Blog

Portuguese Vocabulary – Let’s Talk About Food in Portuguese | Lesson 3

Monday June 18th, 2018
Posted by: Guest
Category: Learn the Portuguese Language and Portuguese Grammar

Brazilians really like to eat good food. So, it is important for you to learn the basic words to talk about food in Portuguese, such as the main meals of the day, vegetables, and fruits.

The three main meals are café da manhã (breakfast), almoço (lunch) and jantar (dinner).

We also call lanche the quick snack we eat between the main meals.

Table of Contents

Some food in Portuguese:

Breakfast:

pão (bread)
manteiga (butter)
margarina (margarine)

queijo (cheese)
presunto (ham)
requeijão ( Brazilian cream cheese)

ovo (egg)
ovo mexido (scrambled eggs)
geleia (jam)

torrada (toast)
misto quente (grilled cheese)
café (coffee)

leite (milk)
açúcar (sugar)
frutas (fruits)

salada de frutas (fruit salad)

Some fruits in Portuguese:

laranja (orange)
maçã (apple)

banana (banana)
mamão (papaya)
melancia (watermelon)

melão (melon)
abacaxi (pineapple)
morango (strawberry)

uva (grape)
abacate (avocado)
manga (mango)

goiaba (guava)
ameixa (plum)
caju (cashew)

maracujá (passion fruit)
acerola (acerola cherry)
pera (pear)

coco (coconut)
pêssego (peach)
tangerina (tangerine)

limão (lime)
açaí (açai berry)

► The açaí berry is a native fruit from the Amazon forest. It is an important ingredient for the daily diet for the people in the North and Northeast of Brazil. During the ’80s and ’90s, the acaí berry became popular all around Brazil. Açaí is a small fruit, rounded and dark-colored (between purple and black).

Lunch:

feijão (beans)

arroz (rice)
massa (pasta)
frango (chicken)

frango assado (roasted chicken)
frango frito (fried chicken)
carne (beef)

carne assada (roasted beef)
peixe (fish)
batata (potato)

batata frita (french fries)
vegetais (vegetables)
farofa (farofa)

► Farofa is a side dish made from cassava flour or poached or roasted cornmeal, usually fried with fat or butter. It is a very typical dish in Brazil, in which we can still add other ingredients, such as sausage, eggs, bacon, onions, etc. It is served as a side dish for main dishes and is also typically served with barbecues.

Dinner:

Many people eat the same food they had for lunch as dinner; others eat sandwiches or have soups. People that are into fitness often prefer something lighter to eat at night.

Snack:

During snack time it is common to eat sandwiches, fruits, cakes, juices, soft drinks, “salgados“, dessert, coffee, yogurt, chocolate milk, and other things. We call Lanche anything we eat between the main meals.

Some vegetables and spices:

alface (lettuce)
couve-flor (cauliflower)

espinafre (spinach)
vagem (green beans)
brócolis (broccoli)

repolho (cabbage)
cenoura (carrot)
beterraba (beet)

cebola (onion)
cebolinha (scallion)
alho (garlic)

salsa (parsley)
coentro (coriander)
pimentão (pepper)

pimenta (chilli pepper)
sal (salt)
azeite (olive oil)

vinagre (vinegar)

► Brazilians use onions and garlic a lot during the preparation of most of their meals.

Some drinks in Portuguese:

água (water)

cerveja (beer)
caipirinha (caipirinha)
refrigerantes (soft drinks)

refrescos (refreshment)
sucos (fruit juices)
chá (tea)

mate (yerba mate tea)

► Guaraná is a very popular soft drink in Brazil.

Some deserts in Portuguese:

chocolate (chocolate)
sorvete (ice cream)
bolo (cake)

torta (pie)
pudim (pudding)
brigadeiro (brigadeiro)

frutas (fruits)

Homework:

1- Complete:

a) No café da manhã, eu gosto de comer __________________.

b) Sempre bebo _________________.

c) Gosto de beber _________________ no almoço.

d) Quando vou para restaurantes, eu como _________________.

2- Create a menu for a dinner with a friend:

Para comer: __________________

Para beber: ________________

Como sobremesa: _______________________

3- Answer:

a) Qual é sua comida favorita?
b) Qual é sua bebida favorita?
c) Qual é sua sobremesa favorita?
d) Quais são os pratos típicos do seu país?
e) Que tipo de comida você não come?
f) Você prefere comer em casa ou em um restaurante?
g) Qual é sua opinião sobre a comida brasileira?
h) Você gosta de cozinhar? Qual é sua especialidade na cozinha?

If you have enjoyed learning about food in Portuguese, check this link for other Portuguese lessons.