Glossary
À la
Means'in the style of' in French.
Absorption method
A way of cooking rice by adding the exact amount of water and cooking with the lid on until all the water is absorbed and steam holes appear in the surface of the rice.
Aceto
Italian for vinegar.
Acidulate, to
To add acid (such as lemon juice or vinegar) to cooking or soaking water to stop fruit or vegetables from oxidizing and discolouring.
Acidulated water
Water with lemon juice added, to prevent discolouration of vegetables and fruits once they have been peeled.
Additive
Something added to food to improve its keeping qualities, flavour, colour and texture. In the furopean union, all additives are listed by e numbers or names on packaging unless they are natural and not required to be listed by law.
Adjust, to
To taste before serving and then re-season if necessary.
Aerate
To incorporate air into a mixture by sieving dry mixtures or whisking liquid mixtures (such as egg white or cream).
Affumicato
Italian for smoked.
Aged balsamic vinegar
Concentrated, complex balsamic vinegar from modena in italy, bearing the words, aceto balsimico tradizionale di modena.
Aglio
Italian for garlic.
Agneau
Lamb- 5-9 months. (mouton / mutton which is between one and two years old.)
Agneau de lait
Milk-fed lamb, 2 to 3 months old.
Agneau de pré-salé
Lamb from the salty northern grasslands called les pre's-salés. (just as bresse after a chicken shows that it comes from bresse - a good place for chickens.)
Aigo bouido
A Mediterranean garlic soup.
Aiguillette
Top of the rump, a small, very lean braising joint of beef. On menus it's called pièce de boeuf (which see).
Ail
Garlic.
Aioli
Powerful garlic mayonnaise which is used on hot or cold boiled fish, stirred into fish soup or melted over green vegetables and boiled potatoes.
Air dry
To dry food, usually ham or fish, by hanging it in a flow of fresh air.
Al', all alla
Means' in the style of' in italian.
Albedo
American term for the white pith of citrus fruit.
Albumen
Technical term for egg white.
All-purpose flour
American term for plain white flour that can be used for all types of baking.
Allumettes
French for matchsticks, usually applied to the size of chopped potatoes and vegetables.
Amatriciana, all'
With bacon, onions and tomatoes.
Ammonia
A pungent gas. Overripe cheese and fish that are starting to go off smell of this.
Amuse gueute
Meaning 'mouth pleaser' in French, this small appetizer is served before a meal.
Andouillettes
Small sausages made from chitterlings (intestines, tripe) normally bought ready-made, grilled, and served hot.
Anticaking agent
Something added to powdered food to stop it clumping together, usually a compound of magnesium, aluminium or sodium. Shown as an e number on packaging (e530-e578).
Antioxidant
A preservation agent, such as vitamins c or e, that slows the reaction rate of food to oxygen. Shown as an e number on packaging (e300-f321).
Apéritif
Drink taken before a meal to 'open 'the appetite, such as champagne or sherry.
Appellation d'origine
French designation for a wine or foodstuff.
Appetizer
Small items of food served before or at the start of a meal or with drinks.
Aromatics
Ingredients, such as spices and herbs, that add aroma to food.
Arrosto
Italian for roast.
Arroz
Spanish and portuguese for rice.
Artificial sweetener
Any sweetening product that does not contain sugars.
Asciutto
Italian term that refers to pasta, gnocchi or rice drained of its cooking liquid.
Aspic
A finished cold dish involving jelly.
Assiette
French for plate, usually taken to mean a plated assortment of cheeses, meats or desserts.
Astringent
An acidic or tannic solution (such as lemon juice, verjuice or wine), which makes the skin of the mouth tighten up.
At dente
Italian term meaning'to the tooth'-cooked but still retaining some bite-applied mainly to pasta.
Attitude effects
The effects on cooking at a high altitude, which drops the boiling point of water by 1 'c for each 275 m. At very high altitudes, a pressure cooker is needed to cook successfully.
Au
Means 'in the style of', 'in' or 'with' in French.
Au gratin
To brown under the grill, usually a covering of crumbs and butter.
Au tait
Means 'with milk' in French.
Baba au rhum
See savarin.
Back fat
Hard pork fat from the back of a pig.
Bain-marie
A tray of water kept warm on the stove. Saucepans etc. Stand in it to keep warm or sometimes for gentle cooking.
Bake
To cook in an oven in dry heat, usually until browned on the outside.
Bake blind
To bake a pastry case while it is unfilled to set the pastry. It is usually lined with baking paper or foil and filled with baking beads to stop the sides collapsing or the base from bubbling up. If baking Beads not available then use dried beans.
