16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary: Meanings, Origins and Examples
Food is more than something we eat; it reflects the history, culture, traditions and languages of communities around the world. As international cuisines become increasingly popular, many food-related words enter everyday English. From Indian paneer and Chinese bao to Japanese karaage and Mexican huitlacoche, these terms help people describe dishes and ingredients that were once unfamiliar to many English speakers.
Sixteen food and drink words highlighted in a dictionary update published on October 1, 2026, demonstrate how English continues to grow through cultural exchange, international cooking trends and changing eating habits. Some names refer to traditional recipes, while others describe ingredients, sauces, pastries or specific types of beer.
Here is a detailed guide to all 16 words, including their meanings, origins and culinary uses.
1. Chermoula: A Flavorful North African Sauce
Meaning: Chermoula is a savory North African sauce or marinade typically prepared with parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, spices and sometimes hot peppers.
Chermoula is widely associated with Moroccan and other North African cooking. Its fresh herbs, citrus and spices create a distinctive flavor that works particularly well with fish, seafood, chicken and vegetables. Depending on the recipe, it can be used as a marinade before cooking or served as a sauce alongside the finished dish.
Although recipes vary by region and household, cumin, paprika and preserved lemon are common ingredients in some versions.
Word origin: The English word came through French, which adopted the term from North African Arabic. Its deeper history has been linked to the Late Latin word salimuria, meaning brine used for pickling.
Example: The chef marinated the fish in chermoula before grilling it over charcoal.
2. Dunkel: A Traditional Dark German Lager
Meaning: Dunkel is a dark-colored lager beer, usually with a slightly sweet flavor produced by roasted malt.
The word is associated with German brewing traditions, particularly those of Bavaria. Dunkel beers are often characterized by notes of toasted bread, caramel, nuts and roasted malt. Their dark appearance does not necessarily mean that they have a strongly bitter taste.
Dunkel is different from dunkelweizen, a dark wheat beer that combines the word dunkel with Weizen, the German word for wheat.
Word origin: Dunkel is borrowed from the German word meaning “dark,” which developed from an older Germanic form.
Example: The brewery introduced a traditional dunkel with a smooth texture and rich toasted-malt flavor.
3. Speculoos: A Crisp, Spiced Cookie
Meaning: Speculoos is a sweet, crisp cookie made with brown sugar and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg.
Speculoos is especially associated with Belgian and Dutch baking traditions. The cookies are often enjoyed with coffee or tea and are also used to make desserts, biscuit crusts and cookie butter, a sweet spread prepared from crushed cookies.
Their warm spice flavor and crisp texture make them useful in cheesecakes, ice cream toppings and other confectionery products.
Word origin: The English word comes from the Dutch speculatie, associated with spiced cookies. The word’s deeper linguistic history connects it with French and Latin forms related to contemplation and reflection.
Example: She crushed speculoos cookies and mixed them with melted butter to prepare a cheesecake base.
4. Bao: A Soft, Filled Bun from Chinese Cuisine
Meaning: Bao is a soft bun that may contain a sweet or savory filling and is commonly cooked by steaming, although some varieties are baked. The term can also refer to an unfilled bun served as bread.
Bao is an important part of Chinese culinary culture. Common savory fillings include pork, chicken, vegetables and mushrooms, while sweet versions may contain red bean paste or other sweet ingredients.
The term is often used in English for buns known more fully as baozi. The filling, dough and cooking method vary across different Chinese regional traditions.
Word origin: The Chinese word bāo can mean a bundle or package and is also associated with wrapping or enclosing something. The name reflects the way a bun surrounds its filling.
In English, the plural can be written as bao or baos.
Example: We ordered steamed bao filled with seasoned pork and vegetables for breakfast.
5. Gose: A Tart German Beer Style
Meaning: Gose is a tart, generally low-alcohol beer traditionally brewed with malted wheat, coriander and salt. Some modern versions also contain fruit.
