19 Powerful Advanced Food Vocabulary for IELTS That Instantly Upgrade Your Speaking.

If you want to score Band 7+ in IELTS Speaking, basic words like tasty, good, or delicious are not enough. To sound fluent and expressive, you need advanced food vocabulary for IELTS that helps you describe flavours, emotions, and experiences naturally.

When answering the cue card “Describe a kind of foreign food you like,” examiners look for precision. Using advanced food vocabulary for IELTS shows lexical range and control. Instead of saying “I like it very much,” you can say it is mouth-watering, satisfying, or even your guilty pleasure.

In this lesson, you will learn 19 carefully selected expressions that strengthen your advanced food vocabulary for IELTS and make your answers more natural. Mastering this advanced food vocabulary for IELTS will help you speak confidently about restaurants, cravings, comfort food, and even overindulgence.

Let us now explore this advanced food vocabulary for IELTS step by step.

APPETIZING (Adjective)

📖 IPA: /ˈæpɪtaɪzɪŋ/
🔊 Pronunciation (Hindi – Devanagari): एपिटाइजिंग
💡 Meaning (English): Looking or smelling good enough to make you want to eat.
📝 अर्थ (Hindi): स्वादिष्ट दिखने वाला
📌 Collocations: appetizing aroma, appetizing presentation
⚡ Pattern: look/apppear appetizing
🎭 Formality: Neutral

Example 1: The sushi platter looked incredibly appetizing.
Example 2: The appetizing aroma made everyone hungry.

GUILTY PLEASURE (Noun)

📖 IPA: /ˈɡɪlti ˈpleʒər/
🔊 Pronunciation: गिल्टी प्लेजर
💡 Meaning: Something enjoyable that you feel slightly bad about liking.
📝 अर्थ: पसंदीदा चीज़ जिसे खाने पर थोड़ा अपराधबोध हो
📌 Collocations: secret guilty pleasure
⚡ Pattern: be someone’s guilty pleasure
🎭 Informal

Example 1: Chocolate lava cake is my guilty pleasure.
Example 2: I know it’s unhealthy, but burgers are my guilty pleasure.

SAVORY / SAVOURY (Adjective)

📖 IPA: /ˈseɪvəri/
🔊 Pronunciation: सेवरी
💡 Meaning: Having a salty or spicy taste rather than sweet.
📝 अर्थ: नमकीन या मसालेदार स्वाद
📌 Collocations: savory dish, savory snack
⚡ Pattern: prefer savory food
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: I prefer savory dishes over sweet desserts.
Example 2: The soup had a rich savory flavour.

DINE OUT (Verb)

📖 IPA: /daɪn aʊt/
🔊 Pronunciation: डाइन आउट
💡 Meaning: To eat at a restaurant.
📝 अर्थ: बाहर खाना खाना
📌 Collocations: dine out with friends
⚡ Pattern: dine out at + place
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: We decided to dine out on Saturday night.
Example 2: I often dine out at Italian restaurants.

CRAVE (Verb)

📖 IPA: /kreɪv/
🔊 Pronunciation: क्रेव
💡 Meaning: To strongly want a particular food.
📝 अर्थ: तीव्र इच्छा होना
📌 Collocations: crave spicy food
⚡ Pattern: crave + noun
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: I sometimes crave spicy Thai food.
Example 2: She craves chocolate after dinner.

LIGHT BITE (Noun)

📖 IPA: /laɪt baɪt/
🔊 Pronunciation: लाइट बाइट
💡 Meaning: A small meal or snack.
📝 अर्थ: हल्का नाश्ता
📌 Collocations: grab a light bite
⚡ Pattern: have a light bite
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: We stopped for a light bite before the movie.
Example 2: I prefer a light bite in the evening.

FUSSY EATER (Noun)

📖 IPA: /ˈfʌsi ˈiːtər/
🔊 Pronunciation: फसी ईटर
💡 Meaning: Someone very particular about food.
📝 अर्थ: खाने में नखरे करने वाला
📌 Collocations: picky or fussy eater
⚡ Pattern: be a fussy eater
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: I was a fussy eater as a child.
Example 2: My brother is a fussy eater and avoids vegetables.

HEARTY (Adjective)

📖 IPA: /ˈhɑːrti/
🔊 Pronunciation: हार्टी
💡 Meaning: Filling and satisfying.
📝 अर्थ: भरपूर और पेट भरने वाला
📌 Collocations: hearty meal, hearty breakfast
⚡ Pattern: a hearty meal
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: It was a hearty meal that kept me full for hours.
Example 2: I enjoy a hearty breakfast on weekends.

COMFORT FOOD (Noun)

📖 IPA: /ˈkʌmfərt fuːd/
🔊 Pronunciation: कम्फर्ट फूड
💡 Meaning: Food that makes you feel emotionally comforted.
📝 अर्थ: सुकून देने वाला खाना
📌 Collocations: classic comfort food
⚡ Pattern: be comfort food
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: Pasta is my comfort food during stressful days.
Example 2: Homemade soup feels like comfort food.

MOUTH-WATERING (Adjective)

📖 IPA: /ˈmaʊθ wɔːtərɪŋ/
🔊 Pronunciation: माउथ-वॉटरिंग
💡 Meaning: Extremely appetizing or delicious-looking.
📝 अर्थ: मुँह में पानी लाने वाला
📌 Collocations: mouth-watering dessert
⚡ Pattern: look mouth-watering
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: The cake looked absolutely mouth-watering.
Example 2: The grilled chicken smelled mouth-watering.

WHOLESOME (Adjective)

📖 IPA: /ˈhoʊlsəm/
🔊 Pronunciation: होलसम
💡 Meaning: Good for health and nourishing.
📝 अर्थ: पौष्टिक
📌 Collocations: wholesome ingredients
⚡ Pattern: a wholesome meal
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: It was a wholesome and balanced meal.
Example 2: I prefer wholesome homemade food.

