CULINARY INFO
Kitchen Terminology Pt II
"DISCLAIMER"
The information contained here is supplied for your interest only and further research may be required.
I have gathered it from many sources over many years. While I attempt to insure they are crossed referenced for accuracy,
I take no responsibility for mistakes - additions or corrections are welcomed.
Food
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| CULINARY TERM | DEFINITION | haché | Finely chopped or minced |
| haricot | Bean |
| haut | High class |
| herb salt | A salt flavoured with herbs |
| hollandaise | A rich egg and butter sauce served warm |
| hominy | A farinaceous dish made of maize |
| hors d'oeuvre | Appetising first course |
| hôte | Host |
| huile | Oil |
| jambon | Ham (Fr) |
| jardiniere | Vegetables cut into batons |
| julep | Ancient Arabian name for a cooling drink that contained mucilage or opium. These days applied to a variety of cooling alcoholic cocktails |
| julienne | Vegetables cut into fine strips |
| jus | Juice |
| jus | Roast gravy; the juices from a roast |
| jus lie | Thickened gravy |
| kebabs | Indian / Turkish dish of meats cooked and served on a skewer. Also the name of the skewers; ‘shish kebabs’ being of lamb only |
| kedgeree | An Indian breakfast dish of fish, egg and rice flavoured with curry |
| lait | Milk |
| au lait | With or of milk |
| lame | Fine slice of |
| langue | Tongue shape |
| lard | To insert strips of bacon or fat into meats |
| Larder | The cold preparation section of a kitchen : see also Garde Manger |
| lardon | Baton of thick streaky bacon |
| lasagne | Thin sheets of pasta; the dish made from it |
| légume | Vegetable |
| levure | Luting; a paste of flour and water used for sealing pastry |
| liaison | A thickening or binding; usually egg yolks and cream |
| lut | See levure |
| Lyonnaise | Anything cooked this style contains onions as its main ingredient. Named after the French province: Lyon, which is famous for its onions |
| macaroons | sweet biscuits made of almonds, sugar, (coconut) and egg white |
| macedoine | Fruit or vegetables cut into dice |
| magnetron | The device which generates the microwaves in a microwave oven |
| maison | House |
| maitre | Master |
| Maitre d’ hotel | Used to signify the Head waiter |
| mandolin | Tool for slicing vegetables |
| mange tout | sugar or snow pea |
| manié | Softened |
| marinade | A spiced pickling liquid used to flavour and /or tenderise meats and fish prior to cooking |
| marmite | Stockpot |
| mask | To coat with sauce (see also nappé) |
| mayonnaise | A cold sauce emulsion consisting of egg yolks, vinegar, seasoning and a good quality oil |
| mélange | A mixture |
| meuniere | Miller |
| menu | A bill of fare |
| mignon | small, delicate |
| mineral salts | Mineral elements, small quantities of which are essential for good health |
| mirepoix | Roughly cut vegetables, usually onions, carrots, celery with a sprig of thyme and bay leaf |
| mis en place | Preparation prior to service |
| miso | Seasoning derived from the soya bean |
| monosodium glutamate | A chemical added to food to increase flavour |
| mornay | Cheese sauce |
| mousse | A dish of puréed food[s], egg white and cream: light in consistency |
| muscat | A sweet wine and the grape that produces it |
| napper | To coat or mask with sauce |
| native | A menu item denoting English oysters |
| navarin | Brown stew of lamb or mutton |
| neige | Snow (Fr); white of eggs beaten to a snow or froth |
| Nepaul pepper | A red sweet chilli |
| niacin | Part of vitamin B; found in liver, kidney, meat extract and bacon |
| noisette | A cut from a boned out loin of lamb |
| noisette | A nut; or pertaining to nuts |
| nori | Sheets of Japanese seaweed used in the making of sushi |
| Normande | Applied to dishes which contain apple or apple derivatives. Named after the French province Normandy which is famous for its apples |
| nougat | A sweetmeat made from sugar, honey and almonds |
| nouvelle cuisine | The name given to the style of food that became popular in the 80’s that gave back the flavours of the food. It stepped away from the heavy sauces etc of classical French cuisine |
| noyau | The stone or kernel of a fruit |
| noyau | A liqueur flavoured with peach or nectarine kernels |
| nutrients | Components of food required for good health; proteins, fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, mineral salts and water |
| oxidation | The chemical process whereby the product is affected by taking in of oxygen, eg the browning of cut apples |
