A Vocabulary Guide to Describing Flavors and Tastes in Spanish
Are you ready to savor this lesson about tastes in Spanish?
Knowing how to describe tastes in your new target language is not only helpful for your upcoming trip to a Spanish-speaking country, or for your Spanish final next week, but it will also come in handy in regular written and spoken conversations with your friends and peers.
Although flavor mixes are infinite, they can all still be categorized into 5 main groups. These different tastes are:
- Sweet – Dulce
- Salty – Salado
- Sour – Agrio o ácido
- Bitter – Amargo
- Umami – Umami
Tastes have a number of important functions—they not only signal the nutritional value of the foods we eat but also help us to detect potential toxins in them to keep us safe.
Read ahead to learn how to describe taste, how to express your likes and dislikes, and which foods belong to each of the taste categories—and practice your Spanish while you’re at it!
¡Disfruta!
Enjoy!
Tastes in Spanish
Before we dive any deeper into nouns and adjectives, let’s learn something about the translation of the word “tastes”. When it comes to learning how to describe taste, you need a couple of verbs before the rest of your new vocabulary so that your conversation makes sense.
Taste in Spanish as a noun means gusto—find out about 21 verbs like gustar!
Taste in Spanish as a verb, translates to saber, but be careful to not confuse it with the verb saber “to know”.
Both verbs are Reflexive Verbs but only one of them is relevant for this lesson on tastes in Spanish.
Sweet – Dulce
Most people prefer sweet tastes rather than the other ones. It is common knowledge that el azúcar (sugar) is a great source of short-term energía (energy), carbohidratos (carbohydrates), and that it serves as a conservativo (conservative). However, there are many reliable sources out there that offer relevant evidence as to why we shouldn’t abuse its consumption.
Most of the sweet foods are postres (desserts), but they can also be called la merienda (snack).
Here are some foods that contain sugar and are dulces:
| Foods in English | Foods in Spanish |
| Chocolate | El chocolate |
| Sweet bread | El pan dulce |
| Candy | El caramelo |
| Cookies | Las galletas |
| Cake | El pastel |
| Ice cream | El helado |
| Fruit | La fruta |
| Honey | La miel |
| Cereal | El cereal |
| Syrup | El jarabe |
Now, how do we describe something from this list without only saying that it is sweet? Let’s pick out an item that can be explained in more than a couple of words.
How to describe the taste of chocolate? It can be lechoso (milky), mantecoso (buttery), cremoso (creamy), con nueces (nutty), or even empalagoso (excessively or sickly-sweet).
Find out more about tastes in Spanish At the Spanish Bakery!
Salty – Salado
Just as you can find sugar in sweet tastes, you can find sodium in salty dishes. This taste in Spanish translates from salty into salado—they both come from the root word salt or sal.
Nature is wise and the fact that you cannot eat huge amounts of salt is due to its water-regulating role in our bodies. Eating too much salt can lead you to retain liquids and blow up your pressure levels. It can also be bad for organ function.
| Foods in English | Foods in Spanish |
| French fries | Las papas fritas |
| Pasta sauce | La salsa para pasta |
| Soup | La sopa |
| Hamburgers | Las hamburguesas |
| Sandwich | El sandwich |
| Chicken | El pollo |
| Fish | El pescado |
| Seafood | Los mariscos |
How to describe the taste of water? Many would say that water is tasteless. However, if we were to drink water as our ancestors did—directly from a natural source—we could actually taste a bit of salt in it. This is because free-running water collects minerals along its way. If you ever get the chance of drinking water like this, just remember to take small sips since our bodies aren’t used to so many minerals.
Sour – Agrio o ácido
Just like salt, agrio or ácido are tastes in Spanish that are likeable in small quantities. When ingested in large amounts, our bodies will light up a red signal that will make us question if what we are eating is starting to pudrirse (rot) or not yet madura (ripe). In Spanish we call foods such as yogurt agrio, and ácido such as citrus fruits.
| Foods in English | Foods in Spanish |
| Lime | El limón |
| Lemon | La lima |
| Pineapple | La piña |
| Kiwi | El kiwi |
| Yogurt | El yogur |
| Cheese | El queso |
| Vinegar | El vinagre |
| Orange | La naranja |
| Berries | Las bayas |
It is easy to get confused between limón and lima, since they refer to the opposite fruits in their translation to English. For some reason our limón is the green one and the lima is the yellow one. How to describe their tastes in Spanish? Limes taste agrio (tart) and ácido (acidic), and makes you hacer caras (puckering mouth).
