Food Glossary

A

Adobo – a dark red sauce made from ground chilies, herbs and vinegar

Aging – what we all do but in cooking it means keeping meats or cheeses in a controlled environment for a certain amount of time to improve tenderness and flavor

Al Dente – describes pasta cooked firm to the bite

Amande – almond

Andouillette – chitterlings sausage

Apéritif or apéro. A pre-dinner drink. Also: a general term for the drinks and savory nibbles served before dinner. It is also a widespread custom to invite people over just for l'apéro, which is a more casual way to entertain than a full-blown dinner invitation

Arachide – peanut

Assiette – plate

Au jus – the natural drippings or juice from a pan after cooking beef and deglazing

Aubergine – eggplant

B

 

Bard – to wrap thin sheets of fat or bacon around lean meat or poultry to prevent it from drying out while roasting

Baste – to brush, squirt or pour drippings, fat or liquid, over food while broiling, roasting or baking to prevent drying out; develops a crusty exterior and improves flavor and appearance of product being cooked

Baton – vegetables that are cut into thin long rectangle shapes. The most common use of this style of cut is for French fries and raw vegetables for a crudité. Dimensions are ¼" x ¼" x 2" 
Beaufort – firm cow cheese from the area of Beaufort, in the French Alps

Beignet – fritter, donut

Beurre – butter. Beurre doux is unsalted, beurre salé is salted

Bind – to thicken a hot liquid or sauce by stirring in a roux, flour, cornstarch, egg yolks, cream or butter

Bisque – a shellfish soup with cream

Blackened – method of cooking that uses spices (sometimes butter) to coat fish or steak or chicken and then cooked in a very hot cast iron skillet

Blanc – white.

Blanch – to partially cook vegetables by plunging them into boiling water (often salted) for up to one minute and then cooling them quickly in cold or ice water

Bleu – very rare. Literally: blue

Boeuf – beef

Boeuf bourguignon – a stew of beef, red wine, and vegetables; a specialty from Burgundy

Boil – to cook at the boiling point keeping water or other liquids bubbling; rapid penetration of heat

Bok Choy – a Chinese cabbage with long white stalks and narrow green leaves - also called Chinese cabbage

Bonbon – candy

Bouchon – cork

Boudin antillais – spicy blood sausage. A twist on boudin noir and a specialty from the Antilles, the French Caribbean

Boudin blanc – a soft white sausage

Boudin noir – blood sausage

Bouillabaisse – a fish soup made from several varieties of fish, tomatoes, saffron, fennel and wine (Mediterranean origins)

Bouillon – simmering lean meat, bones, seasonings and vegetables and removing all food particles leaving a clear soup

Bouquet Garni – a bouquet of fresh herbs (frequently bay leaf, thyme and parsley) tied together and immersed in a liquid; used to season stocks and braised foods

Braise – a method of cooking that involves browning meat with vegetables in fat, oil or butter first, then slowly cooking the food in a small amount of liquid; a pot roast is often cooked this way

Brandade de morue – salt cod mashed with olive oil and milk until smooth; sometimes made with potatoes, too; a specialty from Provence

Brasserie – originally, a restaurant that served beer (the literal meaning of brasserie is brewery) and a simple hearty fare, often of Alsatian inspiration. The term is now used, more broadly, for traditional restaurants that are larger than bistros and offer a longer menu served around the clock (choucroute, grilled meat, shellfish platters, etc.)

Bread – to coat the food with bread crumbs (usually the food is first dipped in flour and then beaten eggs, then bread crumbs)

Break – the separation of fat from a liquid content of a sauce or soup; appears curdled

Brioche – a lightly sweet yeast pastry, made with eggs and butter

Brochette – skewer

Broil – a method of cooking where the food is placed directly underneath or above the source of high heat

Broth – a liquid made by simmering meats or fish or poultry or vegetables or their by-products in water with herbs (also "stock")

Brown – quickly searing food to enhance flavor; most often done at the beginning of the cooking process

Brush – to coat food with a liquid such as melted butter or a glaze using a brush designed for this process

Butterfly – to cut food down the center but not all the way through; done to spread the food apart for quicker cooking without burning

