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British to American Food Translation.

Translate these foods and drinks from British to U.S. English.
This quiz does not suggest that all British people use these words 100% of the time.
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: December 2, 2019
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First submittedJune 25, 2013
Times taken48,204
Average score47.4%
Rating3.37
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British
American
Chips
Fries
Crisps
Chips
Biscuit
Cookie
Fizzy Drink
Soda / Pop
Courgette
Zucchini
Aubergine
Eggplant
Back Bacon
Canadian Bacon
Toffee Apple
Candy Apple
Rapeseed Oil
Canola Oil
Coriander Leaf
Cilantro
Candyfloss
Cotton Candy
Muffin
English Muffin
Maize
Corn
Ice Lolly
Popsicle
Beetroot
Beet
Broad Bean
Fava Bean
Fairycake
Cup Cake
Pawpaw
Papaya
Jacket Potato
Baked Potato
Trackles13
+4
Level 58
Jul 17, 2013
I really liked this! I'm Australian and we use a combination of the two:

We say biscuits, toffee apple, coriander, beetroot, broad bean & pawpaw same as the Poms, and we say Zucchini, Eggplant, Canola, English Muffin, Cupcake (although as a child we called them fairy cakes) the same as the Yanks. BUT we call Fries "Hot Chips" and Crisps "Chips", we call Fizzy Drink "Soft Drink", we call Cotton Candy "Fairy Floss" and we call Popsicles "Icy Poles" or "Ice Blocks". I'm sure other English speaking countries also have some interesting answers!

nanook
+3
Level 51
Jul 26, 2015
Yeah we also call fizzy drink "cool drink". I had no idea lava beans were broad beans, I used to wonder what Hannibal Lecter was talking about……ffvv ffvv ffvv ffvv!!!
AnikaM
+2
Level 38
Sep 2, 2015
I agree! Our English roots and US influences have created a nice blend of both Englishes
McLerristarr
+3
Level 62
Apr 25, 2016
I wouldn't say any of those were American influences. They likely come from the same source the Americans got them from. For instance, zucchini is clearly Italian. Lots of Italians and Greeks in Australia.
Sifhraven
+1
Level 67
Dec 20, 2019
Yea cotton candy, very italian word...
McLerristarr
+2
Level 62
Jul 10, 2020
But no one says cotton candy in Australia so...
MasterKenobi
+2
Level 60
Feb 22, 2018
In my area of the US people very often call soda "soft drinks" as well, it's more common in the US than you may think! Also, some old folks where I grew up still simply say "drink," as in "Would you like lemonade, tea, or a drink?"
Malbaby
+1
Level 71
May 23, 2018
In Australia Chips are not called Hot Chips, If you went into a Fish & Chip shop and asked for 'Hot Chips' you would get a strange look and a smart remark.
quizmaster23
+2
Level 58
Jul 17, 2013
the americans are so common. wow
lolrobbielol
+10
Level 53
Jul 17, 2013
I don't think anyone in the UK would know what a 'pawpaw' is if you called it that, everyone I know/tv cooking shows would just call it papaya.
noodles
+2
Level 69
Jul 17, 2013
In Canada, we call it peameal bacon or back bacon, not Canadian bacon.
Malbaby
+1
Level 71
Jul 15, 2018
In England it is called 'Middle Bacon', sometimes 'green' if not smoked or otherwise 'Smoked' The middle is a side of pork minus the long leg and the shoulder.
clarissa
+1
Level 68
Jul 17, 2013
But what about "banger in the mouth"?
icecreamcake724
+1
Level 38
Jul 17, 2013
As a Canadian, I'm ashamed I didn't get "Canadian Bacon." Booooo. Also, I'm dumb and can't spell, apparently. I spelled popsicle as popcicle :(.
aliberti68
+1
Level 54
Jul 18, 2013
Ice pop did not work either-
holly09
+2
Level 3
Aug 1, 2013
isn't an English muffin the same as a American muffin?
ander217
+1
Level 75
Jun 10, 2016
American muffins are more like cupcakes. They are usually sweet, and often have fruit and/or nuts or bran mixed into the batter. They are more of a breakfast food rather than dessert. English muffins are flat yeast rolls that are sliced, revealing large holes, and their cooking pans are spread with cornmeal, some of which remains on the top and bottom. They are the bread used in Egg McMuffins and Eggs Benedict.
NickFreilino
+2
Level 66
Oct 17, 2018
Yes, but they are called crumpets in England
Newroadgirl
+2
Level 68
Jun 6, 2021
Sorry but no, they aren't. English muffins are just as ander217 describes them, a kind of bready roll. Crumpets are completely different, completely weird, completely delicious and you'd be very hard pushed to slice them in half.
mergan
+1
Level 33
Sep 5, 2014
Hey guys! I am new to JetPunk. Please check out my quizzes and let me know what you think! :-)
jackmooney
+4
Level 50
Dec 20, 2019
I think that you shouldn't advertise ;)
sumguy
+1
Level 84
Nov 25, 2014
I can't believe it didn't accept "popsickle". Apparently I've been spelling it wrong for a third of a century.
stone222
+1
Level 48
Oct 24, 2018
but how many times have you had to write it down, other than maybe on a shopping list ? who cares what you write on a list only you will read... my list may include cheez, mushies, eggz, cow juice,... i know what i want...lol
LarryLovage
+2
Level 55
Jan 13, 2015
Some confusion - it's not that we call Corn Maize. It's that we call Wheat Corn.
Smidget
+2
Level 55
Mar 6, 2015
I'm British and had no idea what a pawpaw is... I can safely say I have never heard that before. Also, I don't know anyone who says half these terms.
LillyStar
+4
Level 9
Apr 5, 2015
Nobody calls papaya "pawpaw" and most people don't say fairy cake
brandybuck96
+1
Level 83
Dec 16, 2022
I've heard fairy cake a lot... don't think it's just a northern thing?? We also call them 'buns' up here
Malbaby
+2
Level 71
May 3, 2015
In Australia most people know this fruit as Paw Paw but two kinds of papayas are commonly grown. One has sweet, red or orange flesh, and the other has yellow flesh; in Australia, these are called "red papaya" and "yellow papaw", respectively
hollybags
+1
Level 32
Jul 26, 2015
think some of your answers are a bit dodgy, In Scotland its a baked potato, candy apple, and papaya.
McLerristarr
+2
Level 62
Apr 25, 2016
Well, then in Scotland, you're weird.
McLerristarr
+1
Level 62
Apr 25, 2016
Man, people cannot get over this pawpaw thing.
payton34
+1
Level 33
May 7, 2016
Horrible.
jlbrill
+2
Level 67
May 12, 2016
No one in the UK uses 'pawpaw' please fix this. And I personally have never heard anyone call a cupcake a 'fairy cake'.
ander217
+1
Level 75
Jun 10, 2016
I watch a lot of British TV shows, and I hear fairy cakes mentioned occasionally. Never heard pawpaw, though.
Newroadgirl
+2
Level 68
Jun 6, 2021
Perhaps you are quite young (relative to me). Everyone of my generation calls them fairy cakes. I think the term cupcakes has come from the US.
stusum
+2
Level 64
Jul 27, 2022
I think there's a distinction in the UK between a fairy cake and a cupcake. The absolute monstrosities with plenty of icing on top is undoubtedly a cupcake, but I would call the smaller version with just a drizzle of icing, a fairy cake.
brandybuck96
+1
Level 83
Dec 16, 2022
In the north of England, fairy cakes are usually called 'buns', but I've definitely heard 'fairy cake'. I've only ever heard 'cupcake' used of ones that look sickeningly American
Moosefight
+2
Level 60
Jun 3, 2016
Ashamed to miss muffin. Seems obvious in retrospect.

