Characters have to eat, right? Well, here is a list of 101 words you can use when food is present in your story. If you think of some others and I will add them to the list.
Acid
Acidic
A la carte
A la king
A la mode
Alcoholic
Al dente
Appetizing
Aroma
Aromatic
Au fromage
Au gratin
Au jus
Balsamic
Béarnaise
Biting
Bitter
Blackened
Blah
Blanched
Bland
Bold
Bolognese
Boned
Brackish
Braised
Brewed
Briny
Broiled
Browned
Bubbly
Burning
Bursting
Buttery
Cacciatore
Candied
Canned
Caramelized
Caustic
Chalky
Charred
Chewy
Chilled
Chocolaty
Chopped
Chowder
Clarified
Classical
Condensed
Condiment
Course
Creamery
Creole
Crispy
Crumbly
Crunchy
Curd
Curdled
Cured
Curried
Dash
Decadent
Delectable
Delicious
Delightful
Devein
Deviled
Dietary
Diluted
Disagreeable
Disgusting
Distasteful
Distinctive
Divine
Dredged
Drenched
Dripping
Dried out
Dry
Dull
Eatable
Edible
Enjoyable
Enticing
Entrée
Escalloped
Etouffee
Exquisite
Fermented
Fine
Finger Licking Good
Fibrous
Fiery
Fishy
Fizzy
Flakey
Flambé
Flavorless
Flavorsome
Florentine
Floury
Fluffy
Foul
Fragrant
Fresh
Freeze dried
Fricasseed
Fried
Frosty
Frozen
Fruity
Full-bodied
Full-flavored
Gamy
Garlicky
Gastric
Gingery
Glazed
Good
Gooey
Grainy
Granulated
Gratifying
Greasy
Gritty
Gross
Hardboiled
Heady
Heavy
Heavenly
Herbaceous
Hint
Honeyed
Hot
Icy
Infused
Intense
Inviting
Juicy
Julienne
Kick
Kosher
Laced
Laden
Lemony
Light
Limp
Lip-smacking
Liquid
Lumpy
Luscious
Lusty
Lyonnaise
Malodorous
Marinate
Marvelous
Mashed
Medium
Mellow
Melting
Messy
Mild
Milky
Minced
Minty
Mixed
Moist
mouth-watering
Nasty
Nauseating
Nectarous
Nosey
Noxious
Nuked
Nutriment
Nutritious
Nutty
Odoriferous
Odorless
Oozing
Overpowering
Palatable
pan-fried
Parboiled
Parched
Pasty
Peck
Penetrating
Peppery
Perfumed
Perishable
Piccata
Pickled
Piping
Piquant
Pleasant
Powdery
Potent
Pouched
Preserved
Puffy
Pungent
Pureed
Ragout
Rancid
Rank
Rare
Raw
Redolent
Reduced
Reeking
Relish
Rich
Roasted
Robust
Rotten
Roux
Ruined
Runny
Saline
Salty
Sapid
Saporous
Sauté
Savory
Scalded
Scented
Scorched
Scrambled
Scrumptious
Seared
Seasoned
Sharp
Shredded
Sizzling
Simmering
Skunky
Sliced
Slimy
Slivered
Smelly
Smokey
Smooth
Smothered
Snappy
Snappy
Soaked
Sodden
Soft
soft-boiled
Soggy
Sordid
Soupy
Sour
Sparkling
Spicy
Spirited
Spoiled
Spongy
Sprinkled
Stale
Starchy
Steamy
Stewed
Stiff
Stinging
Stringy
Strong
Stuffed
Subdued
Succulent
Sunnyside up
sugar-coated
Sweet
Sweet and Sour
Syrupy
Tainted
Tangy
Tantalizing
Tart
Tasteless
Tasty
Tempting
Tepid
Thick
Titillating
Toasted
Toothsome
Tough
Tumaceous
Unsavory
Vicious
Vinegary
Warm
Watery
Well-done
Wet
Whey
Whipped
Wild
Wilted
Yucky
Yummy
Zestful
Zesty
Zippy
I know there are more. Let me know.
slimy – as in clams and oysters. yuck!
By: Jeanne on April 25, 2009
at 4:28 pm
That’s a good one.
By: kathytemean on April 25, 2009
at 5:16 pm
i know its not a good one but what about nice ???
By: mary on March 2, 2013
at 12:37 pm
what about hard and rough you may already have them nut i didn’t seen then
By: peggy on March 2, 2013
at 12:53 pm
How about: chalky, charred, nutty, spoiled, chewy, tough…
By: ClaudiaC on April 27, 2009
at 1:45 am
Good one’s! I’ll add them. Thanks for leave a comment. I appreciate it.
