Spanish sayings about food

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, September 11, 2025

If you want to learn Spanish in Spain, you need to know that it goes beyond attending classes and memorizing vocabulary. It also means learning about the Spanish way of life, the expressions and phrases they use every day that you won't find in textbooks, and their customs.

That's why, at Enforex, we want to give you a taste of those Spanish sayings about food that are used in everyday life and may sound strange at first but will eventually become part of your repertoire. So, if you want to find out which Spanish sayings about food are most used in Spanish, keep reading!

1. Importar un pimiento

The first phrase is “importar un pimiento”. At first it may shock you, but the meaning is simple: to not matter at all or when something is irrelevant.

Its origin dates to when peppers were, for a long time, a cheap and very common product in the Spanish diet. Hence, the expression “valer un pimiento” (to be worth twopence) was equivalent to “valer poco” (to be worth little). It has evolved, and now the food-related phrase “me importa un pimiento” (I don't care) is one of the most used.

For example:

• Me importa un pimiento lo que diga ese periodista (I don't care what that journalist says).
• No te importa un pimiento lo que te estoy diciendo, no me estás escuchando (You don't care what I'm saying, you're not listening to me).

2. Estar como un queso

Next up is “estar como un queso”, which means to be very physically attractive. This Spanish saying about food has many variations, such as “estar como un pan” or “estar más bueno que el pan” (to have a round and chubby face).

This Spanish saying about food appeared in youth slang in the 1980s. Cured cheese was something desirable, so the metaphor came to refer to desirable, beautiful, or physically attractive people.

For example: Ese actor está como un queso, todas suspiran por él (That actor is very attractive, everyone sighs over him).

3. Ser un coco

“Ser un coco” has several meanings, depending on the context. It can mean being very ugly or being very smart. In Spanish popular tradition, the coco was a monster used to scare children; hence the phrase has a negative meaning. But the coco is also associated with the head and, by extension, with a person's intelligence.

Example:

• Ese chaval es un coco, saca siempre sobresalientes (That kid is a genius, he always gets straight A's)
• Ese perro es un coco, da miedo mirarlo (That dog is so ugly, it's scary to look at it.)

4. Ser un melón

Another funny Spanish food phrase with a negative meaning is “ser un melon” (to be a blockhead/idiot). This phrase refers to someone who is clumsy or naive.

Its origin is based on the fact that the melon, being a large, big-headed fruit, is associated in Spanish slang with a slow or dim-witted person.

For example: ¡No seas melón! ¿Te has vuelto a olvidar las llaves? (Don't be a blockhead! Did you forget your keys again?).

5. Estar hasta en la sopa

“Estar hasta en la sopa” (to be everywhere) refers to when someone or something appears everywhere, to the point of sometimes becoming annoying.

This funny Spanish food phrase is used ironically. If someone “está hasta en la sopa,” it means they are too present, like an omnipresent ingredient in food. Example: Ese influencer está hasta en la sopa, no hay anuncio donde no salga (That influencer is everywhere, there's no ad where he doesn't appear).

6. Ser la guinda del pastel

The Spanish saying about food “ser la guinda del pastel” (icing on the cake) and “poner la guinda al pastel” are synonyms. Both refer to adding a final detail or element to a situation that perfects or embellishes it.

It means to be the culmination or completion of a situation, both positive and negative, but usually positive. The guinda (icing) is the last element added to a cake to decorate or complete it and make it perfect. Figuratively speaking, it is what tops something off.

For example: Su comentario fue la guinda del pastel en una reunión desastrosa (His comment was the icing on the cake in a disastrous meeting).

7. Dar la vuelta a la tortilla

When someone wants to radically change a situation, they use the phrase: “darle la vuelta a la tortilla” (turn the tables).

This is a culinary metaphor: when cooking an omelet, you must turn it over to finish it. Hence, it is used to indicate a turn of events.

For example: Con ese último gol, dieron la vuelta a la tortilla al partido (With that last goal, they turned the tables on the game).

8. Comerse el coco

Another funny Spanish food phrase with coco is: “comerse el coco” (do not rack your brains/to obsess over something). This Spanish saying about food means to think about something repeatedly and worry excessively. As in the previous phrase with brains, this fruit is a colloquial synonym for head. Therefore, “comerse el coco” means thinking and overwhelming your head with many thoughts.

Example: No te comas el coco, seguro que todo sale bien (Don't rack your brains, I'm sure everything will be fine).

9. Ser la leche

The phrase “ser la leche” can have a positive meaning, when you want to say that someone is great, or a negative meaning, when you want to say that something is unbearable. It all depends on the tone and context in which the phrase is used.

For example:

• Ese coche es la leche, corre muchísimo (That car is great, it runs fast)
• Eres la leche, siempre llegas tarde (You're the worse, you're always late)

10. Dar calabazas

When someone gives you calabazas (pumpkins), they are rejecting you, especially in the romantic or academic sphere.

Its origin comes from the Middle Ages, when it was said that students received pumpkins when they failed. By analogy, it came to be used in the romantic sphere when someone is rejected by another person.

For example: Le pidió salir, pero ella le dio calabazas (He asked her out, but she gave him brushoff).

These are just some of the most used food-related idioms in Spanish. Did you know them all? If you know anything that we haven't mentioned, let us know! Your next step is to get to know a Spanish city in depth with Enforex. Our intensive Spanish courses are waiting for you in 11 different cities. Venture into the language and start your journey with us now.