German food vocabulary: Essential words for German learners

Food is not only an essential part of our everyday life — it’s also an important aspect of our language. As a German-language learner, being able to converse about food in German helps you navigate mundane tasks like going to the supermarket. But it also opens new and perhaps unexpected doors to German culture itself.

Two young women enjoying German food together

In the following guide, we’ve compiled the most important German food vocabulary. You’ll learn basic phrases about food in German, as well as in-depth vocabulary about German food items. Are you feeling hungry already? Let’s talk food in German!

Common German words for “food”
Basic German food vocabulary
German cuisine essentials
How to talk about food in German
Unique linguistic quirks about food in German
Practical tips for learning German food vocabulary

Common German words for ‘food’

Before we can start talking about bratwurst, pretzels and other yummy dishes, it’s important to know the German words used to describe food in general. You’ll probably hear people use different expressions for food, depending on the context. Common German words for food include das Essen, die Speise, die Mahlzeit and die Lebensmittel.

Here’s how to differentiate between them and how to use them in conversations:

Word	Meaning	How to use it	Examples
das Essen	Food, meal, dish	You can use das Essen as an umbrella term for every dish, meal and prepared or unprepared item of food.	Hat dir das Essen geschmeckt? (Did you like the food?) Welches Essen magst du am liebsten? (What is your favourite food/dish?) Es gibt jetzt Essen. (The meal is ready now.)
das Gericht	dish	Das Gericht is commonly used for prepared food. Look out for the context on this one, because the word can also mean “court” in German.	Sie haben viele Gerichte zur Auswahl. (They have many dishes to choose from.) Welches Gericht wirst du bestellen? (Which dish are you going to order?)
die Speise	dish	Die Speise is used for food that has already been prepared, such as snacks or full meals. Although you’ll hear people use Speise sometimes, it sounds very formal and is a more traditional term for food.	Diese Speise ist zu salzig. (This dish is too salty.)
die Mahlzeit	meal, dish, mealtime, repast	When someone talks about a Mahlzeit, they’re referring to one of the (typically three) meals of the day: breakfast, lunch or dinner. In southern Germany, people will also use “Mahlzeit!” to wish others a good meal.	Hast du heute eine Mahlzeit ausgelassen? (Did you miss one of the meals today?) Frühstück, Mittagessen und Abendessen sind Mahlzeiten. (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are mealtimes.) Sie bieten verschiedene Mahlzeiten an. (They offer different meals.)
die Lebensmittel	groceries	When someone talks about Lebensmittel, they’re usually referring to groceries or food items. The expression is mostly used to refer to more than one item of food.	Wir müssen Lebensmittel einkaufen gehen. (We have to go buy groceries.) Welche Lebensmittel brauchen wir? (What kind of groceries do we need?)
die Nahrung	Nourishment, nutrition	This word is mostly used in a scientific or nutritional context.	Gras ist Nahrung für Kühe. (Gras is nutrition for cows.)
der Proviant	Supplies, i.e. food you pack for a hike or on the way	The expression is still used, but mostly in the context of hiking. Sometimes, it’s referred to jokingly — if you’re packing a sandwich for a five-minute walk, for example.	Wir müssen noch Proviant besorgen. (We still have to get supplies.)
das Mahl	meal	This word sounds a bit antiquated and it’s not really used in everyday life. You’d more commonly see das Essen.	Das war ein gutes Mahl. (That was a good meal.)

German food vocabulary can differ depending on the region, so it helps to learn German from someone who’s from or lives in the region you want to explore At Lingoda, you can learn German from native-level speakers who know all about these different language varieties and cultural differences.

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Basic German food vocabulary

Let’s start with the basic words and phrases you need to know to talk about food in German. Think about it as ordering the starter for your language meal.

Basic words and phrases

Let’s go to a restaurant together! Here are the basic words you need to know to order food in German:

das Essen	the food
die Speisekarte	the menu
das Getränk	the drink
das Gericht	the dish
etwas zu essen	something to eat
der Snack	the snack
der Hunger	the hunger
der Durst	the thirst
das Restaurant	the restaurant
der Supermarkt	the supermarket
das Lebensmittelgeschäft	the grocery
der Geschmack	the taste
Guten Appetit!	Enjoy your meal!
Ich hätte gern…	I’d like to have…

Foods and ingredients

If you want to go shopping, you’ll need to know how to talk about German food items. In the following, we’ve listed the most common recipe ingredients — from fruits and vegetables to proteins and starches.

