Describing Foods - A Masterlist
As a broke university student, I love reading about food. It’s almost like eating a real meal myself <3.
I get a little angry when characters are eating a meal and I barely get to experience it with them. In that, I mean I don’t just want to know what it is, but what it’s like to eat that food—how it tastes, smells, sounds, and feels. Is a perfect croissant still a perfect croissant without the crack of the exterior, the airiness of the pastry inside, the smell of yeast?
Probably not. When writing about a dish, the smell, texture, technique, taste, and how it looks are all important to painting the experience, so here’s some words to use when describing a meal:
Taste:
Acidic: Sharp tasting. Often used to describe tart or sour foods as well.
Aftertaste: A different taste that remains in the mouth after eating something
Bitter: Tart, sharp, and sometimes harsh flavour.
Bittersweet: Less harsh than bitterness. Tartness + sweetness.
Bland: Has no significant flavor or texture
Briny: Just means salty. Often describes pickled foods.
Citrusy: Bright flavour like… well citrus fruits—oranges, lemons, limes, etc.
Cooling: Mimics that cooling feel—like mint.
Earthy: Reminiscent of soil. Can be used to describe wines, root vegetables, and mushrooms.
Fiery: Another word for spicy.
Fresh: Light and crisp—describes produce or herbs.
Fruity: Sweet and reminiscent of fruit.
Full-bodied: Rich and ‘feels heavy’ in your mouth. Can describe wines or soups.
Herbal: Bright, fresh, sometimes earthy from the presence of herbs
Honeyed: Sweet or candied taste like honey.
Nutty: Taste similar to the flavors of nuts. Often used to describe certain cheeses.
Rich: Full, heavy flavour. Often dishes that contain cream taste rich.
Robust: Rich + Earthy. Used for lots of wines or aged liquor.
Savory: Describes meaty, earthy dishes and soups.
Sharp: Harsh, bitter, or tart taste. Used to describe acidic foods.
Smoky: Reminiscent of the smell of smoke.
Sour: Biting, tangy, tart flavor.
Spicy: Burning taste.
Sweet: Sugary.
Tangy: Tart, biting taste—feels tingly
Tart: Sharp, bitter, or sour flavour. Used to describe acidic foods.
Woody: Earthy, sometimes nutty taste. Describes some coffees or cheeses.
Yeasty: Earthy taste reminiscent of yeast. Describes beer and bread.
Zesty: Fresh, vivid, or invigorating flavour.
Sound/Texture:
Sound has a lot to do with texture, so I've combined them for this section!
Airy: Light, pillowy texture (think inside of croissant)
Brittle: Hard but easy to break
Bubbly: Usually during heating, when bubbles rise to the surface—low sound.
Buttery: Smooth, creamy texture (think certain pasta sauces)
Chewy: Food that needs to be chewed thoroughly. Can be light and bouncy (chewy bread) or heavy (steak) and sticky (candy)
Creamy: A smooth and rich texture, comes from dairy.
Crispy: Light texture with slight crunch.
Crumbly: Food with loose structure that falls apart into crumbs.
Crunchy: Firm, crisp texture with a sharp, loud noise.
Crusty (behave): Food with a hard outer layer and soft interior (many loaves and breads)
Delicate: Light and fine, feels like it can come apart easily.
Doughy: Soft and heavy, usually pale colouring.
Fizzy: Usually liquids—a hissing sound, feels like ‘static’
Flaky: Light, characterized by layers that come apart during eating.
Fluffy: light and airy.
Frothy/Foamy: Airy bubbles, usually in a drink like a latte.
Gamey: Usually refers to meats when they’re very “meaty”
Gooey: Viscous, sometimes sticky texture from moisture in a dense/solid food.
Hearty: Firm, robust texture.
Juicy: Tender and succulent texture from liquid in a solid food (steak)
Molten: Hot, gooey
Oily: Slick, heavy, lingers on the tongue.
