pastel de carne
/pastel de kaɾne/from spelling rules
The English phrase "meat loaf" is translated into Spanish as pastel de carne.
pastel de carne refers to a dish made of ground meat that is shaped and baked in the manner of a loaf of bread.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "meat cake" or "meat pie" because pastel can mean cake, pie or pastry.
Which one should you use?
While the word pastel often implies a sweet cake in English, in this culinary context it refers to a savory baked dish.
How do you pronounce it?
/pastel de kaɾne/
Did you know?
- The term pastel is a linguistic relative of the English word 'pastel', which refers to a pale color or a crayon, due to their shared root in describing a paste-like consistency.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, a pastel de carne is more like a shepherd's pie, topped with a layer of mashed potatoes instead of being a standalone loaf.
- The word carne is a linguistic sibling to the English word 'carnal', which relates to the physical body or flesh.
Examples in context
- El pastel de carne está muy rico.The meat loaf is very tasty.
- ¿Vas a cocinar un pastel de carne hoy?Are you going to cook a meat loaf today?
- Necesito comprar carne para el pastel de carne.I need to buy meat for the meat loaf.
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- Daniel¿Quieres comer pastel de carne hoy?Do you want to eat meat loaf today?
- ElenaSí, me encanta ese plato.Yes, I love that dish.
- DanielPerfecto, yo lo preparo en la cocina.Perfect, I will prepare it in the kitchen.
- ElenaGracias, Daniel, suena muy bien.Thanks, Daniel, that sounds very good.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pastel de carne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries carne, de, pastel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