Bitter – Amargo
The most unpleasant of all the tastes in Spanish is the amargo taste. It is a marker for poisons and it is natural for us humans to reject it. It is an acquired taste meaning that we can get used to it with enough time, that’s why we can consume coffee more easily as an adult.
| Foods in English | Foods in Spanish |
| Coffee | El café |
| Broccoli | El brócoli |
| Cabbage | La col |
| Eggplant | La berenjena |
| Dark chocolate | El chocolate amargo |
| Olives | Las aceitunas |
| Beer | La cerveza |
How to describe the taste of coffee? They say that good coffee is bitter, but nowadays there are multiple subcategories within it, so it’s hard to keep count. Coffee can be floral (flowery), ahumado (smoky), tostado (toasted), herbal (herby), suave (soft), fuerte (rough), neutral (neutral), and astringente (astringent). It can also be served caliente (hot), tibio (warm) or frío (cold).
If you’re interested in getting to know a bit more about Guatemalan coffees, you can check out the Guatemalan National Coffee Association website.
Umami – Umami
Umami is one of the most pleasant and delicate tastes in Spanish. It is associated with monosodium glutamate and it is present in protein-rich foods. Another characteristic of the fifth basic taste is that it makes us salivate a lot more than other tastes.
Umami originally comes from the Japanese meaning “delicious taste” and opposite to amargo, umami comes naturally to humans from birth. Why? Because the very first taste we experience as newborns is the umami taste in breast milk.
| Foods in English | Foods in Spanish |
| Breast Milk | La leche materna |
| Algae | Las algas |
| Iberic ham | El jamón ibérico |
| Beans | Los frijoles |
| Milk | La leche |
| Eggs | Los huevos |
| Red meat | La carne roja |
| Anchovies | Las anchoas |
| Asparagus | Los espárragos |
| Parmesan cheese | El queso parmesano |
More Tastes in Spanish
As a Mexican, I would very much like to add the picante (spicy) category. There are different types of picante, since it can also be sweet, sour, salty, or bitter. La comida picante will definitely make you salivate.
Although the accepted translation to English of picante is spicy, in Spanish we understand spicy better as pungent.
Something spicy in Spanish means that it has spices and tastes somewhat hot, which is a different taste experience than that of chile.
Chile is a typical Latin American Spanish word used for hot sauce. Check out this article to learn about more ways to say hot in Spanish.
Some people think that almidonado (starchy) should be a basic taste too. Its main ingredient would be harina (flour). Some of the foods that would appear in this category are:
| Foods in English | Foods in Spanish |
| Pasta | La pasta |
| Bread | El pan |
| Pizza | La pizza |
A taste is classified as official once researchers find the corresponding taste receptors for it. If this topic got your attention, check out this TED Talk where they discuss the five basic tastes.
Positive Adjectives (In Most Cases)
In order to Discuss your Likes and Dislikes in Spanish, I have divided adjectives into two sections: positive and negative. Why? Because some positive adjectives might be used to describe a not so positive taste experience. Although exquisite means a dish tastes great, if it is overloaded with a strong flavor, it might even get ruined. Here are some translations of how to express your tastes in Spanish:
| Adjectives in English | Adjectives in Spanish |
| Fresh | Fresco |
| Hot | Caliente |
| Healthy | Saludable |
| Tasty | Rico |
| Delicious | Delicioso |
| Exquisite | Exquisito |
| Strong-flavored | De sabor fuerte |
| Yummy | Rico |
| Juicy | Jugoso |
| Good | Bueno / Buena |
| Popular | Popular |
| Rich | Rico en |
| Heavy | Fuerte o pesado |
| Sublime | Excelso |
Negative (In Most Cases)
When it comes to tastes in Spanish, negative opinions do not always mean something tastes bad. You may find dishes that taste good, but miss something, or gottoo exposed to cooking fire. Again, feel free to play around with these adjectives according to specific situations. For example, you don’t want your hot dish to be cold, but you do want that for your soda. It is relative.
| Adjectives in English | Adjectives in Spanish |
| Bland | Soso |
| Cold | Frío |
| Greasy | Grasoso |
| Disgusting | Asqueroso |
| Rotten | Podrido or echado a perder |
| Tasteless | Insípido |
| Burned | Quemado |
| Dry | Seco |
| Bad | Malo, mal |
| Horrible | Horrible |
Ask for Someone Else’s Opinion
Feel confident to ask for someone else’s opinion on food and tates with these example questions.
¿Cuál es tu sabor favorito?
What’s your favorite flavor?
¿Qué te gusta comer?
What do you like to eat?
¿Qué te gusta beber?
What do you like to drink?
¿Cuál es tu platillo favorito?
What’s your favorite dish?
¿Qué sabor tiene tu platillo favorito?
What does your favorite dish taste like?
¿Qué comiste de desayuno? ¿Estuvo bueno?
What did you eat for breakfast? Was it good?
¿Qué desayunaste? ¿Te gustó?
What did you have for breakfast? Did you like it?
¿Qué cenaste? ¿Estuvo bueno?
What did you have for dinner? Was it good?
¿Te gustó tu platillo?
Did you like your dish?
¿Qué ordenaste?
What did you order?
¿Estuvo muy salado lo que pediste?