C

  

Café – coffee; when ordered in a café or restaurant: espresso

Café crème – coffee with milk

Calamari – squid

Cantine – school or office cafeteria, it is sometimes used to mean a restaurant that has a laid-back and relaxed atmosphere, and where you could see yourself having lunch or dinner everyday

Capers – pickled flower buds from the Mediterranean

Caramel au beurre salé – salted butter caramel

Caramelize – a process of cooking sugar (usually with oil or butter) until it begins to color; foods containing natural sugars will caramelize in their own sugars

Cari – curry (in Créole cuisine)

Carte – menu

Cassis – blackcurrant

Cassoulet – a stew from the South-West of France, involving white kidney beans and various meats cooked in goose fat

Celsius – a temperature scale in which 0 (zero) is freezing and 100 degrees is boiling or steaming

Charcuterie – a store halfway between a butcher's shop and a deli. Also, the variety of sausages and pork products (jambon, saucisson, salami, mortadelle, pâté) sold in such stores.

Chatini – Créole chutney

Chèvre – goat. (m) Short for fromage de chèvre, goat cheese

Chicory – sometimes called curly endive; a type of lettuce (chicory root is sometimes used as a coffee substitute)

Chiffon – a filling made light and fluffy with beaten egg whites or whipped cream

Chocolat au lait – milk chocolate

Chocolat blanc – white chocolate

Chocolat noir – dark chocolate

Chocolatier – an artisan who makes and sells chocolate confections.

Chop – to cut into non-uniformed pieces or rough cut

Citron – lemon

Citronnade – lemonade

Citronnelle – lemongrass

Clafoutis – a simple, grandmotherly dessert in which a pudding batter (usually made of flour, sugar, milk and eggs, sometimes butter) is poured over fruit (most commonly cherries, to make clafoutis aux cerises) and baked. A specialty from the Limousin region

Clarify – a process of making a liquid clear; removing milk solids and impurities from butter resulting in a pure golden liquid butter used for many cooking purposes

Coat – to cover food with another product

Cochon – pig

Combine – mixing ingredients together

Compote – a dessert made of fruits cooked slowly with sugar or syrup. Also used, by extension, for vegetables or meat cooked the same way

Comté – semi-firm cow cheese from the Jura, a mountain range in the East of France

Confit – applies to any preparation that's cooked in its own fat, or cooked slowly until very soft

Confit de canard – a duck leg, salted and cooked slowly, then packed in its own fat. A typical dish from the Southwestern France

Core – remove the center of fruits

Cornichon – gherkin

Côte – rib, or chop

Côtelette – chop

Cream – beat butter or shortening until light and fluffy

Crème anglaise – vanilla custard sauce

Crème brûlée – a custard-like dessert served in a round and shallow earthenware ramekin, and sprinkled with a layer of sugar that's blowtorched into a caramel crust just before serving. Literally: burnt cream

Crème de cassis – blackcurrant liqueur, typically blended with white wine to make a kir cocktail

Crème de marron – sweetened chestnut purée

Crème fleurette also: crème liquide. Whipping cream

Crème fraîche – thick, slightly sour cream, that doesn't curdle when heated. Substitute heavy cream or sour cream, preferably a mix of the two

Crêpe – large and thin pancake. A specialty from Brittany

Croque-madame – a croque-monsieur with a fried egg on top

Croque-monsieur – a grilled sandwich of cheese and ham, sometimes topped with a béchamel sauce

Croûte – crust

Crush – to reduce food to small particles using a tool (rolling pin or mortar and pestle)

Cube – to cut up into regular sizes

Cut in – the process of combining solid fat (such as butter or shortening) with a dry ingredient (such as flour) until small pea-size particles are formed; as is done when making pie crust or biscuits

D

 

Dash – about ¹/₁₆ of a teaspoon; a "pinch" or less

Daube – a Provencal stew made with inexpensive beef braised in wine, vegetables, garlic and herbes de Provence. Daube is adapted in New Orleans cuisine to make daube glacé.