Gose has a distinctive combination of refreshing acidity, gentle spice and a subtle salty character. It differs from conventional lager and ale styles because its flavor profile is deliberately tart and may include fruity notes.
Although the style has historical roots in Germany, craft breweries in other countries have experimented with different ingredients and interpretations.
Word origin: The word was borrowed from German and is generally associated with the Gose stream near Goslar, Germany, where the beer style originated.
Example: The brewery served a refreshing gose with citrus notes and a mild salty finish.
6. Lumache: Snail-Shaped Pasta
Meaning: Lumache is a type of pasta shaped like a snail’s shell.
The curved, hollow shape of lumache makes it suitable for holding sauces, cheese and small pieces of vegetables or meat. It can be used in baked pasta dishes, creamy recipes and macaroni-and-cheese-style meals.
Its distinctive shape also makes it an attractive choice for dishes in which the pasta needs to retain a generous amount of sauce.
Word origin: Lumache is the Italian plural of lumaca, meaning “snail” or “slug.” The name describes the pasta’s appearance.
Example: The cook selected lumache for a baked pasta dish with tomato sauce and melted cheese.
7. Palmier: A Crisp, Leaf-Shaped Pastry
Meaning: A palmier is a thin, crisp pastry made from folded puff pastry, usually sprinkled with sugar before baking.
Palmiers develop delicate, flaky layers and a caramelized exterior. Their folded shape resembles a palm leaf or heart, which explains why they are sometimes called palm-leaf cookies or elephant ears.
They are commonly served with tea or coffee and can be prepared with simple sugar or additional flavorings.
Word origin: Palmier comes from French, where the word is also associated with a palm tree. The pastry’s shape provides the connection between the name and the food.
Example: The bakery displayed golden palmiers beside its croissants and other French pastries.
8. Rösti: A Swiss Potato Dish
Meaning: Rösti is a potato pancake prepared without eggs, sometimes with additional ingredients such as onions, herbs, cheese or ham.
Rösti is a well-known Swiss dish made by grating potatoes and cooking them in a pan until the outside becomes crisp and golden. The inside should remain tender. Depending on the recipe, the potatoes may be cooked before grating or prepared from raw potatoes.
Although it can accompany lunch or dinner, rösti is also associated with traditional Swiss breakfasts.
Word origin: The term comes from German and Swiss German. Its longer Swiss German form, Härdöpfelrööschti, refers to potatoes cooked in a pan.
Example: The restaurant served crispy rösti with sautéed vegetables and a fresh herb sauce.
9. Paneer: A Popular Indian Fresh Cheese
Meaning: Paneer is a soft, white, unripened cheese made from cow’s or buffalo’s milk and commonly cut into cubes for cooking.
Paneer is widely used in Indian cuisine, particularly in vegetarian dishes. It is generally prepared by curdling heated milk with an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice, and separating the curds from the whey. The curds are then drained and pressed until they become firm.
Unlike many aged cheeses, paneer is typically eaten fresh. It holds its shape during cooking, making it suitable for curries, grilled dishes, stir-fries and snacks.
Popular preparations include palak paneer, paneer tikka, matar paneer and shahi paneer.
Word origin: Paneer comes from panīr, a word used in Hindi and Urdu for cheese.
Example: The restaurant served paneer cubes in a creamy tomato-based curry with aromatic spices.
10. Chili Crisp: A Spicy, Crunchy Condiment
Meaning: Chili crisp is a condiment made primarily from oil and fried chili peppers, often combined with crunchy ingredients such as garlic, onions and other aromatics.
Chili crisp provides both heat and texture. Unlike a smooth hot sauce, it typically contains visible pieces of fried ingredients suspended in flavorful oil.
It can be added to noodles, fried rice, eggs, dumplings, vegetables and soups. Some varieties also include fermented beans, sesame seeds or other seasonings, depending on the producer and regional influences.
