Everyone has their favourite cuisines, whether it be Italian, Chinese, Turkish, or Mexican.
These exotic foods are named in their native language, and more often than not, we may not be pronouncing them right.
When ordering our food at restaurants, how often have we shied at the table, embarrassed to say the name of our order for fear of mispronouncing it? You're not alone.
A study by language learning experts Preply has revealed the top 20 mispronounced foods in the world, including chipotle, acai, quinoa - and even Worcestershire sauce, Wales Online reports.
Read more: Man asked 'am I dying' as he bled to death outside family home
Many of us enjoy a meal with an exotic sounding twist. But ordering your chosen food can sometimes be a bit of a nightmare.
How many times have you been left rosy-cheeked in a restaurant after failed attempts to order a quinoa salad or gyros? And then there are the debates with friends over the correct way to pronounce everything from paella to prosciutto.
Amy Pritchett, Student Success Manager at Preply has shared her advice on ordering food and pronouncing it correctly. She said: "Break up the words into small sounds. Don’t get overwhelmed. Look at each syllable and try to say it alone before putting the sounds together to form the word.
"Are there any particular sounds specific to the food’s native language? Some languages have certain sounds that come up a lot. For example, the ‘ç” in niçoise and açai is a soft ‘s’ sound and comes up a lot in food names.
"Google! The internet is your best friend when trying to learn new words or food names. You can easily find videos or sound clips of how to say each word.
"Ask the waiter. Waiters and servers will often know how to pronounce each dish on the menu. They will be able to advise you on how to pronounce the dish you are asking to order.
"Watch cooking shows or videos. Watching shows like Masterchef or the Great British Bake Off can help you learn food names and dishes. Whether they are baking focaccia or adding edamame to a pho, you can easily pick up some pronunciation tips.
Preply looked at the most searched for food names and then checked their pronunciations. Here are the top 10 most mispronounced foods - and how to say them properly, along with 10 dishes that can be quite the tongue twisters.
1) Quinoa - keen · waa
This South American food, popular within the health and fitness community, is often mispronounced as 'kwin-o-a', but the correct way to say it is 'keen-wa'.
2) Gyros - yee · ros
This delicious Greek wrap is often mispronounced as the 'Gy' is softened to give it a 'yee' sound. Therefore, it is pronounced as 'yee-ros' and not 'gy-ros'.
3) Croissant - kwa · son
Croissants are a staple French pastry and despite its mass popularity, it is often mispronounced. The French word should be said as 'kwa-son' rather than the commonly used 'cro-sont'. The 'T' remains silent.
4) Açai - a · sai
The healthy snack is pronounced in a simple two-syllable 'a-sai', contrary to popular way it is pronounced, 'a-kai'. The 'C' is softened.
5) Gnocchi - no · kee
There are two silent letters in the popular Italian pasta. The 'G' is silent and the 'cchi' is pronounced as 'kee'.
6) Lychee - lai · Chee
The Southern Chinese fruit is pronounced as 'lie-chee' rather than 'lee-chee.
7) Chipotle - chuh · powt · lay
This Mexican seasoning is commonly pronounced as 'chee-po-til' - however this is incorrect. The Americanised way of saying it is 'chuh-powt-lay', which isn't too different from its Mexican origins 'chee-pot-leh'.
8) Worcestershire sauce - wu · stuh · shuh
There is a lot of confusion on the way this sauce is pronounced, especially amongst non-Brits. Just like the way Leicestershire is pronounced, Worcestershire sauce is spoken in the three-syllable “wu-stuh-shuh”.
9) Pho - fuh
Pho is a popular Vietnamese dish - but is is often pronounced wrongly. The 'ph' is pronounced as 'f' and the 'o' is pronounced as 'uh', calling it 'fuh'.
10) Jalapeño - Ha · luh · pee ·nyow
This spicy little chilli is commonly found in Spanish and Mexican dishes, but could you be saying it wrongly? The 'J' is pronounced as 'H'. So instead of calling it 'Ja-le-pee-nyow', it is pronounced as Ha · luh · pee ·nyow.
11) Focaccia - foh-cahtch-ah
12) Bruschetta - broo-skett-ah
13) Hummus - homm-us
14) Edamame - eh-duh-maa-may
15) Paella - pah-eh-yah
16) Poutine - poo-tin
17) Poke (bowl) - po-kay
18) Gyoza - gee-oh-zuh
19) Prosciutto - pro-shoo-tow
20) Foie Gras - fwaa graa
