Swallowing food
The swallowing is the passage of the bolus from the mouth to the pharynx and then the esophagus. It is started by pushing the food bolus into the pharynx with the tongue.
The pharynx is a common passageway in the respiratory and digestive tracts, through which both air and the food bolus pass. To prevent the food bolus from going through the airways, we have a cartilage called the epiglottis that blocks the passage of the bolus towards the larynx, preventing us from choking.