Somewhat surprised cold on the cob was not on the quiz.

cqcrt
+3
Level 74
Aug 29, 2016
I call Muffins muffins (as in sweet: chocolate chip, blueberry etc) and english muffin (savoury breakfast item) as an english muffin. I am from Oxford
Findlay
+1
Level 82
Sep 19, 2016
As an Australian, in most cases this was more of a test of translating American terms than the British ones, which more often than not are the ones we use (except for 'courgette' and 'aubergine' - no need to get all fancy and French).
sandervdtol
+2
Level 31
Sep 26, 2016
Muffin and English Muffin...really?
Malbaby
+2
Level 71
May 23, 2018
I think that 'Crumpet' is English for the American's idea of English Muffin, has little holes in the top (for butter and syrup) and is usually toasted.
idontkn1
+2
Level 90
Sep 26, 2016
From what I understand. In British English the word "corn" is slang for whatever is the commonly grown grain in the area. So depending on the area of England you are in you can have wheat, maize, oats or barley referred to as corn.
Sifhraven
+2
Level 67
Dec 20, 2019
Originally corn did use to mean (seeds from) all sorts of cereal plants. Later it became used for the dominant crop in the region (in case of the us, for maize). But this was in old english so centuries ago. Some other germanic languages do still use the words. Korn in german and koren in dutch still mean what corn used to mean in old english.

the word kernel is related btw. Corn didnt just used go refer to the crops but more specifically the seeds. (Like grain). Just think of core.

