Resources
>
BLOG

Writing a Menu? Sharpen Those Blue Pencils

Mar 12, 2011

Recently we saw a menu that offered, among other things, Ciopino and Shitake & Artichoke Dumplings. Granted, even the correct spelling of shiitake mushroom is regrettable, and there are more egregious ways to misspell cioppino (it’s even been spotted phonetically: chapino), but that’s no excuse for misspellings in menu copy.

In our rush to engineer menus and find the paper that offers the best matrix of value and quality, we often overlook an important step: copyediting the document. Whether you use a dictionary, spell-check or an actual copyeditor, it should be a given that there are no errors in spelling or grammar on a menu.

It’s not just a matter of professionalism; in our self-appointed role of educating consumers about different cuts of meat, ethnic culinary traditions or where our food comes from, we also owe it to our patrons to spell things correctly.

And while we’ve got the bully pulpit, here are a few food terms that have become so widely misspelled as to almost have become institutionalized—or maybe they’re just pet peeves of ours.

Mesculin (or even mescalin) Salad – You may have fiddled with something like this in college, but functioning members of adult society eat mesclun.
Carmelized Onions – Sautéing sweet onions slowly to produce a Maillard Reaction is just too tasty a process not to acknowledge that they’re caramelized.
Artesianal Cheese – That’s cheese made in a well, folks. The correct spelling (and pronunciation) is artisanal; just say “artisan” and add the a-l.*

So get out those blue pencils and use them on your menu, then use them again. Buy the Food Lover’s Companion, or check out any of the good online sources, including the one at Epicurious. Load up your computer with customized spelling specific to the beautiful language of food. And you should be showing your menu to as many other people as possible anyway; while you’re at it, show it someone who’s a little anal-retentive about words.

*Just to prove that you learn something new every day, spell-checking this article turned up the fact that artesanal, with an e, is also an acceptable spelling—albeit seldom seen.