Fruits in German

die Früchte	the fruits
der Apfel	the apple
die Banane	the banana
die Birne	the pear
die Zitrone	the lemon
die Limone	the lime
die Trauben	the grapes
die Aprikose	the apricot
die Kiwi	the kiwi
die Ananas	the pineapple
die Erdbeere	the strawberry
die Blaubeere	the blueberry
die Brombeere	the blackberry
die Himbeere	the raspberry
die Orange	the orange
die Zwetschke	the plum
die Melone	the melon
der Pfirsich	the peach

German vegetables

das Gemüse	the vegetables
die Gurke	the cucumber
der Salat	the salad
die Tomate	the tomato
die Paprika	the bell pepper
die Zucchini	the zucchini
die Aubergine	the eggplant
die Karotte/die Möhre	the carrot
der Sellerie	the celery
die Bohne	the bean
der Blumenkohl	the cauliflower
der Brokkoli	the broccoli
der Rosenkohl	the sprout
der Spinat	the spinach
der Lauch	the leek
die Erbse	the pea
der Kürbis	the pumpkin

Proteins in German: Meats, fish and vegan/vegetarian alternatives

das Fleisch	the meat
der Fisch	the fish
die Pute	the turkey
das Huhn	the chicken
das Rindfleisch	the beef
das Schweinefleisch	the pork
das Steak	the steak
die Wurst/das Würstchen	the sausage
das Hackfleisch	the ground meat
das Schnitzel	the schnitzel
das Filet	the filet
die Garnele	the prawn
der Tintenfisch	the squid
die Forelle	the trout
der Dorsch	the cod
der Hummer	the lobster
die Muscheln	the mussel
das Tofu	the tofu
das Seitan	the seitan
das Tempeh	the tempeh
das Fleischersatzprodukt	the meat substitute

Grains and starches in German

das Getreide	the grain
der Reis	the rice
die Nudeln	the pasta
das Brot	the bread
der Mais	the corn
der Couscous	the couscous
der Quinoa	the quinoa
der Roggen	the rye
der Weizen	the wheat
die Haferflocken	the oats
die Linsen	the lentils
die Kichererbsen	the chickpeas
die Bohnen	the beans
die Gerste	the barley

Beverages in German

The most famous German drink? Beer, of course! However, as you can’t survive on beer alone, we’ve listed a few more to help you stay hydrated. Prost!

das Getränk	the drink
das Wasser	the water
der Kaffee	the coffee
der Tee	the tea
die heiße Schokolade	the hot chocolate
der Saft	the juice
die Saftschorle	Mixture of fruit juice and (usually sparkling) water
die Limonade	the lemonade
die Cola	the cola
der Wein	the wine
das Bier	the beer
der Schnaps	the hard liquor

German cuisine essentials

Now that we’ve learned the different names for foods and ingredients in German, we can move on to German cuisine. From Bratwurst to Kartoffelpuffer and Brezeln, it’s time to go to a German restaurant and try our top German dishes!

Vocabulary for iconic German dishes

die Bratwurst	the bratwurst (a grilled sausage)
das Schnitzel	the cutlet (breaded and fried meat)
die Kartoffelpuffer	the potato pancakes
die Maultaschen	a kind of pasta stuffed with meat and vegetables
der Stollen	the fruitcake
der Kaiserschmarrn	cut-up and sugared pancakes with raisins (often enjoyed with applesauce)
der Krapfen/Berliner/Kreppel	doughnut with different fillings, like jelly or vanilla pudding
die Brezel	the (soft) pretzel
der Senf	the mustard
der Schweinebraten	the roast pork
die Schweinshaxe	the knuckle of pork
die Knödel	the dumplings (made from potatoes or stale bread)
die Currywurst	the sausage (topped with curry ketchup)
die Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte	the Black Forest cherry tart
die Spätzle	spaetzle (traditional German food from the South, made by boiling small lumps of dough)
die Käsepätzle	spaetzle with melted cheese and onions
der Leberkäse	a type of meatloaf popular in Germany and Austria, often enjoyed in a roll

Typical German mealtimes

Typically, three meals are eaten throughout the day in Germany. Even though a lot of Germans have moved away from the traditional mealtimes and not everyone follows a strict routine, for many, a day would be structured as follows:

Breakfast around 8–9 a.m.
Lunch at 12 p.m.
Dinner around 6 p.m.

