With a sweet tooth as big as ours, we thought we knew everything there is to know about the world of confections, sweets, and desserts. But after doing our research, we realize that we’ve probably made a fool of ourselves on more than one occasion when ordering one of the below dessert items. Listen, how were we supposed to know crepes is pronounced “krehpz” and not “kraypz?” We now know the correct pronunciation of all those tricky desserts that have pestered us in the past and, lucky for you, we’re sharing the wealth.
Food pronunciation can be difficult, especially if you’re trying to pronounce a food or dessert item that comes from a different part of the world.
Different languages have different sounds, and sometimes those sounds just don’t come naturally to us. It’s totally fine. As long as you’re giving it your best shot, you shouldn’t feel too bad about mispronunciation.
Improving your food vocabulary and pronunciation skills is a fun way to make yourself feel smarter and worldlier.
Plus, you’ll be able to impress your friends in the “food” category at trivia night. So, put your thinking caps on and get your tongue untied. Let’s get educated on sweets.
1. Mascarpone
You probably say: “mas-car-pohn” (we actually pronounced it “mar-sca-pohn,” which is just dead wrong.)
You should say: “mass-car-po-nay”
Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese that is used as a filling in goodies like Tiramisu and layered cakes.
It can also be enjoyed by itself, flecked with some chocolate shavings, or in savory dishes like mac and cheese.
2. Macaron
You probably say: “ma-kah-roon”
You should say: “mack-ron”
Macarons are French meringue-based confectionaries, similar to sandwich cookies.
Often filled with ganache, buttercream, or sometimes jam, they’re known for their colorfulness and overall ~aesthetic~. Pro tip: don’t confuse macarons with coconut macaroons! They are totally different.
3. Crepes
You probably say: “kraypz”
You should say: “krehpz”
Crepes are basically super-thin pancakes that can be enjoyed with sweet or savory fillings.
Some bakers even stack crepes into crepe cakes, adding a thin layer of frosting between each crepe.
4. Nutella
You probably say: “nut-ella”
You should say: “noo-tella”
We know what you’re thinking — Nutella, the utterly delicious chocolate-hazelnut spread, isn’t just a dessert spread.
We put this stuff on everything.
5. Beignet
You probably say: “beg-nay” or “beg-net”
You should say: “ben-yay”
Beignets, the French version of an English fritter, are basically little bits of deep-fried pastry dough.
In New Orleans, they’re served with powdered sugar on top and are always served hot.
6.Dulce de leche
You probably say: “dul-che-de-lay-che”
You should say: “dul-chay-de-leh-chay”
With a taste similar to caramel, dulce de leche is a sweet sauce made from sweetened milk.
To make dulce de leche, the sweet milk is slowly heated until its color changes from white to a velvety brown. Drizzle it on anything to make a sweet treat 100 times better.
7. Petit Four
You probably say: “peh-teet for”
You should say: “puh-tee foor”
Petit fours are bite-sized French sweets that come in three varieties of shapes and flavors.
They can either be glazed — tiny cakes and tartlets, salted — savory bites like hors d’oeuvres, or dry — biscuits, meringues, macarons, and puff pastries.
8. Maraschino (as in, Maraschino cherries)
You probably say: “ma-ra-shee-no”
You should say: “ma-re-ski-no”
Maraschino cherries are used to top drinks like Shirley Temples (ginger ale and grenadine), or to top ice cream Sundays.
The cherries are bleached in a salt brine (a solution of calcium chloride and sulfur dioxide), and are then pitted and soaked in a bath of high fructose corn syrup for about a month. They’re then finally dipped in a red food coloring.
9. Sherbet
You probably say: “sher-bert”
You should say: “sher-bit”
Sherbet is an icy treat made with frozen flavored water, usually flavored with fruit juice or fruit purée.
In America, it’s sometimes made with dairy products. This is an important fact to remember when we get to the next dessert.
10. Sorbet
You probably say: “sor-beht” or “sher-bit”
You should say: “sor-bay”
Sorbet and sherbet are sometimes interchangeable depending on where you are.
In America, sorbet does not contain any dairy, separating it from sherbet (although sherbet can be dairy-free as well. It’s complicated.). In Canada, however, sherbet and sorbet are one in the same and Canadian sorbet contains dairy.
11. Croissant
You probably say: “cross-aunt”
You should say: “kwa-saun”
Croissants are flakey, buttery, layered pastries that can be filled with chocolate, or other sweet fillings, that comes oozing out when bitten into.
Or, croissants can be used as sandwich bread, cut in half and served with savory meats and cheeses.
12. Nougat
You probably say: “new-gaht”
You should say: “noo-guh”
Nougat is a confection made with sugar and/or honey, and is jam-packed with nuts and dried fruits.
Its super chewy consistency goes great inside chocolatey candy bars, or it can be served on its own as a salty-sweet snack.
13. Challah
You probably say: “cha-lah”
You should say: “ha-lah”
Challah bread is a specially braided Jewish bread served at holidays and can be made savory or sweet with the addition of chocolate chips, orange zest, raisins, or cinnamon.
In fact, challah bread supposedly makes the best French toast ever.
14. Pain au chocolat
You probably say: “payn au choc-o-laht”
You should say: “pah au sho-co-lah”
Pain au chocolate is a French sweet pastry similar in texture to a puff pastry or croissant.
Inside, dark chocolate filling sits in the center, surrounded by warm, flaky, layers of crisp pastry.
15. Palmier
You probably say: “pal-mee-ayr”
You should say: “pal-meay”
Also called “elephant ears” or “palm leaves,” French palmier pastries are large butterfly-shaped pastries made from puff pastry dough.
The dough is rolled out and sprinkled with sugar. It’s then rolled up to meet in the middle, creating sugary layers of flaky dough.
At the end of the day, the pronunciation of the dessert doesn’t matter as much as the flavor. Bon appétit!