IN MODERATION (Phrase)

📖 IPA: /ɪn ˌmɒdəˈreɪʃən/
🔊 Pronunciation: इन मॉडरेशन
💡 Meaning: Not too much; within healthy limits.
📝 अर्थ: सीमित मात्रा में
📌 Collocations: consume in moderation
⚡ Pattern: in moderation
🎭 Neutral–Formal

Example 1: Desserts are fine in moderation.
Example 2: You should eat fried food in moderation.

TEMPTED (Adjective)

📖 IPA: /ˈtemptɪd/
🔊 Pronunciation: टेम्प्टेड
💡 Meaning: Feeling a desire to have something.
📝 अर्थ: ललचाया हुआ
📌 Collocations: feel tempted
⚡ Pattern: tempted to + verb
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: I was tempted to order another slice.
Example 2: She felt tempted by the dessert menu.

SATISFYING (Adjective)

📖 IPA: /ˈsætɪsfaɪɪŋ/
🔊 Pronunciation: सैटिस्फाइंग
💡 Meaning: Making you feel pleased or content.
📝 अर्थ: संतोष देने वाला
📌 Collocations: deeply satisfying
⚡ Pattern: find something satisfying
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: It was a deeply satisfying meal.
Example 2: I found the dish surprisingly satisfying.

SAVOUR / SAVOR (Verb)

📖 IPA: /ˈseɪvər/
🔊 Pronunciation: सेवर
💡 Meaning: To enjoy food slowly and appreciate it.
📝 अर्थ: स्वाद का आनंद लेना
📌 Collocations: savour every bite
⚡ Pattern: savour + noun
🎭 Neutral–Formal

Example 1: I like to savour every bite slowly.
Example 2: She savoured the rich flavours.

FOOD COMA (Noun)

📖 IPA: /fuːd ˈkoʊmə/
🔊 Pronunciation: फूड कोमा
💡 Meaning: Extreme tiredness after eating too much.
📝 अर्थ: ज़्यादा खाने के बाद की सुस्ती
📌 Collocations: slip into a food coma
⚡ Pattern: feel a food coma
🎭 Informal

Example 1: After the buffet, I felt a food coma.
Example 2: The heavy meal pushed me into a food coma.

INDULGENT (Adjective)

📖 IPA: /ɪnˈdʌldʒənt/
🔊 Pronunciation: इंडल्जेंट
💡 Meaning: Rich and luxurious, often unhealthy.
📝 अर्थ: ज़रूरत से ज़्यादा आनंद देने वाला
📌 Collocations: indulgent dessert
⚡ Pattern: feel indulgent
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: It was an indulgent chocolate dessert.
Example 2: The creamy pasta felt indulgent.

OVERINDULGE (Verb)

📖 IPA: /ˌoʊvərɪnˈdʌldʒ/
🔊 Pronunciation: ओवरइंडल्ज
💡 Meaning: To eat or drink too much.
📝 अर्थ: ज़्यादा खाना
📌 Collocations: overindulge in sweets
⚡ Pattern: overindulge in + noun
🎭 Neutral

Example 1: I tend to overindulge during festivals.
Example 2: Try not to overindulge in junk food.

PALATE (Noun)

📖 IPA: /ˈpælət/
🔊 Pronunciation: पैलेट
💡 Meaning: A person’s sense of taste or preference.
📝 अर्थ: स्वाद पहचानने की क्षमता
📌 Collocations: refined palate
⚡ Pattern: suit someone’s palate
🎭 Formal

Example 1: The dish suited my palate perfectly.
Example 2: He has a refined palate for spicy cuisine.

🎓 IELTS Band 9 Sample Answer

Cue Card: Describe a kind of foreign food you like and have had.

You should say:

What it is.

Where you had it.

What it tastes like.

And explain why you like it.

Recently, I tried authentic Japanese sushi at a restaurant in Delhi. I had never been a big fan of raw food because I used to be quite a fussy eater. However, the presentation was incredibly appetizing and almost mouth-watering, which tempted me to try it.

The flavour was delicate yet savory, and it suited my palate perfectly. Although sushi can be considered a guilty pleasure due to its price, I found it surprisingly wholesome and satisfying. I like to savour each bite slowly rather than overindulge, because I believe everything should be enjoyed in moderation.

What I appreciated most was how light yet hearty it felt. Unlike heavy meals that cause a food coma, this dish was refreshing and elegant. It has now become my comfort food whenever I dine out with friends.

Using advanced food vocabulary for IELTS helps express such experiences clearly and naturally.

Mastering advanced food vocabulary for IELTS is not about memorising complicated words. It is about learning how to express taste, emotion, and experience with clarity and confidence. When you use advanced food vocabulary for IELTS naturally, your answers become richer, more descriptive, and more impressive.

In IELTS Speaking, lexical range plays a crucial role. Using advanced food vocabulary for IELTS, such as mouth-watering, indulgent, satisfying, or wholesome, shows that you can communicate ideas precisely. The more you practise this advanced food vocabulary for IELTS, the more fluent and comfortable you will feel during the test.

Instead of repeating simple words like “tasty” or “nice,” challenge yourself to apply advanced food vocabulary for IELTS in daily conversations. Describe your meals, restaurant visits, and cravings using this advanced food vocabulary for IELTS, and soon it will become part of your natural speech.

Consistent exposure and practice will strengthen your confidence. Keep building your advanced food vocabulary for IELTS, and you will notice a real difference in your speaking performance.

Other topics you may like: 10 Powerful Advanced City Vocabulary Words That Instantly Upgrade Your English.

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