nourriture épicée
In French, spicy food is translated as nourriture épicée.
The term nourriture épicée refers to food that has a strong, hot flavor resulting from the use of spices or chili peppers.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of nourriture (food) and épicée (spiced or spicy).
Which one should you use?
While épicée refers broadly to the use of various spices, the word pimenté specifically refers to the heat from chili peppers. Additionally, if you want to describe food that is strongly seasoned or flavorful without necessarily being hot, you should use relevé instead of épicée.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In France, you can also use the words fort or piquant to describe food that is spicy.
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, nourriture is a singular uncountable noun. You use the singular form even when you are referring to 'spicy foods' in a general sense.
Did you know?
- While épicée describes the heat, the word épice (spice) is the root of the English word 'grocery', via the Old French épicerie, which originally meant a shop selling spices.
- If you ask for food that is not 'hot' in a spicy sense, avoid saying pas chaud, as this simply means the food is not a high temperature.
- In French culinary terms, describing a dish as relevé suggests the chef has 'lifted' the flavor, using acidity or spices to wake up the palate rather than just adding heat.
Examples in context
- Je n'aime pas la nourriture épicée.I don't like spicy food.This sentence is useful for expressing a dislike of nourriture épicée.Tatoeba #8372040 by Aiji, translation #813306 by papabear
- La nourriture épicée me donne le hoquet.Spicy food makes me hiccup.This sentence describes the physical reaction of having hiccups from nourriture épicée.Tatoeba #8401316 by lbdx, translation #5206817 by Adelpa
- J'espère que tu aimes la nourriture épicée.I hope you like spicy food.This sentence is used to express a hope that someone enjoys nourriture épicée.Tatoeba #7785951 by Aiji, translation #2360979 by CK
- J'aime la nourriture épicée.I like spicy food.
- Les mets épicés de la région sont délicieux.The spicy dishes from the region are delicious.
- On va au restaurant mexicain ce soir, j'ai envie de manger de la nourriture qui arrache!We're going to the Mexican restaurant tonight, I feel like eating food that burns!
- Tu as déjà goûté leur bouffe épicée ? C'est incroyable !Have you ever tasted their spicy grub? It's incredible!
- Cette cuisine créole est vraiment piquante, mais délicieuse !This Creole cuisine is really spicy, but delicious!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are deciding what to order for dinner.
- EmmaEst-ce que tu veux de la nourriture épicée ?Do you want spicy food?
- HugoOui, j'adore ça.Yes, I love it.
- EmmaParfait, commandons des tacos.Perfect, let's order tacos.
- HugoC'est une excellente idée, Emma.That is an excellent idea, Emma.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