Daubière – a braising pan

Deep-fry – to cook submerged in very hot fat (like French fries) until golden brown

Deglaze – to swirl a liquid into a pan to dissolve particles of food on the bottom of the sauté or roast pans for flavor

Demi (prefix) half- (as in demi-baguette)

Demi-glace – a rich brown sauce made from reduced veal or beef stock; used to make classic sauces

Devil – to add hot, spicy ingredients (pepper, Tabasco^®, cayenne, mustard) to a food

Dice – to cut into regular sized cubes; small, medium or large

Digestif – after-dinner drink, usually a brandy such as Armagnac or Cognac

Direct heat – a grilling method of cooking, allowing food to be cooked directly over a flame or heat source

Dissolve – to stir a dry substance into a liquid until no solids remain

Dollop – a scoop or spoonful of food placed on top of another food

Dough – a combination of flour, water or milk and sometimes a leaven (yeast) to make a mixture for baking

Drain – to remove and discard the liquid contents from a cooking process (as in draining cooked potatoes or vegetables)

Dredge – to lightly coat food to be pan-fried or sautéed (usually with flour, cornmeal or bread crumbs)

Drippings – the juices and fat that is collected from the pan of cooked foods

Dutch oven – a large, deep pot that is covered with a tight fitting lid

 

E

 

Egg wash – liquefied eggs; beaten eggs with milk or water sometimes added; used in the breading process, in sealing pieces of dough and to coat some baked goods for a shiny look when baked

Emulsion – small particles of oil or another liquid suspended in the other (e.g. vinaigrette salad dressing)

Entrée – in France this refers to the first course of a meal after the soup but before the main course; in the USA it is the main dish

Escargot – snail

Espresso – a very strong, dark coffee brewed with steam pressure

F

 

Fahrenheit – a temperature scale in which 32 degrees represents freezing and 212 degrees is the steam point( to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit reading, multiply by 5 and divide by 9; better yet - have a thermometer that reads both scales)

Filet – a boneless, skinless piece of meat (fillet is used for boneless, skinless fish)

Filet de boeuf – beef tenderloin

Filet de poulet – chicken breast

Filet mignon – center cut from the tenderloin of beef

Fillet – to remove the bones from fish or meat before cooking (fish fillet, meat filet)

Filter – to remove impurities or particles of food by pouring through cheesecloth or a strainer or "China Cap" (chinoise)

Flake – to break food into small pieces (or allow it to do so when cooking)

Flame – a method of cooking in which foods are splashed with liquor and ignited

Florentine – food cooked with or garnished with spinach

Flute – a decorative scalloped edge on pastry or pie crusts; vegetables can be fluted as a way to make them have more eye appeal

Foie – liver

Foie gras – the liver from a fatted duck or goose

Fold – combining two or more products with a spatula or spoon using a side-to-side motion or a top-to-bottom motion

Fond – solids (sucs) left in the bottom of a pan after cooking meats; adding water to dissolve the sucs creates the fond base liquid

Fondue – a warmed creamy liquid made of cheese, eggs, wine or other products and used as a dip for vegetables, breads and some other products

Fondue bourguignonne – a type of fondue in which you cook cubes of meat (generally beef) in hot oil then eat them with a variety of dipping sauces

Fondue savoyarde – cheese fondue, made with white wine and cheeses from Savoie, a region on the French side of the Alps

Fourme d'Ambert – blue cheese from Auvergne, a mountain range in the center of France

Frais – fresh

Fricassee – a stew of cut up poultry fried in butter and simmered with vegetables

Frit – fried

Frites – French fries

Frittata – an omelet that is baked and not folded; "open-faced" omelet

Frizzle – to fry julienne vegetables in hot oil until crisp

Fromage – cheese

Fromage blanc – a smooth, unsalted fresh cheese, similar to yogurt

Fromage frais – fresh cheese

Fruits secs – dried fruits. Nuts are sometimes included in that category

Fumé – smoked

G

 

Galette – a savory crêpe made with buckwheat flour. Also: any preparation that's flat and circular, or patty-shaped

Gambas – jumbo shrimp

Ganache – a smooth preparation of chocolate melted with egg yolks, heavy cream and/or butter. It is used in filled chocolates and chocolate tarts in particular. Used as filling for truffles and coating for pies and other desserts

