Spanish Food Terminology

A common complaint among foreign exchange students in Latin America is the huge quantity of starch in their new diets. Don’t plan to travel here without gaining a few pounds! Serving sizes can be intimidating first (even for Americans), but after a few months of adjustment your stomach will rumble in protest if you forgo eating a huge plate of rice and beans for lunch.

Corn – Maiz (mah-eez)

Rice – Arroz (ah-roz)

Beans – Frijol (free-hol) or Fréjol (frey-hol)

Flour – Harina (ah-ree-nah)

Lentils – Lenteja (len-tay-hah)

Potato – Papa (pah-pah)