeties.

I think sweeties is a little bit more for children.

But sweets, and that normally refers to candy,

rather than putting the deserts as a whole.

If I said do you want a sweet?

I wouldn't be offering you desert,

I would be offering you candy.

another one which goes along the same lines,

in America they would refer to it as cotton candy.

In the UK, we call it candy floss.

Candy floss.

Which I actually prefer, because the thought

of putting cotton in my mouth,

it gives me the heebie-jeebies, it makes me feel weird.

Another vegetable, sort of salad this time,

in American English, it's arugula.

But in British English, we call it rocket.

A bit random.

The last two I have mentioned in a previous video.

The first of the two being fries,

in America it's fries, but we would call it chips.

Then in America, they would the word chips

for what we call crisps.

So they're all potatoes,

they're all different forms of fried potatoes.

But American fries is in McDonald's fries, we call chips,

and then what they refer to as chips, a hard potato snacks,

we call them crisps.

Crisps, which a lot of English learners

tend to struggle with,

the pronunciation of crisps.

I hear a lot of crips going on, but crisps.

Right, that's it for today's lesson,

I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you learnt something.

If you can think of any other food-related

American and English differences,

write it in the comments below.

I also want to know if you like coriander or not,

let's have a vote.

Comment below, and let me know, and share the knowledge.

Don't forget to check out Audible,

the link is in the description box,

along with my audiobook recommendations.

Don't forget to connect with me on all of my social media,

I've got my Facebook, I've got my Instagram,

and I've got my Twitter,

and I really recommend checking out my Instagram,

because I've got some really exciting give aways.

English related give aways,

world wide give aways coming very, very soon,

with some awesome companies.

We did a great book give away the other day,

we had some very happy winners,

so I really recommend looking at my Instagram.

That being said, I will see you soon

for another lesson.

(light techno music)