The most common mistakes on menus: from capuccino to advocado
Restaurants are wonderful places to enjoy delicious food, but sometimes they provide an unexpected surprise: mistakes on the menu. Some are almost logical, while others make you question your own linguistic and culinary knowledge. Oh, and then there’s the dilemma: do you point it out, or simply carry on enjoying your meal?
The classics that always go wrong
Ceasar salad
Perhaps the most common mistake on menus in the Netherlands. The classic Caesar salad was not named after the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, but after chef Caesar Cardini. In 1924, in Mexico, he came up with a quick solution for an overcrowded restaurant: romaine lettuce leaves, garlic, croutons, Parmesan cheese, soft-boiled eggs, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce. A summery hit that conquered the world, but is often misspelled on menus.
Merengue
That’s a Dominican dance style. It would be wonderful to be able to order that, but if you have a sweet tooth, you’ll really be happier with crunchy meringue – such as this absurdly delicious Limoncello meringue cake.
Slibtong
This fish is named after the Dutch word slippen, because the fish are so small that they easily slip through the sorting sieve. So they have nothing to do with slib (meaning: mud).
Gaspacho
No idea what that is, but gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato soup. And it doesn’t always have to be red, as our favourite green gazpacho with burrata by Joris Bijdendijk and Samual Levie proves.
Capuccino
This espresso with milk and milk foam is mispronounced just as often as it is misspelled. We especially often see the ‘p’ disappear, while the correct spelling is ‘cappuccino’.
Advocado
You have advocaat and avocado, but advocado is simply nothing. Also once spotted on a menu: salmon, advocado and little carp. Yes, people, little carp. We didn’t order it.
Mistakes in international dishes
Porc
Especially in: pulled porc, a fun combination of English (pulled) and French (porc).
Yakatori
Spotted just last week: the yakatori skewer. We prefer yakitori skewers.
Crab
We see this one very often. It is, of course, simply krab. Another blunder: vanilla ice cream with caramel. Just say caramel, please.
Alïoli
Oops, typo. It should be aïoli. Also spotted: aïolie.
Point out the mistakes or carry on enjoying your meal?
It depends a little on your mood. And on the person serving you. In many places, especially in Amsterdam, the language used in hospitality is English. In that case, explaining that sliptong is spelled with a p and not a b is completely pointless. And perhaps you don’t want to come across as a know-it-all and would rather simply enjoy your yakatori – who cares about that extra a?
If you do want to say something, because why not help people out a little and spare them embarrassing situations, ask for the manager and point out the typo. Either way, one thing is certain: mistakes on menus are everywhere, from trendy bistros to classic restaurants, and they always provide conversation at the table.
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