Garnish – a decorative touch added to dishes and beverages

Gâteau – cake

Glace – a stock that has been reduced to a syrupy consistency and used to add flavor and color to a sauce

Glacé – iced, chilled, ice cream

Glaze – a liquid that gives a shiny surface to an item

Gras – fatty, greasy. Fat  

Grate – to shred food into fine pieces

Gratin – to sprinkle an item with cheese and/or bread crumbs and baked until golden brown, casserole

Gravy – a sauce made from pan drippings and thickened with a roux

Grill – to cook directly over a heat source on metal racks

Gruyère – firm cow cheese from the town of Gruyères, in the Swiss Alps

H

 

Haricot – bean. Haricot vert = green bean, haricot blanc = white bean, haricot rouge = red bean

Hominy – corn kernels with the germ and bran removed

Hors d'Oeuvres – small portions of foods, canapés; appetizers

Hull – to remove the leafy parts of fruits

I

 

Infusion – extracting flavors by soaking them in a liquid heated in a covered pan

Insulated baking sheet – a cookie sheet with a space between its double layers to prevent hot spots

J

 

Jambon – ham

Jell – a solidifying process usually using gelatin

Julienne – to cut food into uniform thin strips two-three inches long

Jus – juice

K

 

Kebab - small chucks of meat, fish, or shellfish that are usually marinated before being skewered and grilled, broiled or pan-fried (pieces of vegetables often are added to the skewer); also called "shish kebab"

Knead – to press and fold dough in order to give it a smoother consistency needed for leavening

Kosher salt – very coarse salt

L

 

Labyrinthe – maze

Lait – milk

Lait de coco – coconut milk

Langoustine – scampi

Larding – putting strips of fat into pieces of meat to help the braised meat stay moist and juicy during cooking

Lardon – a small strip of bacon

Leaven – yeast: also the process of whipping egg whites that produces air bubbles and causes the rising of baked items

Légume – vegetable

M

 

Macaron – a cookie made with ground almonds and egg whites. The macaron parisien in particular is made of two delicate meringue-like cookies sandwiched together by a creamy filling

Madeleine – a small, butter-rich teacake baked in an oval mold that gives it a vaguely scallop-like shape. The dough rises in the oven to form a characteristic bump which is, to some, the tastiest part of the madeleine

Maison, or fait maison – homemade

Marble – to swirl or layer one food item into another to create a ribbon effect when cooked and sliced

Marché – farmer's market

Marinade – a liquid sauce that is used to soften and flavor meats before cooking (most marinades contain ingredients such as vinegar, oil, lemon, wine, beer, herbs and spices)

Marinate – to cover a food item with a liquid substance

Medallion – a small piece of meat (beef, chicken, pork, veal) lightly pounded into an oval or a round

Meringue – sweetened egg whites beaten until stiff but light

Mince – to chop into very fine pieces

Mirepoix – a mixture of rough-cut or diced vegetables, herbs and spices used for flavoring

Mise en place – a French cooking term for having all your ingredients prepped and ready to use before starting to cook

Mont d'Or – a soft cow cheese from the Jura with a thicker rind wrapped in pine bark and sold in a round wooden box. A popular way to serve it is the boîte chaude (hot box), in which the Mont d'Or is oven-baked in its box, with a splash of white wine, and eaten warm

Mount – the addition of small pieces of cold butter to a sauce as a finishing process

Mull – heating wine, cider, or juices with spices, citrus and sugar

N

 

Nap – to cover a food item with a thin, even layer of sauce

Nougatine – a crunchy mixture of caramel and chopped almonds, often used in pastries as a layer or as a decoration

O

 

Orangette – a chocolate confection in which a strip of candied orange rind is dipped in dark chocolate, sometimes with chunks of almonds

Organic – grown or raised without chemicals or artificial growth enhancers, without chemical fertilizers or chemical pesticides (this is a favorite topic of mine)

Oven bake – to cook foods surrounded by hot dry air

Oven broil – to cook with radiant heat from above

Oven poach – to cook in the oven with a small amount of water or another liquid

P

 

Pain – bread

Pain perdu – French toast, i.e. slices of day-old bread or brioche dipped in an egg batter and sautéed in butter until golden