Baking paper
Also known as parchment or non-stick baking paper. Used to line pans.
Baking powder
A raising agent consisting mainly of two parts cream of tartar to one part bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).
Ballotine
A stuffed roll of boned meat or poultry or a boned chicken tied into a round shape.
Bard
Using thin sheets of pork fat (bardes de lard) to protect (e.g. Breast of a roasting chicken) and stop it drying out as it cooks. Apart from barding it's used to line a terrine.
Bardes de lard
Thin sheets of pork fat usually cut from under skin of loin (lard gras).
Baron of beef
A very large joint consisting of two sirloins of beef connected by the backbone.
Barquette
Boat-shaped tartlet tin.
Baste
To spoon melted fat, wine, stock or liquid over food as it cooks to stop it drying out and to add flavour.
Bat out
To flatten or pound meat until it is thinner.
Baton
A stick of vegetable about 6 x 2 x 2 cm.
Batter
A mixture of flour, milk and eggs used for pancakes and to coat food before frying. Also refers tosoft cake, biscuit and scone mixtures.
Batterie de cuisine
The necessary utensils with which to equip a kitchen.
Baumé scale
Density scale used to measure the concentration of sugar syrup.
Baveuse
Meaning 'runny' in French, this refers to the consistency of egg when it has almost set but is still just liquid, such as the inside of an omelette before it is folded over.
Beard
Also called a byssus, this is the hairy threads that mussels use to attach themselves to rocks.
Beat
To incorporate air into a mixture with a spoon, fork or whisk.
Béchamel
Nowadays always a very simple white sauce.
Beurre manié
Equal amounts of flour and butter made into a paste and whisked into a boiling liquid to thicken it without making lumps.
Bianco
Italian for white.
Bifteck hache'
A hamburger.
Bigarade
Dressing made from peel and juice of bitter oranges.
Black fungus
Sometimes called wood-ear or cloud-ear mushroom because of its wrinkly appearance.
Black onion seeds
Sometimes called nigella or kalonji. Seeds have a peppery taste and are used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking.
Blackened
Meat or fish seared over a very high heat, this term is used in cajun cooking.
Blanc
A cooking liquid of water, flour and lemon juice that stops food from oxidizing and discolouring.
Blanch (fr. Blanchir)
To cook in boiling water for a few minutes and then refresh in cold water. This keeps colour in vegetables and loosens tomato and fruit skins. Also refers to potato chips that are precooked in hot fat before being fully cooked-this improves their tex
Blanquette
A white stew made with white stock thickened with egg and cream.
Blood temperature
Also called hand-hot and lukewarm, this is 37'c, and can be tested by dipping a finger into the liquid. When the finger feels the same in and out of the liquid, it has reached blood temperature.
Boeuf au gros sel
See gros sel.
Boeuf salé
Salt beef (usually brisket) that's been in brine. Don't confuse with boeuf au gros sel.
Bordelaise, à la
A French term for dishes with a wine sauce, often with bone marrow as a garnish.
Boscaiolo, al'
An italian term for 'forester style', meaning with mushrooms.
Bouillabaisse
A fish stew made from at least six different types of sea-fish and shellfish too. Originates on mediterranean coast between toulon and marseilles. In marseilles it will probably have lobster and eel added to it, nearer to toulon perhaps just one tiny.
Boulangère
This is a dish which you took to the baker's shop and cooked in his oven so it usually means long, slow cooking.
Bouquet garni
Flavouring for soups and stews made from bay leaf and sprigs of parsley, thyme and marjoram tied together with string.
Braise
Bresaola
Brix scale
A density scale used to measure sugar syrup by percentage weight of sugar. 100obrix is water and 500 brix is an equal amount of sugar dissolved in water.
Broad beans
Also known as fava beans.
Buckwheat
A grain that may be roasted and used whole or made into flour and used in the same way as other cereal grains. It has a pleasant nutty flavour.
Buffalo mozzarella
Butter beans
Yellow, waxy fresh beans, a variety of the green bean.
Cacciatora, alla
An Italian term for 'hunter style', usually meaning with tomatoes and mushrooms.
Caffeine
Canapé
An appetiser made of biscuits or small slices of fresh, toasted, or fried bread topped with something savoury.
Cannellini beans
Small, dried white beans.
Capsaicin
The hot component (an irritant alkaloid) found in chillies. It is flavourless and odourless.
Caramelize
To heat food until the sugars on the surface break down and form a brown coating, which may be sweet or savoury. Also heat sugar till it goes light brown.
