Have you ever found a really interesting looking recipe that you really wanted to try then realized that it was written in a language not your own? We compiled some of the cooking and baking terms in Spanish translated to English. I hope these will help you with that difficult recipe so you can expand your cooking skills and try new recipes.
Here we have some cooking and baking terms. I’m sure there are many more but these are sure to help you when you try and follow a simple recipe.
a continuación – next
a punto de nieve – until stiff
agregue/agregar – add/ to add
al horno – baked
al gusto – to taste
albahaca – basil
albardilla – batter
amargo – bitter
amasada – mashed
añada/añadir – add/ to add
añadirlas – add
apagar – turn off
baje/ bajar – turn down/ to turn down
Cooking barbeque in a Fogón
barbacoa – barbecue
batidora eléctrica – electric mixer
batir – to whisk
blanda – soft
caldo – broth
chaucha – vanilla bean
chorrito – dash
claras de huevo – egg whites
cocer al horno – bake
comedor – dining room
congelado – frozen
congelador – freezer
cortado en cuatro – quartered
cortar en cuadritos – dice
cuajar – curdle
cucharada – spoonful
cucharadita (cdta.) – teaspoon
cucharones – ladles
cuélelo – drain, sieve
derretida – melted
derrita/ derretir – melt/ to melt
deshebrar – to shred
dore/ dorar – brown/ to brown
enjuague/ enjuagar – rinse/ to rinse
entibiarse – room temperature
escaldar – scald
escoba – broom
escurrir – drain
espesar – to thicken
Cooking up some sweets outside.
estofado – stew
exprimido/ exprimir – squeezed/ to squeeze
fregadero – kitchen sink
gabinete – cabinet
gaseosa – bubbly water
glasear – glaze
guarnición – garnish
hacer – puré
hasta que espese – until it gets thick
hervir – to boil
hervir – to simmer
hidratos de carbono – carbohydrates
hierba – herb
horno – oven
jengibre – ginger
jugoso – juicy
laurel – bay leaf
lavaplatos – dishwasher
libras – pounds
los demás – the rest
manteca vegetal – vegetable fat
mexcla/ mixclar – mix, mixture/ to mix
migas de pan – bread crumbs
mitad – half
molidas – crushed
molido – ground
nuez moscada – nutmeg
olla – saucepan, pot
papel de aluminio – aluminum foil
parrillada – barbecue
pedacitos – little bits, small pieces
pedazo grande – wedge
pelada/ pelar – peeled/ to peel
pequeños trozos – small pieces
perejil – parsley
pezado – piece
ponga/ poner – put/ to put
precalentar – to preheat
pulverizado – ground
punto de ebullición – boiling point
puré – puree
quemadas/ quemar – burnt/ burn
rallado – grated
rebanadas – slices
rellena – filled, stuffed
remojada – soaked
remover con energía – stir briskly
remover – to stir
revuelva – stir
rociando – basting
rodajas finas – thin slices
romero – rosemary
romper a hervir – to start boiling
A cooking tv show live in Parque Rosado
saltear – sauté
sancochadas – boiled
sartén – frying pan
sazonar – season with salt
sazone/ sazonar – season/ to season
séquelos – dry them
siga removiendo – keep stirring
tapados/ tapar – covered/ to cover
taza para medir – measuring cup
taza – cup
yema – egg yolk
Many words that originated from the Native Taino Indian Tribes are still used today. These Taino words are still in use in Dominican Republic and throughout the World.
Have you ever wondered what the names of different towns and barrios around the Dominican Republic mean? Check it out, some can be quite funny.
Taino Language Used Today
The Taino Indians were some of the original inhabitants of the island of Hispaniola. When the Spanish arrived they adopted many of the indigenous peoples’ words into their own vocabulary. Many of these words are still used throughout the world today. Just think, you may have been speaking the Taino language and you didn’t even know it.