German breakfast is usually cold and consists of bread, muesli and, if you’re feeling fancy, an egg. Lunch used to be the big meal of the day and was served hot, but this has changed for many people due to their work schedules. These days, many working Germans simply grab something small like a sandwich or a salad at noon and eat something warm in the evening when there’s enough time to cook or go to a restaurant.

das Frühstück	the breakfast
das Mittagessen	the lunch
das Abendessen	the dinner
die Zwischenmahlzeit/der Snack	the snack

How to talk about food in German

Being able to talk about the taste and texture of food is important. How else are you supposed to express how delicious the cake at the small bakery around the corner really is?

Describing taste and preferences

der Geschmack	the taste
schmecken	to taste
süß	sweet
sauer	sour
salzig	salty
bitter	bitter
umami	umami
scharf	hot
herzhaft	hearty
fruchtig	fruity
würzig	savoury
säuerlich	slightly sour
süßlich	slightly sweet

Food also makes for great small talk when you’re meeting German speakers. These are the most important phrases about taste that you need to know:

Das schmeckt gut!	That tastes good!
Was isst du gern?	What do you like to eat?
Ich mag am liebsten…	I like … the most.
Was ist dein Lieblingsessen?	What is your favorite meal?
Das ist lecker!	That’s tasty!
Das ist köstlich!	That’s delicious!

Unique linguistic quirks about food in German

If you’ve already spent some time in a German-speaking country, you may have witnessed a dispute between people from different German regions about the correct name of a food item. A famous example: the doughnuts often served at Carnival, which are called Kreppel in Hessen, Krapfen in the South, Pfannkuchen in Berlin and Berliner in the West.

As you might know, German is famous for its compound nouns, i.e. long words consisting of numerous nouns. One food-related compound noun is Lebensmittelgeschäft (grocery shop) which would simply be “grocery” in English. Another common one is Speisekarte (meal card), which translates to “menu.”

Practical tips for learning German food vocabulary

There’s a lot of great German food to choose from, and even more words to describe it.

The best way to learn German food vocabulary is to use flashcards. Try to practice a few minutes each day. Continuity goes a long way when you’re trying to learn a new language, and you don’t always have to invest hours to make progress. A great way to make it easier to remember the words is to incorporate visual images into your flashcards.

Most importantly, you should try to actively use the words you’ve learned. While mustering up the courage to speak can be hard, especially for beginners, it’s necessary if you want to be able to use your knowledge in the real world.

Training in a safe environment can help you on your way to mastering German. That’s why language classes at Lingoda focus on speaking German. In small groups, you’ll get enough time to practice at your own pace and ask questions.

Also, actually trying the food you’re learning about will make a real difference. Who said that learning vocabulary can’t be a great experience for your taste buds as well?

Learning about food in German: Vocabulary practice as your daily bread

If you want to learn about food in German, starting with the basics is the best way to go about it. There’s always something new to discover when it comes to food, but in order to remember all the vocabulary about German food items and phrases around food, repetition is necessary. The good news is that practicing vocabulary for just a few minutes each day can make a huge difference.

When learning a new language, it’s important to use the words you’ve learned, so as not to forget them or freeze in the midst of a real-life conversation. Practicing in a small group in a German course at Lingoda can help you get comfortable speaking German. As the classes are available 24/7, you can easily find time to learn German online when it fits your schedule.

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Lea Hauke

Lea is a writer and translator for English and German and lives in Austria. Her love for literature is only met by her enthusiasm for music. During her studies in Berlin, she started writing for different music magazines and was the singer and drummer of a punk band. When she completed her Masters in English Literature, she moved to Tyrol, where she started her own business. Since then she has made it her mission to help others to find the right words for their ideas and projects. You can find more information about her on her website and on LinkedIn.