Mandarin Monday: All Your Must-Know BBQ Vocab

With our recent announcement of our first-ever River BBQ Fest, it's the perfect time to brush up on your Chinese vocab for all things barbecue! In this post, we'll be taking a look at some common menu items in both American-style and Chinese-style barbecue joints, but first, let's start with the basics.

• Barbecue BBQ 烧烤 shāokǎo or 烤肉 kǎoròu
• American-style BBQ 美式烤肉 měishì kǎoròu
• Grill 烤架 kǎojià
• Smoker 烟熏炉 yānxūnlú
• Marinade 腌料 yānliào
• Sauce 酱汁 jiàngzhī
• Charcoal 木炭 mùtàn
• Charcoal grill 木炭烤架 mùtàn kǎojià

American Barbecue 

Next, let's take a look at some essential vocab for American barbecue food.

• Pulled pork 手撕猪肉 shǒusī zhūròu
• Brisket 牛胸肉 niú xiōngròu
• Ribs 排骨 páigǔ
• Sausage 香肠 xiāngcháng
• Chicken wings 鸡翅 jīchì
• Buffalo wings 布法罗鸡翅 bùfǎluó jīchì
• Barbecue sauce 烧烤酱 shāokǎo jiàng
• Dry rub 干料腌制 gānliào yānzhì
• Coleslaw 凉拌卷心菜 liángbàn juǎnxīncài
• Cornbread 玉米面包 yùmǐ miànbāo
• Potato salad 土豆沙拉 tǔdòu shālā
• Creamed corn 奶油玉米 nǎiyóu yùmǐ
• Smoked 烟熏 yānxūn
• BBQ Sauce 烧烤酱 shāokǎo jiàng

Chinese Barbecue 

Now, let's turn our attention to Chinese barbecue.

• Chuan’r street skewers 串儿 chuànr
• Lamb skewers 羊肉串 yángròu chuàn
• Beef skewers 牛肉串 niúròu chuàn
• Grilled fish 烤鱼 kǎoyú
• Grilled chicken wings 烤鸡翅 kǎo jīchì
• Pork belly 五花肉 wǔhuāròu
• Beef belly 牛五花肉 niú wǔhuāròu
• Grilled chicken hearts 烤鸡心 kǎo jīxīn 
• Beef tongue 烤牛舌 kǎo niúshé 
• Sausage skewers 烤香肠 kǎo xiāngcháng
• Grilled squid 烤鱿鱼 kǎo yóuyú
• Grilled eggplant (aubergine) 烤茄子 kǎo qiézi 
• Grilled Chinese chives 烤韭菜 kǎo jiǔcài
• Grilled enoki mushrooms烤金针菇 kǎo jīnzhēngū
• Potato slices 土豆片 tǔdòu piàn
• Fish tofu 鱼豆腐 yú dòufu
• Cumin powder 孜然粉 zīrán fěn
• Chili powder 辣椒粉 làjiāo fěn
• Sichuan spicy BBQ 麻辣烤肉 málà kǎoròu

And there you have it! Next time you go to a Chinese or American barbecue joint, or join us at the upcoming River BBQ Fest, you'll be able to order like a pro!

READ: The First-Ever River BBQ Fest Hits Beijing Sep 19-21

Images: Unsplash, Canva