A new survey shows a poor knowledge of foreign languages can have hilarious results when we Brits eat out.

Some ordered foie gras (duck liver pate) thinking it was ‘garden grass salad’ and others thought the Italian pasta dish carbonara meant ‘car part’. And perhaps most embarrassingly almost one in 10 thought Escargot was a country rather than ‘snails’..

In fact 23 per cent of the 1,241 who took part in the survey by Groupola.com have eaten snails without knowing what they had ordered.

More than one in five admit to ordering food without having a clue what it is. It seems we are too embarrassed to ask what we are ordering as more than half of those surveyed said they did not want to look stupid.

Women are more likely to order an unknown dish and wouldn’t ask what it was – 38 per cent compared to 29 per cent.

And perhaps restaurants should take note of the fact that many will avoid places where they know the menu is written in a foreign language.

According to the poll, the most common unknown foods are:

1. Foie Gras (duck/goose liver pate) – 73 per cent.

2. Bruschetta (Italian toast with tomato topping) – 68 per cent.

3. Quattro Formaggio (four cheese pizza) – 64 per cent.

4. Carbonara (Italian bacon and cheese pasta dish) – 61 per cent.

5. Crème Brûlée (creamy caramel desert) – 57 per cent.

6. Penne e Pollo (chicken pasta) – 52 per cent.

7. Coq au vin (chicken in red wine) – 46 per cent.

8. Escargots (snails) – 44 per cent.

9. Peperone (pepper) – 41 per cent.

10. Tortilla Espanola (Spanish omelette) – 37 per cent.

Mark Pearson, managing director of Groupola.com said: “Eating out is a great experience, but it can be pretty costly. I can’t imagine taking the risk of ordering food and having no idea what is going to be on the plate. I certainly think people should ask if they’re unsure as to the food on the menu; there is no shame in it.”

He added: “There isn’t much point in going out for dinner if you aren’t going to enjoy the meal; I would suggest simply asking the waiter, you wouldn’t want to end up with a garden grass salad!”