Think You Know How To Pronounce 'Parmesan'? Think Again

Think You Know How To Pronounce 'Parmesan'? Think Again
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James Baigrie

You may say 'tomato' and I may say 'tomato', but apparently we've all been saying 'Parmesan' wrong.

According to the US version of the Cambridge Dictionary, Parmesan (that hard cheese that makes even the most bland risotto taste like heaven) is pronounced somewhat differently to what you might expect.

Clicking on the mini speaker on their Parmesan page prompts a lovely (yet terribly misinformed) woman to pronounce Parmesan like Pennsylvania ('pen-syl-vain-ya’).

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What is clearly a mistake on the website's part has been amusing the internet for the past 24 hours and we must admit it has certainly made us giggle.

But if you're ever in the presence of a real food snob, you'll know that mispronouncing foods is no laughing matter -God forbid you ever pronounce quinoa like "kwin-oh-ah" in the presence of a foodie.

So, to help prevent future mishaps around the dinner table, here's our handy pronunciation guide to help you get your tongue around some of the more hard-to-pronounce foods. Enjoy.

Mispronounced Foods
Bruschetta(01 of22)
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Pronounced: broo-sket-ahThe Italian appetizer that is not a brush.Photo from Flickr: thisreidwrites (credit:Flickr: thisreidwrites)
Gnocchi(02 of22)
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Pronounced: nyawk-keeSaying “That Potato Pasta” just isn’t fancy enough.Photo from Flickr: Geoff Peters 604 (credit:Flickr: Geoff Peters 604)
Espresso(03 of22)
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Pronounced: e-spres-ohYes it does give you energy but don’t you dare say expresso.Photo from Flickr: Brian Legate (credit:Flickr: Brian Legate)
Chipotle(04 of22)
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Pronounced: chi-poht-leySmokey smoked jalapeños that is as fun to pronounce as it is to eat.Photo from Flickr: tailw.ag (credit:Flickr: tailw.ag)
Beignet(05 of22)
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Pronounced: ben-yayAs Django would say, “The “G” is silent”.Photo from Flickr: robbiesaurus (credit:Flickr: robbiesaurus)
Sriracha(06 of22)
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Pronounced: shree-ra-cha (According to the official Sriracha website)Use tact when addressing the boss of sauces.Photo from Flickr: cookbookman17 (credit:Flickr: cookbookman17)
Quinoa(07 of22)
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Pronounced: keen-wahThe new king of the grains demands proper pronunciation.Photo from Flickr: SweetOnVeg (credit:Flickr: SweetOnVeg)
Gyro(08 of22)
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Pronounced : yee-row or zheer-ohYou’re our hero if you pronounce this correctly.Photo from Flickr: jeffreyw (credit:Flickr: jeffreyw)
Quesadilla(09 of22)
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Pronounced: key-suh-dee-uhYes Napoleon Dynamite is hilarious, but its lessons on pronunciation are awful.Photo from Flickr: Chippycheeky (credit:Flickr: Chippycheeky)
Pho(10 of22)
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Pronounced: fəʊ or fuhRegardless of how you pronounce it, this soup contains the cure for just about everything.Photo from Flickr: Charles Haynes (credit:Flickr: Charles Haynes)
Mascarpone(11 of22)
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Pronounced: mas-car-PONE-ay (credit:Foodcollection RF via Getty Images)
Gouda(12 of22)
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Pronounced: GHOW-da (with the GH making the same kind of noise in your throat you do when you say challah). (credit:malcolm park via Getty Images)
Crème Fraîche(13 of22)
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Pronounced: krem fresh (credit:Flickr: Peter)
Roquefort(14 of22)
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Pronounced: ROKE-fohr (credit:Dorling Kindersley via Getty Images)
Acai(15 of22)
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Pronounced: ah-sigh-ee (credit:Tatyana Kildisheva)
Chia(16 of22)
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Pronounced: chi-a (credit:marilyna)
Prosciutto (17 of22)
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Pronounced: pro-shoo-toh (credit:Carlos Gawronski)
Endive(18 of22)
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Pronounced: on-deev (credit:Alamy)
Edamame (19 of22)
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Pronounced: ay-duh-mah-may (credit:Getty Images)
Potato gratin dauphinoise in the pan on rustic background(20 of22)
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Pronounced: doh-fin-wa (credit:Mariia Komar)
tzatziki cucumber with yogurt on gray background(21 of22)
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Pronounced: zat-zee-key (credit:DENIO RIGACCI)
Tortilla(22 of22)
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Pronounced: tor-tee-yah (credit:Aimee Herring)