I have learnt a lot about languages and a lot about cooking from watching cooking videos in other languages. This is partly a point about language-learning, but it is also just an acknowledgement of the fact that the less I am the target of a particular piece of media the more likely I am to learn something from it, and that that is particularly true when it comes to food.

For language learning, cooking videos carry the vast power of repetition. The relatively narrow range of vocabulary video to video combined with the visual context for most novel vocabulary is a powerful natural spaced repetition system. The content is both comprehensible, one way or another, and interesting (at least for me), and is rarely so long that I just zone out. It really has it all! If you are not particularly interested in cooking but you have other skills or special interests, new or old, watching content about them in another language is a great way to find comprehensible input for your target language. This is the case whether is is comprehensible because of visual context or because of your existing knowledge.

For learning how to cook watching cooking videos in other languages is also fantastic. I see a lot of English language cooking content, which at any one time follows a few main trends and introduces cooking techniques from around the world in a few main ways. This is not to deny that there are English language content creators who have knowledge and experience of cooking techniques that are not commonly presented in English language content, but it is a lot easier to find content that really teaches you something new when you look beyond that to content that is aimed at a different audience entirely. Recently I learnt how to make a type of spring roll wrapper from an extraordinarily wet dough and it was very exciting.

If this interests you my main tip is as follows: use search terms in your target language, even if you have to use a translator to get them. For example instead of searching “cooking techniques in Mandarin”, search “烹饪技巧”, in Mandarin! I acknowledge that for many people this will be obvious, but it really makes a difference so I think it is worth saying. Also beware of YouTube’s automatically translated video titles – looking for your target language in the thumbnail can really save you time.

Whilst writing this post I got excited about the possibilities of Hindi cooking videos and watched several videos on Maharashtrian thali. I hope you get as excited as me and get some good language and some good food!