EcceHomo
+1
Level 79
Sep 10, 2020
Whaaaat? No no no no. Corn grows on a cob and that is how it is eaten: on the cob. Some people eat it as sweetcorn, with the kernels already lifted from the cob and frozen or preserved in cans/tins. But corn is never, not ever, wheat, oats or barley. A barleycorn, however, may also refer to a grain of corn.
Newroadgirl
+2
Level 68
Jun 6, 2021
I believe idontkn1 and Sifhraven are correct. As children we used the word 'corn' for any cereal crop and quite a few English folk songs and poems refer to cutting corn in places where maize just wasn't grown in times gone by.
EcceHomo
+1
Level 79
Feb 9, 2022
Alright, maybe...
idontkn1
+2
Level 90
Sep 26, 2016
In the autumn, do the Brits go to a maize maze, like we do in the States?
KataJ
+4
Level 37
Nov 9, 2016
I'm british and I've never called Corn maize.. same with pawpaw and papaya
Crodeb
+1
Level 55
Dec 26, 2016
I am Australian, but have spent time living in both the US and the UK, and because of that, didn't have too much trouble. The one that I did get stuck on, was Toffee Apple, which is a term we also use in Australia, but in the US, I only ever saw caramel apples, which are obviously different.
Statnerd95
+1
Level 28
Nov 18, 2017
Try this quiz, it will test your knowledge of the groceries we buy in the land down under. https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/222845/most-common-grocery-foods-australia
theperiodictable
+1
Level 47
Mar 7, 2017
Just trying to think of what americans would say
Tooned
+1
Level 48
May 2, 2017
American here, Northeast, can't remember the last time I heard somebody say popsicle instead of ice pop
MasterKenobi
+2
Level 60
Feb 22, 2018
Really?! I'm American too but from the South (mid-Atlantic) and no one I know says ice pop. We all say Popsicle. Just goes to show how different we all are.
Statnerd95
+1
Level 28
Nov 18, 2017
Try this quiz, it will test your knowledge of the groceries we buy in the land down under. https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/222845/most-common-grocery-foods-australia
emersonriley94
+3
Level 55
Jan 16, 2018
I'm British and I've never heard of a 'pawpaw' before... we call it 'papaya'
RKW
+3
Level 52
May 23, 2018
I'm English and would say baked potato rather than jacket potato (although people definitely use that term). Also corn rather than maize, papaya rather than pawpaw and bacon rather than back bacon.
HarryGedge123
+3
Level 15
Aug 13, 2018
I have never once heard someone say PawPaw and I am English, I've always said papaya
Pharley
+4
Level 73
Mar 7, 2019
In other words, "Translate these foods and drinks from their proper names to what Americans call them"
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Apr 11, 2019
If the other words you are using are silly degenerate British words, yes.
EcceHomo
+3
Level 79
Sep 10, 2020
Just can't help yourself from biting every single time, can you!
Plastered
+1
Level 42
Apr 11, 2019
In my bit of England, a muffin is a type of flat bread roll ideal for slicing and turning into a sandwich and a crumpet is the bready thing with holes that you have toasted with oodles of butter. A soft drink is any cold, non-alcoholic drink whether fizzy or flat. Fairy cakes are tiny little sweet buns with icing on top, not much more than a mouthful. Love all the regional differences :)
EytanMelech
+2
Level 67
Jan 4, 2020
Please accept "Ice Pop" as a type-in for Popsicle.
Salvp14
+3
Level 24
Jan 4, 2021
As someone from England/UK, we do not call Papayas, Pawpaws, we call them Papayas
BMDragon
+1
Level 82
Jan 22, 2021
please accept ham for canadian bacon
Cal2409
+3
Level 17
Mar 2, 2021
We say English Muffin for an English muffin. We say Papaya not PawPaw and nobody calls corn maize.
JD223
+2
Level 63
Jun 28, 2021
never in my 29 years of living in the UK have I ever heard of anyone refer to a papaya as a "pawpaw"
AllenY
+2
Level 69
Aug 7, 2021
the "muffin" one seems inapt as muffin is used both to refer to what Americans would call a "muffin" as well as an "English muffin", so "muffin" as an answer wouldn't be wrong (though as it is, appending the word "English" isn't that enlightening anyway)
HelenB91
+2
Level 43
Nov 25, 2021
As a British person a few things:

We don't use the term pawpaw we say papaya

Muffin as a term for a bread roll, very much depends are where you are from, but if we specifically mean English Muffin we sat English muffin

Also what you call corn, we call sweetcorn not maize

For anyone not from the UK who is looking to visit do not use the above three terms

Pawpaw noone will know what you are saying

'Muffin' for bread will get you into a long debate that you don't have time for

And maize will confuse people greatly

MassLumpBlockClod
+1
Level 83
Sep 16, 2022
Can "candied apple" be accepted?

Also then what is "pawpaw" called in the UK or is its existence not acknowledged?

Vog
+1
Level 87
Dec 16, 2022
I tried "candied apple" first. They go by that in the US as well, and I'd recommend accepting it.
Tedddddddddybear
+2
Level 19
Jan 14, 2023
I’m British and I’ve never heard of a ‘paw paw’ before
albero101
+1
Level 68
Sep 13, 2023
Englishman here. I would like to try and settle the whole chips/fries/crisps thing once and for all.

Chips - thick-cut, like the kind you get in the fish and chip shop

Fries/French Fries - thin, like the kind you get in McDonald's

Crisps - super thin, crunchy, comes in a sealed plastic bag

These are three different things. We do not use the word chips to talk about fries. We call fries fries, chips chips and crisps crisps.

brandybuck96
+1
Level 83
Nov 17, 2023
speak for yourself, I've never used the word 'fries' to refer to any sort of potato-based fried food
Dontforget
+1
Level 60
Dec 21, 2023
Canadian here, tried every variant of the word Freezie and somehow could not for the life of me recall "Popsicle" despite it very much being used here
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