Savoury Reads: How to describe food like a food critic

Savoury Reads: How to scrumptiously describe food like a food critic

Sarah Khan

06 Oct 1800

updated the 9 October 2017 à 20:42

1/7
#1 Bring your food to life with appetizing adjectives
‘Delicious’; ‘great’ – while these words work for day-to-day life, they barely convey any information to readers. Skip these banal, uninspiring adjectives and experiment with appetizing word choices instead.

For instance, consider how something as ordinary as chocolate takes on an entirely new persona when you dress it up with sensuous adjectives like ‘warm’, ‘decadently gooey’ or ‘rich and frothy’.
2/7
#2 Break down the taste
The best of dishes are often not solely one-dimensional in flavour. Rather, they boast of a robust, multifarious blend of different ingredients that all come to play to make the dish.

This may come with experience, but try to discern the different ingredients and flavours you can identify in the meal. It can truly elevate your dish and bring it to life.
3/7
#3 Play with verbs
Food isn’t static and motionless; often, there is plenty of movement in your favourite dishes. Consider how exquisitely runny the poached egg texture sitting on your Eggs Benedict is, as you slice your knife through its center, for instance.
4/7
#4 Consider its texture
If you think about it, there is so much more to food than flavour. Go beyond its taste and identify the textures you’re enjoying. If you’re tucking into a bowl of noodles, identify if the noodles are served springy, crunchy or soft. Also identify anything unique about the aroma – does it differ from its taste?
5/7
#5 Connect it to your emotions
Again, an exquisite meal is so much more than throwing a slew of ingredients together. Explore what memories or emotions are evoked by the aromas you’re smelling or the tastes you’re enjoying!
6/7
#6 Colour symbolism
You’ll notice that powerful, descriptive writers often toy with colour symbolism in their food writing. If your luscious pasta dish is drenched in a creamy, red sauce, explore what the colour might mean to you. Does it make you feel fiery or extra passionate?
7/7
#7 Useful adjectives to get you started
Describing Texture: 'Buttery'; 'Creamy'; 'Crisp'; 'Crispy'; 'Crunchy'; 'Delicate'; 'Flakey'; 'Fluffy'; 'Full-bodied'; 'Juicy'; 'Moist'; 'Pillow-soft'; 'Runny'; 'Silky'; Smooth'; 'Spongy'; 'Succulent'; 'Tender'; 'Velvety'; 'Whipped'

Describing Taste: 'Bitter'; 'Chocolatey'; 'Flat'; 'Gamey'; 'Garlicky'; 'Gingery'; 'Herbal'; 'Mild'; 'Pickled'; 'Rich'; 'Robust'; 'Savoury'; 'Saccharine sweet'; 'Tart'; 'Zesty'

Describing Cooking Style: 'Aged'; 'Blanched'; 'Breaded'; 'Caramelized'; 'Charred'; 'Colourful'; 'Elegant'; 'Fresh'; 'Fried'; 'Leafy'; 'Poached'; 'Roasted'; 'Seared'; 'Sautéed'

#1 Bring your food to life with appetizing adjectives

If the food isn’t bland, your food description shouldn’t be either.

Taking the perfect Instagram-worthy photo of a mind-blowing meal is great; but when it comes to describing food, capturing it in words is truly unparalleled. After all, while pictures are great for conveying the aesthetics and artful plating, they naturally fall short when it comes to describing nuanced flavours and emotional experience a delightful meal can offer.

A well-articulated food description can almost immerse a reader into the food experience with you, while uninspiring, one-dimensional food writing can leave you sorely unappetized. Consider this:

“The succulent plump shrimp, deliciously sautéed in crunchy chili flakes and paired with a zesty, crunchy salad of mushrooms, cucumber and sweet corn turned out to be the refreshing start to my Saturday morning I didn’t know I needed.”

Takes you right into the meal, doesn’t it?

However, getting started into illustrative, delicious food writing may be hard, especially for first-time writers. Which is why we’ve outlined 6 tips (plus useful food adjectives to get you started) for you to describe a menu dish like a true lip-smacking food connoisseur below!

Inspired? There is a wealth of phenomenal food writing available for you to sink your teeth into. A great way to expand upon your food lingo and illustrative food writing is through reading expert reviews from some of Singapore’s top foodies or reading cookbooks – particularly those with beautiful, rich descriptions of each recipe.

BE A MIGHTY DINING ADVISOR AND WIN YOUR MEAL BACK

What if we told you you could write an expert food review and win cash while at it? Sounds like a sweet deal, huh?

If you’re a UOB cardmember, here’s some good news. Review your meal on the UOB Mighty app and stand to win SGD100 cash rebates (one lucky winner per day)! Visit The Dining Advisor for more details.

Check out The Dining Advisor to find your next meal to review! This article was brought to you by UOB Cards.

New in Town: 6 Trendy new restaurant concepts in...

The Ultimate Local Food Guide: The A-Z Must-try...

Savoury Reads: How to scrumptiously describe food like a food critic

BE A MIGHTY DINING ADVISOR AND WIN YOUR MEAL BACK

React to this post Cancel reply