31 Food with Different Names in Different Countries (Spanish)

Cake in Spanish is Queque

Although I was born in Costa Rica, I grew up in the United States and my primary language is English. I grew up speaking English, but my mom made sure to teach us Spanish and to put us in environments where we would use Spanish so that we could communicate with our family in Costa Rica. 

In fact, my mom enrolled my siblings and me in a bilingual school when I was in first grade. We were living in Oregon at the time and back then there weren’t too many Latinos living around our area. 

I felt proud to know a little bit more Spanish than my classmates. I always knew what to say in Spanish and how to say it (well… almost always). 

However, the Bible does say that pride comes before the fall, right? Yea… I fell.

My Spanish teacher asked the class one day how to say “cake” in Spanish. I confidently rose my hand and said “queque”. My teacher looked at me and said, “Noooo, Melissa. That’s not correct. Does anyone else know”? 

I was so confused. I was sooo sure that’s how to say cake in Spanish! I’ve used that word so many times.

Do you know what the “correct” answer was? 

Pastel. 

I thought to myself… what the…?

Right as I got off the bus at the end of the day to go back home I ran to my mom and told her about how the teacher was wrong today because she told me that cake in Spanish is pastel and not queque.

My mom laughed.

She told me queque is how you say cake in Costa Rican Spanish, but other Spanish-speaking countries use different words for the same thing.

I thought queque was Spanish for cake. I know how to speak Spanish. What is this madness?

So, that’s how I learned that there are other words for cake in Spanish. I was so confused. 

To make matters worse, a while later I learned that other Spanish-speaking countries don’t say confite for candy.

I was such a confused little kid.

About the Spanish Language

Spanish is considered a romance language. The romance languages are those which originated in Latin. They include Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Romanian, and Catalan. This is why these languages all sound very similar.

There are currently 559 million people worldwide who speak Spanish. Of those 559 million, 460 million are native Spanish speakers (Forbes.com).

Interestingly, the second-largest Spanish-speaking population is not located in a country where Spanish is the official or primary language. This country, believe it or not, is the United States. The country with the most amount of Spanish speakers is Mexico.

Spanish is the official language of the following countries:

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• Equador
• Equatorial Guinea (Africa)
• El Salvador
• Guatemala

• Honduras
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Puerto Rico
• Spain
• Uruguay
• Venezuela

How the Spanish Language Spread to Other Countries

As many people know or can assume, the Spanish language originated in Spain and spread to many other countries around the world.

Before that, the Spanish language came into existence in Spain as a result of various invasions throughout time by the Visigoths in Central Europe and the Moors of Northern Africa (rosettastone.com). 

These invasions influenced the Spanish language to become what it is today. These influences include Arabic, Greek, and other Native American languages.

You can see Arabic influences from the North African Moors, for example, in words like almohada (pillow) and azucar (sugar). 

Almohada comes from the Arabic word al-makhada, which means the same thing. Azucar comes from the word sukkar, which means the same thing.

Eventually, in the 1600s and 1700s, after the Spanish language had become more established, Spanish explorers and conquistadores voyaged to the Americas. The Spanish language quickly spread throughout the Caribbean and North, Central, and South America.

The cultural and regional differences amongst these different Spanish-speaking countries are the reasons why some words and phrases have different meanings. 

For example, the natives of the Caribbean spoke a different language from the natives of the mountainous Andes. 

Below, I have provided a list of food with different names in different countries.

Food with Different Names in Different Countries

*These definitions were all found on spanishdict.com*

Appetizer

Entrada: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Botana: Mexico

Tapa: Spain

Avocado

Aguacate: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Palta: South America

Banana

Banano: Costa Rica

Plátano: Mexico

Banana: South America, Panama

Beans

Frijoles: Most Latin American countries

Judías: Spain

Habichuelas: Many Latin American countries, Caribbean, Andes

Caraotas: Venezuela

Alubias: Spain

Beet

Remolacha: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Betabel: Mexico

Cake

Queque: Costa Rica, Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras 

Pastel: Mexico

Torta: South America, Spain

Bizcocho: Puerto Rico, Columbia

Candy

Confite: Costa Rica

Dulce: Mexico & other Latin American Countries

Chuchería: Spain

Corn

Maíz: Many Spanish-speaking countries

Elote: Central America, Mexico

Choclo: South America

Cream

Crema: Latin America

Nata: Spain

Green Bean

Frijol verde: Many Latin American countries

Habichuela: Colombia, Panama, Spain

Chaucha: Paraguay, River Plate

Ejote: Mexico

Judía Verde: Spain

Hotdog

Perro caliente: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Pancho: River Plate

Jocho: Mexico

Ice-cream

Helado: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Mantecado: Puerto Rico

Nieve: Mexico

Juice

Jugo: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Zumo: Spain

Lemon

Limón: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Lima: Andes, Caribbean, Mexico, Panama

Lunch

Almuerzo: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Comida: Mexico, Spain

Orange

Naranja: Most Spanish-speaking countries

China: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic

Pancake

Panqueque: Many Spanish-speaking countries

Hotcake: Mexico

Panqué: Central America, Colombia

Panqueca: Venezuela

Passion Fruit

Maracuyá: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Parchita: Dominican Republic, Venezuela

Parcha: Puerto Rico

Chinola: Dominican Republic

Peach

Durazno: Latin America

Melocotón: Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain

Peanut

Maní: Latin America

Cacahuate: Spain, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua

Pineapple

Piña: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Ananá: Argentina, Uruguay

Popcorn

Palomitas de maíz: Many Latin American Countries

Cabritas: Chile

Pochoclo: Argentina

Pororó: Bolivia, Paraguay, River Plate

Canguil: Ecuador

Poporopos: Guatemala

Pipocas: Bolivia

Rositas: Cuba

Cotufas: Venezuela

Popcorn: Panama, Puerto Rico

Pork

Cerdo: Many Latin American countries

Chancho: Many Latin American countries

Puerco: Mexico, Panama

Marrano: Colombia

Potato

Papa: Latin America

Patata: Spain

Snack

Bocado: Many Spanish-speaking countries

Piscolabis: Spain

Botana: Mexico

Picadera: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic

Steak

Bistec: Many Spanish-speaking countries

Bife:  Bolivia, River Plate

Straw

Sorbete:  Many Spanish-speaking countries

Popote: Mexico

Pitillo: Colombia, Venezuela

Sorbeto: Puerto Rico

Absorbente: Cuba

Carrizo: Panama

Bombilla: South America

Strawberry

Fresa: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Frutilla: South America

Sweet Potato

Batata: Many Spanish-speaking countries

Camote: Andres, Central America, Mexico

Tomato

Tomate: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Jitomate: Mexico

Watermelon

Sandía: Most Spanish-speaking countries

Patilla: Venezuela, Colombia

Conclusion

So, now that you have that comprehensive list, hopefully, you won’t get so confused anymore in regards to food with different names in different Spanish-speaking countries. 

Please let me know if you can think of anything else or if I can add on to anything already on this list!