Describe your favorite dish or food item.
You should say:
- what dish or food item it is
- how it is prepared or cooked
- how common this food item or dish is
and explain why it is your favorite dish/food item.
Sample Answer 1
I love food, so it is hard to think of just one favorite food! However, if I had to choose, I could think of something that I like to have as a special treat from time to time.
The food is quite simple. I’ve always considered it a Greek specialty, although others tell me it originates in Egypt. This food is “Houmous,” and I love it. The food is spelled differently in American English – they call it hummus, and in British English, we spell it with an ‘O’ and a ‘U’ instead of just the ‘U’, but the recipe is the same in either case.
It is made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic. It is popular throughout the Middle East (including Turkey), North Africa (including Morocco), and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe, but it is also extremely popular with me. However, I’m very particular about the sort I buy.
I live near a beautiful delicatessen; a friendly couple runs it; he is Italian, and she is vintage Yorkshire. They make their houmous with only the finest quality virgin olive oil and huge quantities of the best fresh garlic they can get. It was pretty expensive, but I love it. And it’s better than my attempts for some reason, I don’t know why, but it shouldn’t be so hard to make.
Why do I like it? I think it is partly the texture and taste; I love garlic. Also, because I’m vegetarian, it is a very healthy food, with lots of protein and quality fats that are good for you. Of course, you can have too much of a good thing, but I think it’s well worth it.
It is my favorite food because it is delicious and you can share it with other people. It is best eaten as a dip with friends. I carefully sliced many carrots, cucumber, and celery into crudités to make a colorful dish, perhaps with some slices of warm pitta bread. A nice bottle of white wine helps. We can then all sit together enjoying the fresh humous dip, sipping our glasses of wine, laughing, and talking to put the world to rights. It is a great way to enjoy a great food item.
Sample Answer 2
I have several favorite food items that I like to eat. While some food items are traditional, others have unconventional recipes and cooking methods. However, today, I would like to discuss a traditionally cooked food item.
This favorite food item of mine is called “Hilsha fish curry”. Hilsa (or Ilish) curry is the national dish of Bangladesh, made from the Hilsa fish, and is one of the most famous traditional Bangladeshi dishes. In Bangladesh, eating every part of the Hilsa fish, including the head and the eggs, is common. Nothing is wasted as every part of this fish has its unique delicacies. One can find fish egg dishes or fish head curries that are widely revered throughout the country.
This particular food item is very popular in many parts of India, except that they have their Hilsha fish to fry. Indian people sometimes rely on the export of this delicious fish from Bangladesh. The ingredients used to prepare this dish are Hilsa fish, salt, turmeric powder, black cumin seeds, green chilies, mustard oil, and water. Mustard oil and black cumin seeds are also significant in preparing this dish, depending on what taste one prefers. But, to cook this delicious food item, one first needs to marinate the Hilsha fish in turmeric and chili paste before slowly frying it on low heat and serving it with mustard gravy and steamed rice. The result combines sweet and sour flavors with an incredible spicy kick.
It is my favorite food item because Hilsa curry is filling, flavorsome, and easy to make. Besides, it is also widely available throughout the country, especially during the rainy season. Finally, it is my favorite because it is the only authentic “Bengali” curry that can be served on all occasions.
Sample Answer 3
My favorite dish is “Fried Rice, vegetables, chicken curry, and salad”. This is, in fact, the most popular menu in our country that people often enjoy both at home and outside. I often devour this dish when I visit one of my favorite eateries or restaurants.
The rice is boiled in water for about 25 minutes to prepare this menu and then fried with vegetables, spices, onions, and olive oil. The chicken curry is prepared separately using local spices and chicken, and finally, the salad is prepared using different seasonal vegetables and fruits. Then those vegetables and fruits are cut and mixed with mustard. Then these three items are served together. This is a delicious menu.
I eat this dish at least 2 or 3 times a week. This menu is prepared at home, and sometimes I eat it in a restaurant. There are variations in the way this food is prepared and the ingredients used to prepare it. Different restaurants have their specialty in preparing and serving this dish.