The condiment has gained international popularity as cooks seek quick ways to add spicy, savory and crunchy elements to everyday meals.
Word origin: The phrase chili crisp, also written chile crisp, describes the condiment’s principal ingredient and crunchy texture. Its recorded use in English dates back to 1989.
Example: She added a spoonful of chili crisp to her noodles for extra heat and crunch.
11. Monkey Bread: A Pull-Apart Bread or Cake
Meaning: Monkey bread is a bread or cake made from small pieces of dough coated in sweet or savory ingredients and baked together.
Sweet monkey bread commonly features cinnamon, sugar and butter. Some recipes include nuts, fruit or other flavorings. Savory versions may use cheese, herbs and garlic.
The small pieces are pressed together in a baking pan so that the finished dish can be pulled apart by hand. This makes monkey bread particularly suitable for sharing at breakfasts, parties and family gatherings.
Word origin: The name refers to the way people pull off and eat individual pieces with their fingers, a behavior associated with monkeys.
Example: The family shared warm monkey bread coated with cinnamon sugar at breakfast.
12. Toum: A Creamy Middle Eastern Garlic Sauce
Meaning: Toum is a Levantine sauce made chiefly by emulsifying oil with garlic, salt and lemon juice.
Toum is especially popular in Lebanese and other Middle Eastern cuisines. Although it can resemble mayonnaise in appearance and texture, traditional toum generally does not require eggs. Instead, garlic and oil are carefully blended to create a thick, fluffy emulsion.
Its strong garlic flavor makes it a popular accompaniment to grilled chicken, shawarma, falafel, sandwiches, roasted vegetables and potatoes.
Word origin: Toum comes through French from the Arabic word thūm, meaning “garlic.”
Example: The grilled chicken was served with a generous portion of fluffy toum.
13. Albóndiga: A Meatball in Spanish Cuisine
Meaning: Albóndiga means “meatball” in Spanish. The English spelling is also commonly written without the accent as albondiga.
Albóndigas are found in Spanish-speaking culinary traditions, including Spanish and Mexican cooking. They are commonly made from ground meat mixed with seasonings and sometimes breadcrumbs, rice, herbs or other ingredients.
They may be served in tomato-based sauces, broths or soups. Some regional recipes also use fish or shrimp instead of conventional meat, demonstrating how the dish can be adapted to local ingredients.
Word origin: Spanish albóndiga came from Andalusian Arabic al bunduqa, meaning a small ball or hazelnut. The Arabic term has a deeper connection to Greek terminology referring to a nut from the Black Sea region.
Example: The cook prepared albóndigas in a rich tomato sauce with fresh herbs.
14. Huitlacoche: A Mexican Corn Delicacy
Meaning: Huitlacoche is corn infected by a fungus that causes corn smut. The infected kernels are harvested and eaten as a delicacy, particularly in Mexican cuisine.
The fungus, scientifically known as Ustilago maydis (also classified under the name Mycosarcoma maydis), transforms the affected kernels into swollen, dark growths.
Although the condition is considered a crop disease in many agricultural settings, the infected corn is deliberately harvested for food in Mexico. Huitlacoche has an earthy, savory flavor that is often compared with mushrooms, with distinctive mineral and umami notes.
It can be used in quesadillas, tacos, soups, sauces and other dishes. It is sometimes called Mexican truffle, although it is a fungus growing on corn rather than a true truffle.
Word origin: Huitlacoche entered English through Mexican Spanish from the Nahuatl language, spoken historically by Indigenous peoples of Mexico.
Example: The chef filled the tortillas with huitlacoche, cheese and fresh herbs.
15. Karaage: Japanese-Style Fried Food
Meaning: Karaage is a Japanese cooking style in which ingredients, often chicken, are seasoned or marinated, coated with flour or starch and deep-fried.
