Spanish cuisine is one of the best in the world, and I am not saying this because I am from Spain. If you are not convinced it is so, it is probably because you have not tried it yet. As food plays a major role in our day to day lives, I have decided to teach you some expressions with food. Prepare yourself with some snacks, because things are about to get tasty.
- Vete a freír espárragos
If you want to tell somebody to leave you alone, a great way to ask him is to send him to fry asparagus, literally. I am not really sure where this expression originated from, but I guess that the first person to use it was not a great fan of asparagus either. So remember, if your friend is showcasing one again his lack of karaoke talent, just send him to cook a bit of asparagus. He will never know where that even came from.
- No todo el monte es orégano
This expression is like a reality check. It literally translates into not every hill is oregano. For this one, I happen to know the background. People used to go up the hills to collect herbs. Not all of the plants that grow are good to eat. Some of them are weeds or even poisonous plants. This is a caution. Sometimes things might not turn out how you want them to be. This is an expression designed to say this exact thing.
- Esto es pan comido
You know how in English, we have the expression “it is a piece of cake”. In Spanish, the equivalent is “this is eaten bread”. For those of you who do not know the expression, it means that it is very easy. So, I guess that next time when you have an exam, you could happily say that “esto es pan comido”.
- Ser quien corta el bacalao
It is time to add a fishy expression to our list. “Ser quien corta el bacalao” literally means, to be the one that cuts the cod. It basically means that you are the boss, the person in charge. How did we get to this expression? It is quite simple. In the 16th century, the foreman was the person in charge with cutting of the salt cod, along with dividing it along the workers, and sometimes even the slaves. So, in your family, are you the one cutting the cod?
As you can see, there are many expressions related to food. You can also check out my article about expressions with fruits. This way, your vocabulary will definitely improve. As soon as you know it, you will be using expressions better than a Spanish native. Always keep in mind, that in order to truly master a new language, you need to learn, and understand their expressions.
I hope that I did not make you too hungry. Keep on snacking, and keep on learning some food for the mind.