Was what you ordered too salty?
¿Te empalagó el postre?
Was the dessert sickly-sweet?
¿Estuvo muy ácido lo que pediste?
Was what you ordered too sour?
Give your Opinion
Here are some examples of phrases you can use to express your opinion about food.
Positive Opinions
¿Me puedes dar más papas fritas? Me gustaron mucho.
Can I get more french fries? I loved them.
Soy fan de la fruta con miel; amo lo dulce.
I am a fan of fruit with honey—I love sweet foods.
El pastel está delicioso; voy a pedir otra rebanada.
The cake was delicious. I will order a second slice.
El pescado es el mejor platillo de este restaurante.
The fish is this restaurant’s best dish.
Me encantan las frutas cítricas; son mis favoritas.
I love citrus fruits—they’re my favorite.
Amo las aceitunas; ¿me puedo comer las tuyas?
I love olives—mayI eat yours?
El café de aquí es buenísimo; hay fuerte, suave, floral y astringente.
Coffee here is great—they have strong, light, flowery, and astringent flavors.
¡El jamón ibérico es muy rico! Nada se le compara.
Iberic ham is so tasty! Nothing compares to it.
¡Qué fresco y jugoso está el pollo!
The chicken is really fresh and juicy!
La comida umami es saludable y rica en proteínas.
The umami food is healthy and rich in proteins.
La pasta y el pan están exquisitos; te los recomiendo mucho.
The pasta and the bread are exquisite—I highly recommend them.
Me gusta tanto la col que se la pongo a todo.
I like cabbage so much I put it on everything.
Mi sabor favorito era el salado, pero ahora prefiero amargo.
I used to like the salty taste, but now I prefer bitter.
Mi platillo favorito son las fresas con chocolate; me gusta mucho la combinación de dulce con ácido.
My favorite dish is strawberries with chocolate—I really enjoy the mix of sweet and sour.
Negative Opinions
If you are At a Restaurant and you wish to order something else, you can explain to the waiter what is wrong with your food with this simple example sentences:
No me gustó el helado, se estaba deshaciendo cuando llegó aquí.
I didn’t like the ice cream—it was already melting when it got here.
Los mariscos ya están echados a perder.
The seafood is spoiled.
No soporto la berenjena, es muy amarga.
I can’t stand eating eggplant—it is too bitter.
No quiero comer esto; me da asco. (This is stronger than no me gusta).
I don’t want to eat this—it’s disgusting.
La sopa está fría. ¿Podría volver a calentarla por favor?
The soup is cold. Could you heat it up again, please?
No me gustan las hamburguesas; prefiero otra cosa.
I don’t like hamburgers, I’d rather have something else.
Por favor guarda el vinagre, su olor me está revolviendo el estómago.
Please put the vinegar away, the smell is making me sick.
No tolero la consistencia del brócoli.
I can’t stand the consistency of broccoli.
Me enferma que revuelvan la comida.
It makes me sick when they mix up the food.
No me gusta mucho la cerveza.
I don’t really like beer.
Los frijoles no saben a nada, no tienen suficiente sal.
The beans are tasteless—they’re missing salt.
La carne está sosa, seca y quemada; voy a pedir otra cosa.
The meat is bland, dry, and burned—I will order something else.
Slang
I dedicate this last section to some slang you might want to learn to sound like a native. I hope you like and use them to impress everyone with your proficient skills!
When something is as delicious as to “lick your fingers” after eating it, you may say something like this:
El pollo estaba para chuparse los dedos.
Although the literal translation is “the chicken was to lick your fingers”, the closest phrase in English is:
The chicken was to die for.
A variant of this expression is :
El pollo estaba de rechupete.
It can easily translate to “the chicken was yummy”.
Another fun saying to imply that the food tastes or smells great or that you have tried it before and hope to eat it again is:
Se me hace agua la boca.
My mouth is watering.
You can also say the abbreviation of delicious that the young ones use in some parts of Latin America and Spain:
La comida estuvo deli.
The food was delicious.
And finally, when you want to say that someone is very fond of trying tasty dishes, you say that person is:
Roberto es un gourmet.
Roberto is a foodie.
Sabe Rico Saber Español – Tastes Good to Know Spanish
I hope you liked this vocabulary guide to describing flavors and tastes in Spanish. It is very interesting to learn how to describe taste in a different language. Practicing this lesson is your opportunity to show others a little bit about your gustos while improving your conversation skills.
Knowing Spanish will not only open doors for you professionally and economically (according to The Economist, a person can earn anywhere from $50,000 to $125,000 extra just by knowing a foreign language), but also socially. Did you know that there are 53 million people in the US who speak Spanish (CNN)? It’s time to expand your social circle and network!
The best way to improve your Spanish proficiency is to practice with a native speaker, and that is exactly what we would love to offer you here at HSA! Tailor an individualized Spanish package with the topic that suits your needs.
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