Silky: Fine, smooth texture that feels sleek.
Smooth: Texture free of grit, lumps, or edges.
Snap: A quick, sharp, crackling sound when broken.
Squelch: A soft sucking sound when pressure is applied. Somewhat gross.
Sticky: Gluiness in the mouth.
Succulent: Tender and juicy
Tender: Soft and easy to break down
Velvety: Smooth and rich
Smell:
Acrid: Strong, bitter, unpleasant
Comforting: pleasant, probably calls back to a nice memory
Damp: Wet smelling—probably a bit earthy
Delicate: subtle, faint, not overpowering
Earthy: reminiscent of soil
Fetid: Caused by decay—unpleasant
Fishy: reminiscent of fish
Floral/flowery: Reminiscent of flowers
Fragrant: Sweet or pleasing
Fresh: Cool, crisp, refreshing—produce, probably not cooked
Funky: Something’s gone off
Heady: Strong smell, pungent, rich
Musty: Not fresh
Perfumed: Pleasant, reminiscent of something (can be perfumed with citrus, say)
Piquant: stinging, pungent—tickles the nose
Powerful: strong
Rancid: Definitely gone off, decomposing
Ripe: Strong, usually unpleasant smell
Savory: spicy, salty, no elements of sweetness
Sour: has gone off
Spicy: Sharp, tingles the nose
Tangy: Strong and bitter but in a good way
Tart: Sharp
Woody: earthy smell, reminiscent of wood
Sight:
Usually texture gives us a really good picture of what a food looks like, so here’s some non-texture sight additions:
Blistered: Bumpy exterior.
Caramelized: Usually golden brown
Cloudy: Splotched. Almost see through if not for a slight white or grey mist.
Colourful: Bright and vibrant
Glassy: Resembling glass
Glossy: Smooth, shiny
Marbled: Two colours intertwined
Opaque: Not transparent. Can’t see through.
Ripe: Colourful (can be to a fault). Nearing the end of its edible state.
Scaly: Covered in scales, fish.
Shiny: Appears wet or glossy
Sparkling: Glimmers under the light
Stuffed: An ingredient placed inside a larger part with no additional space.
Translucent: Allows light through
Vibrant: Striking, bright
Food Prep:
How the food is prepared gives it these other attributes. If your character is familiar with cooking (or is the cook themselves!) they may describe food this way.
Baked: Cooked in an oven. Results in browned or crispy outer layer.
Blackened: When food is dipped in butter and coated with spices then cooked in a hot pan—spices darken, making it appear ‘blackened’
Blanched: Food scalded in boiling water and moved to cold water so it stops cooking. Texture comes out soft.
Braised: Food that is briefly fried in fat and then stewed in a pot. Results in seared, crispy exterior with a tender interior.
Breaded: Coated with breadcrumbs/batter then baked or fried so it turns crispy
Broiled: Food cooked with intense radiant heat in an oven or on the grill. Results in a darkened appearance and crispy texture.
Caramelized: Food slow-cooked until it’s browned, nutty, and has a bit of sweetness.
Charred: Grilled, roasted, or broiled and gains a blackened exterior and smoky flavor.
Fermented: Food that’s sat with bacteria, yeast, or another microorganism and has produced acids, alcohols, or gases. Results in a biting, pungent flavor. (Kimchi is fermented)
Fried: Food cooked by submerging in hot oil. Creates crispy, crunchy texture and golden colour.
Glazed: Food with a coating brushed onto its surface. Appears glossy with a thin, flavorful, and crisp outer layer.
Infused: Food steeped in liquid with another ingredient so it carries the essence of that ingredient. Used with herbs usually.
Marinated: Usually meat soaked in liquid containing flavourful herbs, spices, vinegar, or oil.
Poached: Food cooked in near boiling water. Results in tender, moist texture.
Roasted: Food cooked with dry heat in an oven or over the fire. Results in browned exterior and crisp coating.
Sautéed: Food cooked quickly in small amount of fat.