Taino art found in the Caribbean Sea
Arepa – corn tortilla or type of cornmeal bread or cake (Arepa recipe)
Barbacoa – a platform held aloft on legs. Used for many things but widely known to be a barbecue when it was used for cooking
Bohío – straw hut
Borinquen – land of the valiant, the Taino name for Puerto Rico
Boricua – people from Borinquen (Puerto Rico)
Hamaca – hammock
Huracán – hurricane
Cana – type of palm
Caiman – type of crocodile Cacata – tarantula
Carey – sea turtle or tortoise
Cayo – small barren island
Cazabe – Cassaba bread (more info on cassava and yuca)
Chin – a small amount
Chinchilin – blackbird
Cibao – land within mountains
Cojoba – loose tobacco
Cocuyo – firefly or lightning bug (in Dominican legend cocuyos are known as Nimitas)
Fututo – horn made with a snail or conch shell
Guacara – a cave
Guaraguao – a kind of hawk that eats small animals
Guano – type of palm
Guay – expression of pain (in Dominican Spanish they say “Guay mi Mai”)
Higuaca – type of parrot Hupia or Juipa – a spirit or ghost of the night
Iguana – big lizard
Jaiba – small crab
A cute little Jaiba Crab
Lambi – conch meat
Licei – brave and daring (the name of the baseball team)
Mabi – very popular fermented beverage
Macana – a policeman’s stick (known as a Garrote in Spanish)
Macuto – a basket woven with palm or cane leaves Manati – the sacred marine animal (more information of the Sirens)
Maní – peanuts
Maraca – musical instrument
Nagua (a city in DR) – breechcloth
Quisqueya – also spelled Kiskeya (it is the name given to this island by the natives) – mother of all lands
Sabana – large valley or plain
Sapo – type of frog
Tabacu’ – Tobacco
Tureyro – sky
Yarey – type of palm
Funny Names Of Dominican Towns Translated
Names of places and towns/ barrios, cities/ cuidads, and streets/ calles in Dominican Republic and their English translations.
Many times when you try to translate a word from any language to your own the idea is lost in the translation. Some words can end up to be quite funny when you use the literal English translations. Hope you get a little laugh as I did. Maybe when you come to visit you might want to pass through the towns named “The pool of flies” or “hanging dogs”.
Ahorca los Perros – Hanging Dogs
Bajos de Haina – Haina Downs
Bocacanasta – Basket Mouth
Castañuelas – Little Castanet Town
Castillo – Castle Town
Correa y Cidrón – Belt and Big Sider
Dajabón – Give Soap
El Aguacate Adentro – The Inside Avocado
El Cachón de la Rubia – The Blondie’s Big Crab
El Hoyo de Chulín – Little Gigolo’s hole
El Peñón – The Big Rock
Elias Piña – Elias Pineapple
Enriquillo – Little Henry
Esperanza – Hope City
Francisco Villaespesa – Frank Thick Village
Jacinto de la Concha – Jason of the Shell Street
Jobo Bonito – Cute Plum
Juana Saltitopa – Jane Jump and Touch Street
La Cañada del Diablo – The Devil’s Ravine
La Descubierta – The Discovered One
La Otra Banda – The Other Side
La Piscina de Moca – The Pool of Fly
Los Guandulitos – Little Slackers
Las Matas de Farfán – Pharpham’s Trees
Los Mameyes – The Orange Colors
Los Pepines – The Pickles
Los Tres Brazos – The Three Arms
Los Tres Ojos – The Three Eyes
Luis Cambiaso – Louis Big Change
Mano Guayabo – Guava Hand
Mata Barraco – Kill Pork
Matahambre – Kill Hunger
Monte Plata – Silver Mount
Mono Mojao – Wet Monkey
Padre Las Casas – Father the Houses
Sabana de la Mar – Sea Plain Fishermen at Sabana de la Mar
Sabana Larga – Long Plain
Sabana Perdida – Lost Plain
Sabana Yegua – Mare Plain
Tamboril – Little Drums
Valverde – Green to Go
Villas Agrícolas – Farming Village
Villa Altagracia – High Thanks Village
Villa Consuelo – Consolation Village
Villa Faro – Lighthouse Village
Villa Francisca – Frances Village
Villa Juana – Jane Village
Names Of Things In Nature / Nombres De Las Cosas En La Naturaleza
Animals,
Here you will find the names of trees, flowers and animals in Spanish. Some things in Dominican Republic have names that are different than other Spanish speaking countries. Also, how to use animals traits to describe people and the sounds animals make in Spanish.
A very important Dominicanism to remember is the word vaina. If you do not know what something is just point at it and say la vaina / the thing. This can cover up for many unknown words!
Trees / Árboles
*Almendra – Almond trees. These trees can get quite large and produce a single fruit inside of a flour type bud. A beautiful Almendra Tree
*Almacigo – Mastic tree
*Arce – Maple
*Avellano – Hazel
*Caimito – Star apple
*Cajuil – Cashew
*Caoba – Mahogany tree. This tree is the National Tree of Dominican Republic
*Cedro – Cedar
*Cerezo – Cherry tree
*Flamboyant/ Framboyan – Flame Tree or Royal Poinciana. This tree flowers in late spring/ early summer and is very beautiful with its bright red umbrella of flowers. A beautiful Flamboyant Tree with it’s bright red flowers.