Chicken karaage is particularly popular because it can have a crisp exterior and a juicy interior. The marinade commonly includes soy sauce, ginger, garlic and other seasonings, although recipes differ.
Karaage can also be prepared using fish and vegetables. It is often served as a side dish, snack or component of a Japanese meal.
Karaage differs from tempura, which typically uses a light batter. Karaage generally relies on a coating of flour or starch rather than a conventional liquid batter.
Word origin: Karaage is borrowed from Japanese. The term is associated with a cooking technique involving frying without a traditional batter.
Example: The restaurant served chicken karaage with a lemon wedge and a spicy dipping sauce.
16. Shishito: A Mild East Asian Chili Pepper
Meaning: A shishito is a slender chili pepper from East Asia that is usually harvested while still green and is generally mild.
Shishito peppers have thin skins and a delicate flavor that can be sweet, grassy, smoky or slightly citrusy. They are often cooked quickly in a hot pan or grilled until blistered, then finished with salt, citrus or other seasonings.
One unusual feature is that a small proportion of shishito peppers can be unexpectedly hot. Consequently, a serving that is generally mild may occasionally contain a pepper with a stronger kick.
Word origin: Shishito comes from the Japanese shishitō, a shortened form of shishitōgarashi. The name combines words associated with a lion and a chili pepper, referring to the shape of the pepper’s tip.
Example: The chef blistered shishito peppers in a hot pan and seasoned them with sea salt.
Why Are New Food Words Added to Dictionaries?
Dictionaries record how people use language in real life. When a food becomes familiar in restaurants, cookbooks, newspapers, food blogs and everyday conversations, its name may become established enough to merit a dictionary entry.
Several factors help explain the growing range of international food vocabulary.
1. Globalization of food culture
People increasingly encounter dishes from different countries through travel, immigration, restaurants and international food markets. Words such as bao, paneer and karaage allow people to identify specific foods more accurately than generic descriptions.
2. Growth of food media
Cooking programs, recipe websites, restaurant reviews and social media introduce ingredients and techniques to wider audiences. A previously unfamiliar term can become part of everyday vocabulary when a dish gains popularity.
3. Greater interest in traditional cuisines
Many consumers want to understand the authentic names, ingredients and origins of regional dishes. Retaining the original word can preserve cultural meaning and distinguish one preparation from another.
4. Changes in eating habits
Interest in new flavors, specialty ingredients, plant-based meals and international cooking encourages people to learn additional culinary terms. Food businesses also use specific names to describe products and cooking methods.
5. English borrowing words from other languages
English has a long history of adopting words from languages around the world. The examples in this list reflect influences from Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Nahuatl.
A word’s inclusion in a dictionary does not necessarily mean the food itself is new. Many of these dishes have existed for generations or centuries. The development is that their names have become sufficiently established in English to be recorded in a dictionary.
Summary: All 16 Food Words and Their Meanings
| No. | Food word | Meaning | Culinary origin or association |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chermoula | Herb-and-spice sauce or marinade | North Africa |
| 2 | Dunkel | Dark lager beer | Germany |
| 3 | Speculoos | Crisp, spiced cookie | Belgium and the Netherlands |
| 4 | Bao | Soft bun, often filled | China |
| 5 | Gose | Tart beer traditionally brewed with wheat, coriander and salt | Germany |
| 6 | Lumache | Snail-shaped pasta | Italy |
| 7 | Palmier | Crisp, folded puff pastry | France |
| 8 | Rösti | Potato pancake | Switzerland |
| 9 | Paneer | Fresh, unripened cheese | India |
| 10 | Chili crisp | Crunchy chili-and-oil condiment | Associated with Chinese-inspired condiment traditions |
| 11 | Monkey bread | Pull-apart bread or cake | American baking tradition |
| 12 | Toum | Garlic-and-oil sauce | Levant |
| 13 | Albóndiga | Meatball | Spanish-speaking culinary traditions |
| 14 | Huitlacoche | Fungus-infected corn eaten as a delicacy | Mexico |
| 15 | Karaage | Seasoned, starch-coated fried food | Japan |
| 16 | Shishito | Usually mild green chili pepper | East Asia, especially Japan |
Conclusion
These 16 food words illustrate the relationship between language, culinary traditions and cultural exchange. From the creamy texture of paneer and toum to the crispness of speculoos, palmier and karaage, each term identifies a distinctive ingredient, dish or preparation.