Kathy
By: kathytemean on April 27, 2009
at 4:59 am
Claudia,
Just wanted to let you know I updated the food descriptive list and added your suggestions, thanks!
Kathy
By: kathytemean on March 16, 2010
at 2:22 am
Greasy, cold and of course my personal favorite- decadent!
By: Kim Blanda on May 1, 2009
at 5:00 pm
Kim,
I added a lot of new words to the descriptive food list and yours was a good addition. Thanks, Kathy
By: kathytemean on March 16, 2010
at 2:24 am
How about glazed (as in doughnuts), pallete cleansing (you kind of already said that), frosty, chilled, and fast.
By: Kyra on January 21, 2010
at 10:35 am
Kyra,
Great, I will add them to the list. Thanks!
Kathy
By: kathytemean on January 21, 2010
at 3:12 pm
Kyra,
Almost a year later and I am still adding to the list. Thanks for sending in yours.
Kathy
By: kathytemean on March 16, 2010
at 2:25 am
Flavorful?……I think you forgot that one
By: Carriehert on April 1, 2011
at 12:05 pm
Carrie,
Good one. I’ll have to add it to the list. Thanks for coming up with it.
Kathy
By: kathytemean on April 3, 2011
at 2:10 am
This helped me so much! Thank you for this wonderfully descriptive list
By: Jehanne on May 3, 2011
at 11:42 pm
Jehanne,
Boy, talk about a late reply to your comment. I just saw it. Thanks for letting me know you liked the list.
Kathy
By: kathytemean on November 20, 2011
at 10:47 pm
hmm… what about sodden because characters foods are not always in perfect conditions.
By: Bob on November 20, 2011
at 4:17 pm
Bob,
Good one. I added it along with soggy. Thanks!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Kathy
By: kathytemean on November 20, 2011
at 10:44 pm
caloric, hazardous, fatty
By: ncjn@fadgf on March 6, 2012
at 11:50 pm
Good One! I’ll add them to the list.
Kathy
By: kathytemean on March 7, 2012
at 12:11 am
Good ones! I’ll add them t the list.
Kathy
By: kathytemean on March 12, 2012
at 9:15 pm
er since when was ‘zippy’ a word? especially to describe food
By: Tai on March 12, 2012
at 9:23 am
Tai,
What can I say? I read a bunch of food reviews and zippy was used in a couple write ups, so I added it in. I agree it is not the first thing that comes to mind when describing a food.
Kathy
By: kathytemean on March 12, 2012
at 8:04 pm
mouldy, brown, yellow, green, redily, purpily, orangily, weave
<3
By: Tai on March 12, 2012
at 9:58 am
Tai,
Thanks for adding to the list. Where would someone use “weave” when describing food? I can come up with a senetence for woven. “The dough on top of the pie was woven to look like a basket.” Or “The berries were woven in the cake batter.”
Kathy
By: kathytemean on March 12, 2012
at 8:11 pm
there were a lot of ones that were very similar to ones you got there.
Ok , here’s a list of what you could add:
sticky, rough, undercooked, fleshy, cheesy, sugary, burnt, colourful,old.
Hope you like them
By: Melvey on April 2, 2012
at 1:54 am
Melvey,
I love the words you came up with. I will add them so they help others.
Thanks,
Kathy
By: kathytemean on April 3, 2012
at 12:18 am
Simmering
Skunky
Sliced
Slimy
By: Damien on June 29, 2012
at 12:23 am
Damien,
Good ones. I can’t believe I missed Simmering and Slimy. Thanks for adding to the list.
Kathy
By: kathytemean on June 29, 2012
at 12:34 am
blackened
By: Rosie Pova on August 7, 2012
at 2:07 pm
Rosie,
I can’t believe I missed that. Good Get!
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on August 7, 2012
at 2:10 pm
Your list is absolutely wonderful. I’ve re-posted it on my blog and have put in links directing people back to this site. Dee x
By: deeFoodie on August 16, 2012
at 1:55 am
I might describe meat as having a ‘smoky’ flavor. (I love it when barbecued enough that it’s a little crisp on the outside.)
By: Penny on August 21, 2012
at 3:03 am
Penny,
That is a good one. Thanks for sending it in. I added it to the list.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on August 21, 2012
at 10:12 am
Love the list…I believe the spelling of FERMENTED is incorrectly written there,however. And how about SCRAMBLED?