Caraque
Flakes of chocolate made by pouring molten chocolate onto a surface, then scraping it off.
Carbohydrate
An important source of energy in food.
Carne
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese for meat.
Carte, à la
A menu where each item is individually priced.
Cartouche
A circle of buttered baking paper placed on the surface of a dish and used to keep food moist while it is cooking, or to stop a skin from forming when a dish is cooling.
Carve,to
To cut slices of cooked meat from a large joint or from a bird.
Casalinga
Means 'home-style' or 'home-made' in Italian.
Casserole, to
To slowly cook a dish consisting of meat and/or vegetables on the stove or in the oven with a lid on tightly so that all the flavour and aroma is contained.
Cassoulet
A thick hot-pot type of dish made from goose, pork, and beans.
Caster sugar
Caul
Lacy fat used to wrap meat or balls of mince before cooking. It holds them together and bastes them as they cook. Cause the way the shoulder is cut doesn't make it suitable for stuffing.
Cephalopod
Cervelas
Chair à saucisse
Sausage meat sold in French butchers' shops. There is no satisfactory english equivalent unless you make it.
Chantilly
Charcuterie
Cured meats, sausages and ready-prepared products such as p6t6s and terrines made from a pig, though the term is used for other animals as well.
Chasseur, à la
A French term for 'hunter style', usually meaning with onions and tomatoes. Often described simply as chasseur.
Chat potato
Baby new potato.
Chateaubriant
A prime cut of beef, originally (and sometimes still) a piece of steak in which the contre-filet is still attached to the filet. (Like a porterhouse with the bone removed.) Since in French butchery the filet is removed from the contre-filet early in
Chaud-froid
Chiffonade
Finely shredded herbs made by rolling leaves, which are then sliced finely.
Clarify, to
To skim or filter a liquid until it is clear, or to add beaten egg whites over heat, which then coagulate and trap any impurities.
Coating consistency
A liquid that is thick enough to coat a f6od evenly without running off again. Test by pouring over the back of a spoon-a line drawn down the centre of the spoon should hold its shape.
Concassée
Meaning finely chopped, this term is usually used for peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes.
Coral
The eggs of a female lobster, which turn red when cooked and are used for flavouring sauces. Scallop roes are also sometimes called corals.
Coriander
Also known as cilantro and dahnia.
Couverture chocolate
Top-quality bittersweet chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa butter and cocoa liquor.
Cream, to
Crustacean
An aquatic animal, such as a crab or lobster with a hard external, segmented shell and soft body.
Cup measure
A volume measure used mainly in the USA and Australia based on a 235 ml cup in the USA, and a 250 ml cup in Australia. Both liquids and dry goods are measured in cups.
Daikon
Long, white, smooth-skinned radish, used mostly in Asian recipes.
Dariole
Dark soy sauce
A dark, rich sauce that has fermented longer than light soy sauce. Used for colour and flavour.
Darne
Daube
To cook covered (originally in a daubière) without having the outer part of the meat fried first. It can be cubed meat or one large piece; in the latter case it should be larded. It is usually meat that has been marinaded and is cooked in the same ma
Decant
Pour out, letting sediment remain.
Deglaze (déglacer)
To loosen meat juices and flavours that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan when frying or roasting meat. A liquid is added to the hot pan and the pan is scraped and stirred. The liquid is then added to the dish or used to make gravy. When alcohol
Degrease (dégraisser)
Degrease. To remove fat, e.g. from the top (surface) of hot liquids by skimming or soaking it off with paper towel.
Dégustation
A tasting or sampling, this term is usually applied to a menu in which you eat lots of small courses.
Demersai
A word used to describe flat fish.
Demi-tasse
A small cup, usually used to hold coffee.
Desiccate
Usually used to describe coconut.
Dextral
A term used for flat fish that have two eyes on the right-hand side of the top side of their heads.
dijonnaise, à la
French term usually taken to mean 'with mustard'.
Doria
Dishes, usually fish, fried in butter and dressed with cucumber cooked in butter.
Draw
To gut poultry and other birds
Dry roast, to
To heat spices in a hot pan without oil to improve their flavour.
Dubarry, à la / du
Denotes a dish containing cauliflower.
Duchosse, à la
A dish garnished with duchess potatoes.
Egg wash
A glaze used in baking made from eggs and water or milk.
Eggplant
Also known as aubergine and brinjal Japanese and Lebanese eggplants are varieties of baby eggplants.
Epigramme
Lit. An invented item. Often slice of breast of lamb fried in egg and breadcrumbs.
