pollo palomita
/poʝo palomita/from spelling rules
The English phrase "popcorn chicken" is translated into Spanish as pollo palomita.
The term refers to small, bite-sized pieces of chicken that have been breaded and fried.
Which one should you use?
You may also encounter the informal expression Pollo estilo popcorn, which translates to "popcorn-style chicken".
How do you pronounce it?
/poʝo palomita/
Did you know?
- The word palomita is a diminutive of paloma, which means 'dove', because popcorn looks like small white birds.
- While pollo palomita is used, different Spanish-speaking countries use wildly different names for the same dish, such as pollo pop or pollo nuggets.
- Spanish uses the diminutive suffix -ita in palomita to describe the size, but in this context, it creates a permanent name for the food rather than just describing it as 'small'.
Examples in context
- ¿Podría traerme un plato de pollo en trozos pequeños frito, por favor?Could you bring me a plate of chicken in small fried pieces, please?
- ¡Hoy quiero comer pollo estilo popcorn, es mi favorito!Today, I want to eat popcorn-style chicken, it's my favorite!
- En este lugar sirven un delicioso pollo frito en bolitas, ¿quieres probarlo?They serve a delicious fried chicken in little balls at this place, do you want to try it?
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are ordering food at a fast food restaurant.
- LucíaAlejandro, ¿qué quieres comer hoy?Alejandro, what do you want to eat today?
- AlejandroMe gustaría probar el pollo palomita.I would like to try the popcorn chicken.
- LucíaEs una buena opción, yo pediré lo mismo.That is a good option, I will order the same.
- AlejandroPerfecto, pidamos dos porciones entonces.Perfect, let's order two portions then.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries palomita, pollo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