Seared: Food cooked in small amount of fat until caramelized. Finished by roasting or grilling. Results in crisp exterior and tender interior.
Smoked: Food exposed to smoke from smoldering wood for a long time. Results in that distinctive smoky flavor.
Whipped: Food beaten to incorporate air. Light and fluffy.
What did I miss?
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hi can I please make an order of crème caramel, berry trifle, mango sorbet and a spicy upside down cake with a side of lemon water served by Max Verstappen please? Sorry it's a bit long tho...
bakery menu
want to submit your own order? then hit up the menu, i'd love to hear your order! and thank you to everyone who submitted orders! i am working through them!!
crème caramel ("oh. you thought you were getting away from me?" ) + berry trifle ("wrong. try again.") + mango sorbet ("you are by far the dumbest thing i've ever fucked. how did they even let you graduate?") + spicy upside down cake ( "let's play a game: don't get caught.") + lemon water (university/college au) served by max verstappen (formula one)!!
cw: smut/pwp, university au, bully!max, mean!max, semi-public sex, library sex, fwb gone horrible, dirty talk/degrading language, obsessive!max, oral sex (max receives), choking/deep throating
"where are you going, schat?" max loomed over you like a heavy cloud as he placed his hands on your hips. he held you like he owned you, and in all fairness... sometimes it felt like he did.
you thought the one time you'd try to have a one night stand that everything would go swimmingly. but you picked the wrong man on campus.
graduate student, about three years your senior. with hands like bear paws and about the same strength as one in his grip. and he held you in the middle of the library.
"you just came in and now you're turning around in leaving? surely you had something to do here today. it was close to eight in the evening, the library was next to dead. you remained silent for a moment before he added, "oh. you thought you were getting away from me? is that it, you thought you could leave before i found you?"
you swallowed and lied, "i forgot something."
he chuckled as he leaned in a little closer, "was it your panties? because i found them in my car yesterday. pink with flowers? they kept me busy all of last night when you were ignoring my texts." he held onto you a little tighter, "it's not polite to ignore me, liefje."
the issue was that you wanted a one night stand with someone outside of your little english department. so you ended up with a geography graduate student... however, after that night, max became your shadow.
"what did you do to my panties, max?"
he let go of you and turned you in his arms. he smiled at you, the kind of smile that most at the school would trip over themselves to see. but you could see something else in those blue eyes, "don't worry, i washed them when i was done." then leaned in to kiss you on the cheek.
you pulled back a little, but couldn't go far as he had you basically trapped against him. you could call for help, but the student librarian at the front desk was more occupied with her phone.
max pulled your attention back to him as he said, "why don't we study together? think of it like a date."
you'd never date someone like max. not even as his thumbs tried to push up your t-shirt a little, you managed to get away. you swallowed, you could run and hide. but, max had more eyes on the school than cameras. someone would catch a glimpse of you somewhere on campus and max would find you.
max verstappen was denied very little in his life. and he wasn't going to start of trend of not getting his way.
"so why were you running away, my love?" he asked as he pressed himself up against you. his strong arms were around you middle as he pressed you to him. he smiled was threatening and you felt a cold chill down your spine.
"i told you. i forgot something." you tried to use the last bit of fight in you. but those eyes of his were all knowing.
"wrong. try again." he said before he went in and kissed you on the cheek, "i remember our first night together. you made me feel like nothing else could. you made me feel alive. i hate when you run away from me." he kissed the corner of your lip softly, "now, why don't we study tonight."
you looked up at him. he was a bit taller than you and for sure stronger. the gaze in his eyes warmed up when you nodded, accepting his offer for studying.
see, you knew what max needed. he wanted to be closer to you, he wanted to feel you all over. he even wanted to take you out on dates and make you the center of his world. he was obsessed with you, and you just needed to see that he loved you. but that meant less struggling.
he led you into the back of the library, the furthest part with two chairs in a desk. there was no one else around for a good while. most had left for the evening. which left you alone with max.