Escalope (or collop)
Thin slice of veal taken from the noix, 10mm thick flattened to less than 6mm. By beating. Sometimes this word is used incorrectly in a vaguer sense.
Escargots
Snails; vineyard snail is the best. Usually cooked in garlic and butter and replaced in shell to serve.
Estouffade
A smothering'. To cook the food like that; tightly closed, i.e. In a daubière.
Extract
Concentrated flavour derived from foods, usually by distillation or evaporation
Faggot
Refers to a bundle when applied to herbs, or to a type of meatball.
Farce
Stuffing or forcemeat. The stuffed item is described as'farci'.
Farinaceous
A starchy food.
Farro
The oldest known wheat, dating back to the pharaohs. Farro puls polenta is farro that has been milled to produce a coarse meal. It is used as a thickening agent and for flavour.
Fat-free
If food item labelled fat-free, then the total ingredients should have less than 0.5 g fat per 100 g.
Faux-filet
Same as contre-filet. It is the loin part of a sirloin, i.e. Not the tenderloin (filet) part. It's a prime cut of beef.
Flambé (flamber)
Meaning 'to flame', this involves setting fire to alcohol in order to burn it off, leaving just the flavour behind.
Flan
A round, straight-sided tart with a pastry, biscuit or sponge base and a precooked filling. Also refers to a caramel custard-like dessert from Spanish-speaking countries.
Flash point
The point at which oil vapours will catch light but will not sustain burning. If oil gets this hot, it must be taken away from the source of heat immediately or it will reach fire point and burn.
Florentine, à la
Denotes the use of spinach, often with fish or eggs and topped with cheese sauce. Sometimes just the word 'florentine' is used.
Foie gras
Two sorts; goose liver and duck liver from alsace and toulouse, specially prepared by force feeding. If it says 'en bloc' you will get a chunk of liver but if it says 'pâté'foicgras' you might get anything at all, for this means that there is some fo
Forno, al
Means 'baked' or' cooked in the oven' in Italian.
Frangipane
A very stiff pastry cream (seecrème pâtissière, with crushed almonds, macaroons, and sometimes kirsch.
Free-range
Animals or birds that have access to open pasture. The meaning is interpreted in different ways by producers and free-range can be quite limited.
French roast
To roast poultry with a liquid, starting it breast side down to keep the meat moist.
Fricandeau
Rump of veal. Also means cooked veal; loin braised or roasted.
Fricassée
A stew made from white meat, which is fried and then cooked in a white sauce such as velouté.
Galantine
Boned poultry, fish or white meat, stuffed, rolled and pressed into a symmetrical shape before being cooked, chilled and glazed with aspic. Served cold cut into slices.
Garam masala
A blend of spices originating in north india and based on varying proportions of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, fennel. And cumin, roasted and ground together.
Garbure
A hot-pot or soup of cabbage and beans.
Gastronomy
The study and knowledge of good food and wine.
Gastropod
Single shelled (univalve) mollusc such as whelks and abalone.
Gaufrette
A wafer, often very thin and fan shaped, shaped on a gaufrette iron, which leaves a waffled indentation. Curled gaufrettes can be used as ice cream cones.
Glacé(e)
Means frozen (iced) or glazed.
Glaze
A coating that is applied to a precooked or cooked surface to make it shine or to help it colour when cooked, such as an egg wash for uncooked pastry and an apricot glaze for fruit tarts.
Gourmand
Someone who eni, Oys fine food-possibly too much.
Gow gee wrappers
Made from wheat flour and water.
Grace
A reduced meat stock or a glaze.
Grand-mére
Used to denote home cooking or traditional country-style food.
Gras-double
The three stomachs of an ox, called in England tripe (the French word tripes is slightly different).
Grate,to
To finely shred something by rubbing it against a coarse or serrated edge.
Gratin
A shallow dish, a brown covering or a cooked item, served in a gratin dish.
Gratiner
To brown - under the grill.
Grease, to
To coat a dish, tin or mould with cooking fat in order to stop the item being cooked from sticking.
Grecque, à la
Means 'of Greek origin', and usually describes vegetables such as onions, mushrooms or leeks cooked in a mixture including olive oil and lemon juice.
Green mung-bean noodles
Mung beans; also known as cellophane noodles.
Green pawpaw
Also known as green papaya. Green mango makes a good substitute.
Grenadine
Sweet, tart, red fruit syrup made from pomegranate juice. Used for colour and flavour.
Halal
Term given to meat killed and prepared under Muslim dietary laws.
