tThe top 5 differences between American and British food vocabulary

In most cases Americans and Britons have the same words for speaking about food. A steak is a steak, apples are apples, and potatoes are potatoes. Most of the time it doesn’t matter which side of the Atlantic you’re on – you’ll be understood when you order your food and buy your groceries.
But watch out – sometimes there are differences. Let’s look at the most common.

Sweets vs. candy

We in the UK say sweets but the Americans call it candy. It’s also worth noting that sweet is a countable noun (plural sweets), while candy is both countable and uncountable.

Chips vs. French fries

Chips is British English, French fries American. If you ask for chips in the US, you’ll get what we call crisps in Britain! Confusing, eh?
British people often use the word fries, too because fast food chains in the UK such as McDonald’s and Burger King advertise the product as fries, not as chips.

(above) ‘Crisps’ in Britain, (below) ‘chips’ in the United States.

Biscuits vs. cookies

A biscuit is British, a cookie American.

Aubergine vs. eggplant

Like much food terminology in Britain, the word aubergine was borrowed from French. The Americans say eggplant, which sounds funny to British people. Just to add to the confusion, it’s also known as brinjal.

Courgette vs. zucchini

Once again, there’s a difference. The British say courgette (from French). The Americans say zucchini (watch out for the spelling!), which you’ll also hear in Australia and New Zealand.