Quiz

BuzzFeed Staff

Food

Giada and Sandra Lee from Food Network preparing food with descriptions of the terms "Guilt-Free" and "Dump Recipes"

Even As A Professional Food Writer, Some Of These "Foodie Words" Make My Skin Crawl (So I Want To Know If You Agree With Me Or Not)

Do These "Foodie Words" Annoy You Or Make You Hungry?

Even As A Food Writer, Some Of These "Foodie-isms" Make My Skin CRAWL (And I Know I'm Not Alone)

Child whispering "moist" into a friend's ear.

Mary Berry eating a pastry on "Great British Bake-Off"

Once your answers are in, we'll guess how many times a week you cook, on average.

NOM: "I can't believe you've never been to that restaurant – their food is seriously _nom_!"

BETTER THAN SEX: "Not gonna lie, these brownies are the best thing I've ever tasted. Like, 100% _better than sex_."

RUSTIC: "Don't worry too much about the presentation, I love a good _rustic_ meal."

SHARE PLATES: "I'm not really hungry, honestly. Why don't we just order two or three _share plates_ and see how we feel after?"

Cathy Mitchell in an informercial for her cookbook "Dump Dinners"

DUMP RECIPES: A categorical term frequently used by recipe bloggers to describe low-effort recipes in which the sole step is dumping a variety of items into a slow cooker or baking dish.

HACK: Often used to describe lesser-known methods for making food better-tasting or easier to prepare — like thawing a frozen pizza before baking it for a crispier crust.

GUILT-FREE: "I make it with chickpea pasta, so you can pretty much eat as much as you want. It's _guilt-free_!"

Burger and fries served on a wooden plank "plate"

GASTROPUB: A restaurant with a casual, pub-like atmosphere that serves "gourmet" food and "elevated" takes on pub classics.

SUPERFOOD: "Did you know that açaí berries are actually a _superfood_? I put them in my smoothie every morning. So good for you."

MIXOLOGIST: One who deeply studies the art of crafting mixed drinks and creates cocktails with a "forward-thinking" approach.

FOOD PORN: "If you don't post a picture of that runny egg yolk, I will. Total _food porn_."

MOUTHFEEL: Used to describe the textural sensations that arise from chewing a specific dish.

Umami Bomb: A positive way to reference a dish that's loaded with _umami_, the savory "fifth taste" that translates directly to "essence of deliciousness" in Japanese.

ELEVATED: An "ordinary" dish with a modern, exciting twist; mac 'n' cheese with freshly-grated truffle, or a Thanksgiving turkey with an unexpected spice rub.

MOIST: "That roast chicken was so _moist_ I could hardly believe it. I'm definitely ordering that again!"

HANDHELDS: "What do you mean you don't see the burger on the menu? It's right there under _handhelds_!"

FOODIE: "Where should we go to dinner tonight?! I'm a _foodie_, so I'm always game to try somewhere new!"

Chef carrying a basket of vegetables at a farm

FARM-TO-TABLE: Used to describe restaurants that have direct connections to local farms for their supply of seasonal produce, most with menus that change regularly to accommodate the produce available.

CLEAN EATING: A vague term that describes a diet of minimally-processed, "healthy" foods that tend to be lower in carbohydrates and higher in foods like vegetables and lean proteins.

GOURMET: "He's such an amazing cook. Like, he doesn't cook anything if it's not _gourmet_."

SAMMIES: Literally just a sandwich.

GRASS-FED: "I'm paleo now, so I only eat meat if it's _grass-fed_. It's sooo much better for the environment, really."

ARTISANAL: "As an independently-run bakery, we pride ourselves on churning out small batches of _artisanal_ bread every day, all from our 1,000-year-old sourdough starter that's been passed down through generations."

Poke Nachos with raw tuna and tortilla chips

FUSION: "There's a new Asian-Mexican _Fusion_ place in town — everyone's raving about their Sushi Carnitas Nachos, and I'm dying to try them."

SINFUL: "These Quadruple-Fudge Salted Caramel Brownies are totally _sinful_, but they're still worth every single one of the calories."

DECONSTRUCTED: A well-known dish that's taken apart and presented in many different pieces to highlight each unique element.

UNCTUOUS: Literally means something that's oily or greasy, but commonly used to describe rich or creamy foods like a runny egg or juicy burger.

BETTER THAN TAKEOUT: Used by many bloggers in the titles of recipes that are "better" than the versions you'd normally order as takeout.

NOSH: "I'm not starving by any means, but I could certainly go for a little _nosh_ if you're down!"

Inserting a fork into a potato in a pot on the stove

FORK TENDER: "Boil the potatoes for 10-12 minutes, or until _fork tender_."

DROOL-WORTHY: "Their cacio e pepe is legitimately the most drool-worthy bowl of food I've ever seen."

ORGASMIC: TBH, no description necessary.

AIOLI: Technically just an emulsion of olive oil and garlic (popular in many Mediterranean countries), but these days, it's probably just mayo with some garlic or unexpected spices.

CRACK: "The _Crack_ Fries at that place are sooooooo addictive. I truly couldn't put them down!"

Rachel Ray in front of food with text: "Yummo!"

YUMMO: Made famous by Rachel Ray. If you know, you know.

AUTHENTIC: "I don't really like Chinese takeout — I prefer restaurants that serve _authentic_ Chinese cuisine, to be perfectly honest."

And finally, CRAFT: Implies that a given food item or beverage is "unique" in one way or another; a small-batch product or locally-made item.

Who's the chef? You're the chef. These words tend to bother you because...well, you see 'em a whole lot. Trust me: You're not alone here.

Ordering takeout? NEVER.

You don't live, breathe, eat, and sleep cooking, and that's not a bad thing. Many of these words made you cringe, but not all...and that's probably because you don't spend every waking hour in the kitchen.

You're an "order takeout once or twice a week" kind of person (and no stranger to the kitchen).

Takeout is always a winner, but you're down to experiment in the kitchen every now and then, too. These words bothered you less than most people because you don't see them as often as other folks, and TBH, you're lucky. Never change.

You'll cook something up every now and then, but most of the time, you're a takeout person.

Takeout > everything else. You actually liked a bunch of these words (or found them helpful and descriptive), and it's probably because you're not scrolling by them when you find recipes to cook every single night. To be honest, I think that's a beautiful thing. I'm proud of you.

You're a takeout-only or dine-out-frequently type of person, and TBH, that's OK.

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Even As A Professional Food Writer, Some Of These "Foodie Words" Make My Skin Crawl (So I Want To Know If You Agree With Me Or Not)

Here's how this one is going to work: For each of the words below, use the slider to tell us how you feel about it. If it's a word you feel strongly about, push it all the way to either end. If you're ambivalent, leave it in the middle.

Are there any other "foodie" words that totally bother you? Drop 'em in the comments.

Even As A Professional Food Writer, Some Of These "Foodie Words" Make My Skin Crawl (So I Want To Know If You Agree With Me Or Not)

Here's how this one is going to work: For each of the words below, use the slider to tell us how you feel about it. If it's a word you feel strongly about, push it all the way to either end. If you're ambivalent, leave it in the middle.

Are there any other "foodie" words that totally bother you? Drop 'em in the comments.

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