Pan broil – cooking food in a heavy pan without added fat and removing any fat that is produced as you cook the item

Pan fry – to cook in a moderate amount of fat, uncovered

Panéed – The term "panéed" means pan-fried in New Orleans. This typically prepared with veal, and chicken breast or pork loin

Papillote – a cooking method where a product is wrapped in parchment paper or foil and baked so that the food cooks in its own juices (fish, most often)

Par boil – to cook partially in a simmering or boiling liquid for a short period of time

Parchment paper – a special, non-stick, silicone coated, heat resistant paper used in cooking

Pare or peel – to remove the outer layer of skin from certain foods (usually fruits and vegetables)

Pâté – a mixture of finely chopped or pureed seasoned meat, usually used as a spread on bread

Pâte à choux – choux pastry. Soft dough made of butter, flour, salt, water and eggs, which puff up when baked. It is used to make a variety of pastries: chouquettes, éclairs, salambô, Saint-Honoré, profiterolles, gougères

Pâte brisée – a flaky pastry dough made with flour, butter, eggs, and, if it is to be used for a sweet preparation, sugar

Pâte d'amande – almond paste, or marzipan

Pâte de fruit – fruit paste

Pâte feuilletée – puff pastry

Pâte sablée – sweet and crumbly pastry dough

Pâtisserie – pastry. Also: pastry shop

Pickle – to preserve or flavor food in brine

Pinch – a measurement of less than ¹/₁₆ of a teaspoon (same as "dash")

Pipe – to squeeze a soft food item from a pastry bag to another food item, usually in a decorative manner

Pissaladière – an onion tart with black olives and anchovies, on a thin bread-like crust. A specialty from Nice, in the South of France. The name comes from pissalat, a condiment made with pureed anchovies, cloves, thyme and bay leaves, which was traditionally spread on the tart before baking

Pistou – a paste made of basil, olive oil, garlic, and sometimes cheese, equivalent to the Italian pesto. A specialty from Provence

Pit – to remove the center seed from fruits

Plateau – platter

Poach – to cook very gently (slowly) in a liquid that is hot but not boiling or bubbling

Poisson – fish

Poivre – pepper

Poivron – bell pepper

Pomme – apple. Sometimes also used to mean potato, short for pomme de terre, as in pommes sarladaises, pommes sautées, pommes frites, pommes dauphines, etc

Pomme de terre – potato. Literally: earth apple

Pommes sarladaises – potatoes sautéed with garlic (and sometimes mushrooms) in duck fat. A specialty from Sarlat, in the Périgord region

Poulet – chicken

Praline – a paste made of ground caramelized nuts and chocolate. A chocolate bite filled with the above paste. A caramelized nut, usually an almond or a peanut

Precook – to partially cook food before final cooking process

Preheat – to heat an oven (or sometimes a pan) to a recommended temperature before cooking in it

Pressure cooking – using steam under a locked lid to produce high temperatures to accomplish a fast cooking time

Proof – a cooking term used for the growth of yeast dough's rise

Prune – plum

Purée - the action of mashing a food until it has a thick, smooth consistency; usually done by a blender or food processor or pushed through a colander

Q

 

R

 

Ragoût – stew

Raisin – grape

Ramekin – a very small dish used for individual portions

Ratatouille – a vegetable stew made with tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions, herbs and olive oil; a specialty from Provence

Reconstitute – a dried food product is returned to its original form by adding a liquid, hot or cold

Reduce – to cook by simmering or boiling until its volume is decreased in order to concentrate flavors

Refresh – to stop the cooking process by submerging in or spraying with cold water; common with vegetables and pasta

Roast – to cook foods by surrounding them with hot, dry air in an oven (uncovered) or on a spit over an open fire

Rolling boil – boiling water at very high heat so that even if stirred the water continues to boil (bubble)

Rösti – a potato pancake with cheese

Rôti – roasted. Roast

Rouge – red

Roux – a cooked mixture of flour and oil, fat or butter that is used to thicken liquids

S

 

Sabayon – a sweet, whipped sauce flavored with wine

Sachet – a small bag usually made of cheesecloth containing herbs and spices and is placed into soups, stews, stocks and sauces while cooking for added flavor and is removed when the item is finished cooking

