hojuelas de chile
/oxwelas de t͡ʃile/from spelling rules
The English phrase "chili flakes" is translated into Spanish as hojuelas de chile.
The phrase refers to small pieces of dried and crushed chili peppers used as a spice in cooking.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression is composed of hojuelas, meaning "flakes" or "thin slices" and de chile, meaning "of chili".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the term chile triturado is used to describe chili flakes. In Argentina, the term ají molido is prevalent for this spice.
Did you know?
- While hojuelas de chile translates to 'chili flakes', the word hojuela is a diminutive of hoja, meaning 'leaf'. It literally describes the flakes as 'little leaves'.
- In Spanish, the word ají used in ají molido is an adaptation of the Taíno word ají, showing that Spanish absorbed different indigenous words for peppers depending on whether they were in Mexico or the Caribbean.
- The word hojuelas is also used to describe the thin, fried dough circles found in traditional Latin American desserts, treating the shape of the pastry like a 'flake'.
Examples in context
- ¿Tienes hojuelas de chile para la pizza?Do you have chili flakes for the pizza?
- Agregué unas hojuelas de chile a la pasta.I added some chili flakes to the pasta.
- No me gustan las hojuelas de chile en la sopa.I don't like chili flakes in the soup.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are at a casual Italian restaurant.
- MateoElena, ¿me pasas las hojuelas de chile, por favor?Elena, can you pass me the chili flakes, please?
- ElenaClaro, aquí tienes el recipiente.Sure, here is the container.
- MateoGracias, me encanta el toque picante.Thanks, I love the spicy touch.
- ElenaA mí también me gusta mucho.I like it a lot too.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
