Every year, Merriam-Webster adds new words and definitions to its official dictionary, and 2022 is no exception. The dictionary publisher recently added over 370 words and phrases, and of course several food terms were included in the list. Most of these words will be familiar to EYB Members, who probably have larger-than-average food vocabularies, but I will admit that I was a little fuzzy on one of them.

Master banh mi from The Banh Mi Handbook by Andrea Nguyen

"Some of these words will amuse or inspire, others may provoke debate. Our job is to capture the language as it is used," Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor at large, stated. "Words offer a window into our ever-changing language and culture, and are only added to the dictionary when there is clear and sustained evidence of use."

Without further ado, here are the food-related words and phrases that entered the official lexicon this year (in alphabetical order):

  • banh mi
  • birria
  • mojo
  • oat milk
  • omakase
  • plant-based
  • pumpkin spice
  • ras el hanout
  • sessionable