Their dictionary recognition also highlights an important point about language: words do not need to originate in English to become part of it. As people discover new cuisines and share traditional recipes across borders, the vocabulary used to describe food continues to expand.
Learning these words helps readers understand menus, explore unfamiliar dishes and appreciate the cultural histories behind the foods they eat.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the 16 food words recently added to the dictionary?
The 16 words are chermoula, dunkel, speculoos, bao, gose, lumache, palmier, rösti, paneer, chili crisp, monkey bread, toum, albóndiga, huitlacoche, karaage and shishito.
2. What does paneer mean?
Paneer is a soft, white, fresh cheese made from cow’s or buffalo’s milk. It is widely used in Indian dishes such as palak paneer, matar paneer and paneer tikka.
3. What is bao in Chinese cuisine?
Bao is a soft bun that is often filled with meat, vegetables or sweet ingredients. It is commonly steamed, although some varieties are baked.
4. What is chermoula sauce made of?
Chermoula is a North African sauce or marinade typically made with parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and spices such as cumin and paprika.
5. What is huitlacoche, and why is it eaten?
Huitlacoche is corn infected by a fungus known as Ustilago maydis. It is considered a delicacy in Mexican cuisine and is valued for its earthy, savory flavor.
6. What is karaage in Japanese cooking?
Karaage is a Japanese cooking technique in which ingredients, especially chicken, are seasoned, coated with flour or starch and deep-fried.
7. What is toum sauce?
Toum is a traditional Levantine garlic sauce made primarily from garlic, oil, salt and lemon juice. It is commonly served with grilled chicken, shawarma and other dishes.
8. What is chili crisp?
Chili crisp is a spicy, crunchy condiment made with oil, fried chili peppers and ingredients such as garlic or onions. It is often added to noodles, rice, eggs and vegetables.
9. What is the meaning of rösti?
Rösti is a Swiss potato dish prepared by cooking grated potatoes in a pan until the outside becomes golden and crispy while the inside remains tender.
10. What is speculoos?
Speculoos is a crisp cookie made with brown sugar and spices, commonly including cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. It is also used to make cookie butter and dessert crusts.
11. What is the difference between dunkel and gose?
Dunkel is a dark lager beer with a typically malty, slightly sweet flavor. Gose is a tart beer traditionally made with malted wheat, coriander and salt.
12. What is lumache pasta?
Lumache is Italian pasta shaped like a snail’s shell. Its curved, hollow form helps hold sauces and makes it suitable for baked pasta dishes.
13. Why is monkey bread called monkey bread?
Monkey bread gets its name from the way people pull apart and eat its small pieces by hand. It is commonly made with dough coated in cinnamon, sugar and butter.
14. What is a shishito pepper?
A shishito is a slender East Asian chili pepper, usually harvested green. It is generally mild, although an occasional pepper can be unexpectedly spicy.
15. What is a palmier pastry?
A palmier is a thin, crisp pastry made from folded puff pastry and usually sprinkled with sugar before baking. Its shape resembles a palm leaf or heart.
16. Why are international food words added to English dictionaries?
Food words enter dictionaries when evidence shows that people increasingly use them in English. International travel, restaurants, cookbooks, food media and cultural exchange all contribute to the adoption of culinary vocabulary.
17. Does being added to a dictionary mean that a food is new?
No. Many foods in this list have existed for centuries. A dictionary entry records the word’s established use in English; it does not necessarily indicate that the food itself was recently invented.