This is my favorite food for many reasons. Firstly it is very delicious, flavorsome, and healthy. This menu meets the demand for different food values our body needs, which is the second reason I eat it often. It is available in most parts of our country, which is another reason many people love to order it. Moreover, preparing this dish does not require much effort, so we can quickly cook it at home. For all these reasons, it is my favorite dish.
Part 3 – Two-way discussion:
Q. Tell me about the types of food people eat in your country.
Q. How are people’s eating habits now in your country different from their eating habits in the past?
Q. How healthy is your country’s food?
Q. Why do you think different cultures have different table manners?
Q. How may eating habits change in the coming decades?
Q. How has technology changed the way we prepare our food these days?
Q. Tell me about the types of food people eat in your country.
Answer: The majority of the people in my country are overly reliant on rice and curries – curries predominantly cooked with fish and vegetables, whether they are eating at home or dining at some restaurants. Of course, many people are increasingly habituated to eating “international cuisines,” primarily Chinese and other oriental types, and consuming traditional foods for their daily needs. Besides, people in my country also like to eat different kinds of fruits imported from other countries and homegrown.
Finally, fast food items have gained massive popularity in the last ten years, especially among young children.
Q. How are people’s eating habits now in your country different from their eating habits in the past?
Answer: If we are talking about the eating habits of most people, it certainly hasn’t changed much from the past. But, if we are talking about the rest and others, especially the ones from affluent societies with a higher income, they seem to have become more comfortable eating at restaurants instead of at home, probably because of their busy lifestyles. We can also see that more and more people have recently been inclined towards foreign dishes, which wasn’t that visible even a decade ago. Moreover, fast food items have become popular among young children who are mad about eating those fast food. Finally, technology now enables people to order food of their choice while staying home through food ordering applications and websites.
Q. How healthy is your country’s food?
Answer: If we compare my country’s foods with many parts of the world, especially the Western countries, we can safely surmise that they are generally healthier. By the way, when I say “healthier”, I mean to suggest that a tiny percentage of people in my country are as obese as in many other countries. Besides, not too many people in my country are overly reliant on red meats – meats that can potentially cause many health complications – for their daily protein needs. Our oil/butter consumption is also at minimal, which thankfully helps prevent heart diseases.
Q. Why do you think different cultures have different table manners?
Answer: People from different cultures eat different food – different food in different shapes, sizes, and textures – and therefore, it is only natural that they will have different table manners. It is also a matter of personal taste, preference, and comfort, regardless of what culture a person belongs to. For example, a person may carry a bottle of cranberry apple juice and drink from it instead of sitting still at a table because he/she wants to enjoy a beautiful summer day outside also at the same time. It can also be true that, as nations, we have some distinctive cultural aspects and behaviors regarding table manners. This is why “burping” while eating may be acceptable in some cultures while indecent in others.
Q. How may eating habits change in the coming decades?
Answer: Well, ‘eating habits is a rather broad term since it is associated with several other factors, such as what we eat and why we eat them. I think that because of the development of technology, especially food technologies, the chances are that we will probably start eating many new foods or food items that we thought were harmful to our health. In the same way, we will probably scrap or completely give up on some of the foods we like in the coming decades because of finding new data and statistics with the help of the latest technologies. But one thing is sure we will have a diverse range of choices when ordering food due to the advancement of technology.
Q. How has technology changed the way we prepare our food these days?
Answer: Technology has undoubtedly changed the ways we do many things, including, of course, how we prepare our food as well. To begin with, because of new technologies, like TV and the internet, we can almost instantly learn about our favorite recipes to cook our favorite dishes. Secondly, technology has allowed us to have many sophisticated kitchen appliances, such as ovens and electric grills, which can help us prepare our food in less time and effort. Perhaps in the past, not many people dared to try to cook food from what they already knew how to cook, but these days people prepare exotic and foreign dishes at home.