Bobbi
By: Bobbi in New Hampshire on August 30, 2012
at 6:30 am
Bobbi,
Great get! I couldn’t even find it because of the error. Thank you for taking the time to let me knw and thanks for adding to the list. I have corrected and added to the list.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on August 30, 2012
at 11:09 am
i love the list…and i have one more to add: perishable
Thanks
By: Ashlee on September 2, 2012
at 11:47 pm
Ashlee,
Good one! Thanks for adding to the list.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on September 3, 2012
at 12:56 am
What about tantalizing?
By: Huma on September 18, 2012
at 12:45 am
Huma,
Good one. I will add it to the list. Thanks for putting on your thinking cap and sending me a new word.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on September 18, 2012
at 11:52 am
Thanks for all the words, they helped me so much with my homework
By: Billy Bob on October 14, 2012
at 9:53 am
i know one salivateing
By: rose44 on October 15, 2012
at 1:39 pm
What does tumaceous mean?
By: Alice on October 16, 2012
at 11:47 pm
Alice,
It is an offensive odor.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on October 17, 2012
at 1:16 am
I love this list! How about mashed and smothered?
By: Angel on November 3, 2012
at 10:53 pm
Angel,
Wow! Thanks! They are two good ones. I will add it to the list. Shaking my head on why I didn’t think of them.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on November 3, 2012
at 11:09 pm
Where it says dEvine should be spelled divine, I presume
By: Tomeu on November 17, 2012
at 9:23 am
Tomeu,
Thanks for pointing out there was a mistake. I had Divine further down, but it pointed out to me that I was trying to say, Devein. I think things are correct now.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on November 17, 2012
at 7:28 pm
Thanks for this comprehensive list. If I may contribute. where it says distintive should be spelled distinCtive.
By: Tomeu on November 17, 2012
at 10:07 am
Tomeu,
Good get! Not sure if I am a poor speller or if I am a poot typist. Thanks for helping the list.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on November 17, 2012
at 7:29 pm
Thankyou for this brilliant list! Helped me very much with my Food Technology!
By: Izzy123 on November 29, 2012
at 12:31 pm
Demensional &
Layer, layers, layered
As in the favors were well layered and dimensional.
By: Sannaleah on January 21, 2013
at 2:48 pm
Awesome bruised excellent fantastic great incredible perfect indescribable wonderful!!! I had to a worksheet in class for describing food from a-z. You helped a lot!
By: Faith on February 25, 2013
at 6:21 pm
ambrosial, appetizing, aromal, aromatic, distinctive, fiery, flavorsome, fragrant, fresh, herbaceous, highly seasoned, hot, keen, odoriferous, peppery, perfumed, piquant, poignant, racy, redolent, savory, scented, seasoned, snappy, spirited, sweet, tangy, tasty, zesty, zippy bland, dull, flavorless, tasteless! Thought of a few more you may have them already I was just to lazy to check!
By: Faith on February 25, 2013
at 6:28 pm
Faith,
Glad I could help.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on February 25, 2013
at 6:50 pm
I’m impressed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both educative and interesting, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy that I found this in my hunt for something relating to this.
By: Greensboro breakfast catering on March 8, 2013
at 1:43 pm
thank you so much you really helped me in my homework, i don’t mind if you don’t use them but i thought of some words
nice
tasteful
rough
nasty
picker
sick
soapy
enjoy
By: bob on March 10, 2013
at 10:42 am
I am looking for a word describe the quality of piecrust and shortbread. Am I correct in using “short”?
By: Nancy Proctor on March 28, 2013
at 6:12 pm
Nancy,
I don’t think that describes shortbread. I would say, “Sweet buttery flavor with a crisp crumbly texture.” Don’t know how you can narrow it down to a one word description, except for “Yummy.”
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on March 28, 2013
at 6:49 pm
Thanks for the list! I’ve been looking at words for a new restaurant design business.
Few I would like to add…..
‘Authentic’ More often that not to describe food that is anything but…
‘Smear’ My pet hate – the splodge of puree often added to the side…
Also, what about ‘Hearty’?
By: Steve on April 15, 2013
at 6:56 am
Steve,
Thanks for sending these in for the list. Much appreciated!
Good luck with the restaurant.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on April 15, 2013
at 11:56 am
thanks, it helped with homework!:)
By: kitty-cat on April 30, 2013
at 12:24 pm
Kitty,
Glad it help you. Thanks for letting me know.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on April 30, 2013
at 12:26 pm
What about scrumtious
By: kaizer on May 2, 2013
at 11:23 am
Kaizer,
scrumptious is a great word. I’ll add it to the list. Oh, it is already on the list. Thanks.
Kathy
By: Kathy Temean on May 2, 2013
at 1:53 pm
Loved your list. I train direct sales food consultants and these are great for our sales meetings to help them reach their audience and get their attention.
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at 12:44 pm
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at 1:41 am
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at 7:58 pm