Saffron – a yellow-orange spice made from the stigmas of purple crocus

Sauce – a liquid that adds flavor and moisture to foods

Saucisson – dry sausage

Sauté – to cook foods quickly in a small amount of fat

Scald – to heat a liquid just below boiling with bubbles around the edges

Scallion – very young onions picked when beds of onions need to be thinned. Both the shallot and the green onion, which have small bulbs, are also known as scallions

Scallop – to bake food with a sauce or other liquid in a casserole

Score – tenderizing meats or seafood by slicing with a knife

Sear – to seal in the juices of meat by quickly browning it on all sides in a very hot pan

Season – enhancing the flavor of food by adding ingredients such as herbs and spices; cooking term also means to oil a pan and slowly warm it and then wipe it

Sec – dry

Séché – dried

Set – to allow food to solidify

Shred – to tear or cut food into narrow strips

Shuck – to remove the shells from clams and oysters; also to remove the husks from corn

Sieve – to press a food through a strainer to break it up

Sift – to remove lumps from certain foods while aerating it

Simmer – to gently cook food in a liquid over low heat so only tiny bubbles can be observed breaking the surface of the liquid

Simple syrup – two parts water and one part sugar cooked together

Sirop – syrup

Skim – removing fat or impurities that have risen to the top of a liquid being cooked

Slivered – thin slices about ¼ inch by ⅛ inch

Smoking point – the temperature at which fat breaks down and starts smoking

Sommelier – a member of the wait staff of a restaurant who specializes in wine

Steam – to cook by direct contact with steam

Steel – a dowel-shaped tool used to sharpen knives

Steep – to soak dry ingredients in water or another liquid until the flavor is infused into the liquid

Stew – to gradually cook ingredients in a covered pot for a long time (until tender)

Stir-fry – fast frying in a small amount of oil over very high heat while continuously stirring ingredients

Stock – the liquid that you have left after simmering bones, vegetables and seasonings in water or another liquid

Strain – to separate and reserve the liquid contents from a cooking process such as straining the liquid from the bones and vegetables for stock

Sucre – sugar

Sucre de canne – cane sugar

Sucre glace – confectioner's sugar

Sucre roux – brown sugar

Sucs – dehydrated solids of concentrated flavor left in the bottom of a pan after cooking meats; adding water dissolves the sucs, creating the fond base liquid

Sweat – to cook in a very small amount of fat over low heat (sometimes covered) without browning to release flavors and moisture

T

 

Tapenade – green or black olive paste

Tartare – a dish that involves a raw ingredient, chopped or diced finely, and seasoned. The most classic example is steak tartare, made with raw beef, but the term is also used for preparations of raw fish or vegetables

Tarte flambée – a thin Alsatian tart usually garnished with crème fraîche, onions, and lardons

Tarte tatin – fruit pie (traditionally made with apples) baked with the crust atop the fruit, but flipped before serving

Tartine – originally, a slice of bread, toasted or not, with something spread on it, usually eaten for breakfast. More recently, a main dish of one or two slices of bread on which ingredients are laid, creating a sort of open-faced sandwich

Temper – to slowly introduce a hot liquid or batter component to a mix containing eggs; to prevent cooking an egg-base through slow incorporation of a hot component that must be added to a dish containing eggs

Terrine – a preparation of meat, fish or vegetables, cooked or assembled in an earthenware dish and served cold, in slices. Also: the earthenware dish used for such preparations.

Thin – reducing the thickness of a liquid by adding more liquid

Timbale – tumbler, can be used for any dish served in a small cup, or shaped like a small cup

Toss – mixing ingredients by gently tossing together with an upward motion

U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Unleavened – baked items that have no ingredients to give them volume (no yeast, no eggs, and no baking powder for example)

Velouté – a smooth and velvety soup

Vinaigre – vinegar

Vinaigre balsamique – balsamic vinegar

Vinaigrette – an acidic sauce or dressing

Water bath – setting a container in a pan of simmering water to keep it hot

Whisk – to quickly mix air into ingredients; also the name of a cooking tool