Sometimes even hardcore foodies miss the boat on certain trends, and it quickly becomes too late to ask what say, farro is. Merriam-Webster wanted to do us all a favor and make it possible to find out what all trendy food words mean without putting our foodie reputations at risk.
The dictionary recently announced that it had added over 1,000 new words this month, and according to Food52, 30 of those are food related. Most exciting, though, are the five very trendy food words included in that long list.
First, there's acai, a word whose correct pronunciation has been hotly debated for years. Merriam-Webster rules once and for all, this little tropical berry is pronounced ˌä-ˌsä-ˈē, -sī-ˈē. Artisanal has also been added, which we're so grateful for. Knowing the true, dictionary definition of the word will help us call BS on anyone who labels their product "artisanal" but doesn't produce them in limited quantities by traditional methods.
Another word you'll now find in the dictionary is coconut water. Since this drink is already our go-to help for hangover recovery, it's good to know what exactly we're chugging on Saturday mornings. It's the clear liquid that comes from a young, fresh coconut, in case you were wondering. The definition of farro has finally been cleared up as well. For this one, the dictionary actually redirects you to "spelt" — another name for farro — which is an ancient wheat with long spikelets containing two light red flattened grains. Don't worry, M-W can clear up what spikelet is too.
And, finally, we have an answer to the age-old question, "is it macaron or macaroon?" With its addition of macaron, the dictionary explains that this spelling only applies to those brightly colored Parisian sandwich cookies. Macaroons, on the other hand, are small cookies made of egg whites, sugar, and coconut. Phew, that clears so much up. Here's the entire list of food-related words that were recently added, according to Food52:
acai
Alfredo sauce
American chop suey
arancini
artisanal
calamondin
chef’s knife
chicken mushroom
chicken of the woods
circus peanut
coconut milk
coconut water
d’Anjou
elderflower
EVOO
farro
flatbread
food secure
food insecure
food truck
immersion circulator
macaron
Minneola tangelo
noni
olericulture
red bliss
santoku
secret sauce
Shirley Temple
strata
Alfredo sauce
American chop suey
arancini
artisanal
calamondin
chef’s knife
chicken mushroom
chicken of the woods
circus peanut
coconut milk
coconut water
d’Anjou
elderflower
EVOO
farro
flatbread
food secure
food insecure
food truck
immersion circulator
macaron
Minneola tangelo
noni
olericulture
red bliss
santoku
secret sauce
Shirley Temple
strata