"liefje." he said as he sat on the chair and unzipped his fly, "come here." it was a siren's call before he sank his teeth into you. before he ripped you to shreds and drag you under the waves.
you knew what you had to do, you were thankful that the pants you wore were comfy because you knew that one round, even in a semi-public space, wouldn't be enough for max. you knew another pair of your panties would end up in his car.
he watched you lower to your knees and licked his lips, you looked like a doll to him. he said quietly, "let's play a game: don't get caught." before he ran his hands through your hair.
your face was up against his cock and you shuddered a little bit. the size of it was impressive and it made your mouth water a little. this was how he trapped you. the allure of his heavy cock in your face.
with a small whine he pushed your face further against his cock and you had no choice but to take it in your mouth. but few pleasantries were made when he got the tip up against your throat. you whined a little bit, it was almost a whorish noise as you relaxed against his grasp.
mad max, mean max, whatever you wanted to call him. you felt almost at home on your knees in front of him. he was your hook up gone wrong. horribly wrong.
his voice was a curl in your brain and made you shift a little bit on the carpeted ground, "you are by far the dumbest thing i've ever fucked. how did they even let you graduate?" he knew you had to take an extra semester because you failed a course. in a slight fairness it was max's fault, he wouldn't let you go write your final exam. too busy bruising that cunt of yours well into the morning.
even if you tried to write the exam all your brain cells were gone due to how hard hew as fucking you. even now, with his cock in your throat, you felt a loss in most brain activity. no higher thinking while he was choking you on his cock.
you felt amazing around his cock, there were few words to describe how it all felt. he could feel the flutter in his chest as he rammed his cock up against your throat. and when you made a choking noise, he told you to "shut up." before he kept battering his cock up against the back of your throat.
you looked up at him, your eyes looked so innocent as he pressed his cock into your throat as deep as it would go. he still had a lot to teach you about deep throating, but for now he'd take a small pleasure in your choked noises.
"such a pretty girl." he said, "you look so good on your knees. is this how you were passing all your courses? pretty blouses and dick sucking lips." he chuckled lowly as he gripped onto your head further.
you whimpered a little bit as you held onto his strong thighs as you worked yourself onto his cock. you felt the buzz in your head as you continued to move your head.
"this is how i like you. i don't get why you don't understand that. most would kill for a chance to be in your spot. but you get it so easily." he said in a low, harsh tone.
you whined a little bit and arched your back. you felt your body splashed with heat. you trembled a little bit with a certain want. max verstappen knew how to play you like a fiddle. he knew how to take you apart and put all your pieces back together as he liked them.
"such a good girl for me. i'm glad i got a hold of you before you became a slut. now you can't cum on anyone's dick but mine." he said harshly.
in the back corner of the library you gave him head. your brain felt unfocused as he bullied the tip up against your pretty throat. he wanted to bruise it so you couldn't talk for a few days.
"no need to speak words, liefje. not when your boyfriend could do all the talking for you." he said and the words marked on your brain and made your core soaked.
"max." you tried to say with his cock in your mouth.
"shush." he said.
you looked at him once more before his grip on you started to tighten even more. he pushed his cock up against your throat once more, you knew it would be bruised come morning.
you whined and relaxed yourself enough for him to finish down your throat. he groaned and held onto you as he finished in your mouth. you tasted the saltiness down your throat. and your mind went little a blurry for a moment.
when you got your mouth off his cock, you rested your face on his thigh and looked up at him. max was almost sweet when he brushed the side of your face.
"you should be studying how to make me feel good. stupid little thing already knows enough about english." he pinched your cheeks, "be my bride."
you pouted a little, your lips glossed with spit and pre cum, "no, max."
he sighed before he gripped your hair again, "enough thinking. get on the table. i'm not done with you." max knew you inside and out, no other man on campus could compare to him. he'll teach you eventually, that his love was the only one you needed.
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