*Guasábara – Species of cactus that grows in the barren zones of the Dominican Republic
*Higuera – Fig tree
*Ardilla – Squirrel
*Cabron – a large male goat
*Cacata – tarantula-type spider (picture and information about the cacata)
*Chinchilín – blackbird
*Chivo – goat
*Cocuyo or Cucuyo – firefly, lightning bug
*Gallina – chicken
*Huron – ferret
*Mono – monkey
*Paloma – Pigeon
*Pavo – turkey
*Peje, Pecao – fish
*Viralata – used to describe a mixed breed dog, and the way they search for food. “Living out of the can”
*Zorrillo – skunk
Using animals traits to describe people
*Burro – (donkey) a gross person
*Conejo – (rabbit) someone whose front teeth are large or missing
*Jirafas – (giraffes) women who excel because of their high stature
*Leon – (lion) a person who always wants to solve a problem by fighting, using fists
*Gallo/ Gallito – (rooster) a person who always wants to solve a problem by fighting, using fists
*Liebre – (hare) a person that cannot be caught when he flees
*Perro – (dog) one that does not have morals and lacks education
*Puerco – (pig) person with bad hygiene
*Pulpo – (squid) type of person that wants everything to be the way he wants it to be, grabs for all of life
*Ratón – (mouse) someone that is of small build
*Rata – (rat) low person without morals or values
*Toro – (bull) person with great force and resistance, bull-headed
How Animals Talk / Cómo los Animales Hablan
Remember the song Old McDonald Had a Farm (The Spanish version is called El Viejo Juancho Tenía Una Granja is on the bottom of this page)? Well, in Spanish the animals make different sounds. Yes, animals living in Spanish speaking countries also speak Spanish. Even though when hearing a Spanish speaking animal make their given noise the sound is the same in my ear, when it hits a Spanish speaking person ear, I guess, the sound is different. The person who’s eardrums are intercepting the sound interprets the animal talk into their own language.
One really never thinks of an animal speaking a different language until you are confronted with it. When in Dominican Republic try calling a cat or dog the way you usually call them. They will ignore you completely (unless you have food that is). They are probably laughing at you inside their little animal heads!
Remember, the little lip popping, kissy sound one makes to call a dog in one country can (and does) mean Attack! in Dominican Republic. A cat will ignore you completely if you call it as you would in English but as soon as you say misu, misu it (may) then pay you attention. I wonder what Doctor Doolittle would do…..
The bees say buzzz in English and Spanish.
*Bee – English = bzzzz / Las abejas hacen en español (the bees say in Spanish) = bzzz
*Bird – English = tweet tweet / Los pájaros trinan hacen en español de españa (Spain) = pío pío, Argentina Spanish = pi pi
*Cat – English = meow / El Gato ladra hace español = miau
*Chick – USA English = peep peep / British English=cheep cheep / Español = pío pío
*Cow – English = moo / Las vacas mugen hacen en español = muuu
*Crow – English = caw / Español = cruaaac, cruaaac
*Dog – English = bow wow, arf, woof, ruff ruff / El perro ladra hace español = guau guau or wow wow
*Donkey – English = hee-haw / Costa Rica Spanish = iii-aah, iii-aah
*Dove, pigeon – English = coo / La paloma hace en español = cu-curru-cu-cú
*Duck – English = quack quack / Los Patos hacen en español de españa (Spain) = cuá cuá / Argentina Spanish=cuac cuac
*Frog – English = ribbit / Spain Spanish = La rana croa hace encruá-cruá / Argentina Spanish = berp / Peru Spanish = croac, croac
*Goat – English = baaah / El chivo hace en español = bee bee
*Hen – English = cackle and cluck / Español = coc co co coc
*Horse – English = neigh or whinny / El caballo relincha hace / Colombia Spanish = iiiiou / Paraguay Spanish = ioohoho / Peru Spanish = iiiiii / Spain Spanish = híiiiiiiiii
*Owl – English = hoo / El búho hace en español = uu uu
*Pig – English = oink oink / El cerdo hace en español = oink-oink
*Rooster – English = cock-a-doodle-doo / El gallo canta hace / Spain Spanish = kikirikí / Argentina Spanish = ki-kiri-ki
The chickens in the tree say ki-kiri-ki
*Sheep – English = baaah / Las ovejas balan; hacen / Spain Spanish = bee / Argentina Spanish = meeee
*Tiger – English = grrrrrr / El tigre hace Spain Spanish = grgrgrgr / Venezuela Spanish = gggrrrrrrr
(my little joke – Tiger – Dominican person speaking in English “Hey BABY”! IE: definition of a tigre in Dominican Spanish is a person who is a womanizer)
El viejo Juancho tenía una granja (Old McDonald Had a Farm)
translated by Paola Ferate-Soto
El viejo Juancho tenía una granja, iai, iai, oo.
Y en su granja tenía un marrano, iai, iai, oo.
Con su oink, oink aquí, con su oink, oink allí,
Aquí oink, allí oink, en todos lados oink, oink.
El viejo Juancho tenía una granja, iai, iai, oo.
The rest of the verses continue:
Vaca: mu, mu
Pollito: pío, pío
Caballo: neigh, neigh
Oveja: bee, bee
Perro: guau, guau
Gato: miau, miau
Pato: cuac, cuac
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