comida picante
/komida pikante/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for spicy food is comida picante.
The phrase describes food that has a strong, burning taste resulting from the use of chili peppers or other spices.
What does it mean word for word?
The adjective picante is derived from the verb picar, which means to sting, prick or bite.
Which one should you use?
While comida picante specifically refers to the heat from chilies, comida condimentada refers to food that is heavily seasoned with spices, such as cumin or cinnamon, without necessarily being hot.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the term comida picosa can also be used to describe spicy food.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the word especiado to mean that food is hot or spicy. especiado only means that food is full of spices and does not imply heat.
Did you know?
- In Spain, describing a person as picante doesn't refer to their taste in food, but rather suggests they are suggestive or 'spicy' in a romantic sense.
- The word picante shares the same root as the verb picar, which can also mean 'to peck' like a bird or 'to pick' at a guitar string.
- While comida picante is the standard term, using the word picante to describe a person can imply that the person is 'spicy' or 'sharp' in temperament. It shares a linguistic root with the idea of being biting or stinging in one's words.
Examples in context
- ¿Te gusta la comida picante?Do you like spicy food?This example is useful for asking if someone likes spicy food using the comida picante.Tatoeba #3013561 by marcelostockle, translation #1484168 by rafael8243
- ¿Le gusta la comida picante?Do you like hot, spicy food?Tatoeba #4579768 by cueyayotl, translation #11463912 by Serveto
- Espero que te guste la comida picante.I hope you like spicy food.This example is useful for expressing the hope that someone enjoys spicy food using the comida picante.Tatoeba #2864985 by marcelostockle, translation #2360979 by CK
- Voy a probar ese platillo picante que me recomendaron.I'm going to try that spicy dish they recommended.
- ¿Te gusta la comida condimentada? A mí me encanta.Do you like spicy food? I love it.
- Hoy quiero disfrutar de una gastronomía con sabores picantes.Today I want to indulge in gastronomy with spicy flavors.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- SofíaNo quiero comer comida picante hoy.I don't want to eat spicy food today.
- JavierEstá bien, podemos pedir una pizza.That's fine, we can order a pizza.
- Sofía¿A ti te gusta la comida picante, Javier?Do you like spicy food, Javier?
- JavierA mí me encanta, pero prefiero algo suave.I love it, but I prefer something mild.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