| paella | A peasant rice dish from Spain, that includes shellfish, pork, spicy sausage and saffron |
| pain | Bread (Fr) |
| palatable | Pleasant to the taste |
| panada | Paste of water and flour or bread, used for forcemeats |
| pane | Passed through seasoned flour, eggwash and bread crumbs |
| paprika | Hungarian sweet capsicum/pepper (red) |
| parisienne scoop | An implement for cutting spheres out of fruit and vegetables |
| parsley butter | Butter mixed with lemon juice and chopped parsley |
| parsons nose | The extreme end of a bird, where the tail feathers grow |
| pass | To cause to go through a sieve or chinoise |
| paté | Paste (Fr), generally used to describe a passed meat dish served as an appetiser |
| pathogens | Food poisoning bacteria |
| paupiette | A stuffed, rolled fillet of fish |
| petit fours | Small fancy cakes and sweetmeats, highly decorated |
| phosphorus | A mineral element found in fish, required for healthy teeth and bones |
| picked parsley | Sprig of parsley |
| piece de resistance | the ultimate |
| pilaff | A rice dish |
| piquant | Sharply flavoured |
| pique | Studded [same as cloute] |
| plat du jour | Speciality of the day |
| polenta | An Italian dish using coarsely ground cornmeal |
| posset | Hot milk curdled with wine, ale, vinegar or other acid |
| potage | Soup (Fr) |
| potpourri | A stew of various kinds of meats and spices |
| poulet | Chicken |
| poussin | Baby chicken |
| praline | Flavoured with ‘burnt’ almonds |
| printanier | Garnish of spring vegetables. |
| profiteroles | Small, round choux paste cases |
| protein | The nutrient which is needed for growth and repair |
| prove | To allow yeast dough to rest in a warm place so that it can rise and expand |
| pulses | Dried vegetables that grow in pods |
| purée | A smooth pulp |
| quark | A salt free, soft cheese made from semi skimmed milk |
| quenelles | Oval shaped forcemeat dumplings |
| ragout | Stew |
| ramekin | Cheese fritters |
| ramekin | Small pastry moulds |
| ratafia | Essence of bitter almonds |
| ravioli | Small, square, stuffed pasta pockets |
| rechauffé | To reheat |
| reduce | To concentrate a liquid by simmering |
| refresh | To make cold under running water or plunge into iced water |
| rennet | A substance prepared from the inner membrane of a calf’s (pig’s, hare’s or fowl’s) stomach; used for coagulating milk |
| riboflavin | Part of vitamin B, also known as B2; found in yeast, liver, eggs and cheese |
| rissoler | To fry to a golden brown |
| root ginger | The root of the ginger plant |
| roulade | To roll |
| roux | A thickening agent of flour and fat/oil |
| sabayon | Egg yolks and a liquid whipped over a bain marie until creamy |
| saccharometer | Instrument used for measuring the density of sugar syrup |
| salami | An Italian (smoked) cured sausage |
| salmis | A game stew |
| salmonella | A pathogen found in meat and especially poultry |
| salsa | Spanish for sauce, but it tends to refer to a sauce that is used as a dip for finger foods |
| sashimi | Japanese dish consisting of raw fish that is dipped into a mix of soy sauce and waasabi |
| saté / satay | Indonesian for skewers or kebabs, has come to mean not just the skewer but everything served on it. Normally served with a spicy peanut sauce |
| sauté | To toss in fat, also a brown stew of a specific type |
| seal | To set the surface of meat in a hot oven or pan, so that it colours and retains the juices |
| seasoned | Flavoured |
| seasoned | When pertaining to equipment this means to treat it with oil and/or salt to give it a non stick ability |
| seasoned flour | Flour with which salt and other seasonings has been added |
| set | To seal the outside surface |
| shredded | Cut into fine strips {see also chiffonnade] |
| silicon paper | Non stick paper |
| singe | To brown or colour |
| sippets | Older culinary term for croutons |
| slapjack | A broad flat pancake |
| smetana | A low fat product; a cross between soured cream and yoghurt |
| sodium | Mineral found in the form of salt in founds |
| sorbet | Flavoured water ice, usually flavoured with something sharp as the dish is served as a palate refresher between courses |
| soubise | A purée of onion |
| soufflé | A very light sweet or savoury dish; served hot or cold |
| soy sauce | A dark condiment sauce of Oriental origin |
| soya bean | A pulse of Oriental origin |
| spatzlé | A German wet noodle |
| staphylococcus | A pathogen found in the human throat, nose and in septic cuts |
| starch | A carbohydrate found in cereals, certain vegetables and farinaceous products |
| strain | To separate to liquid from the solids |
| studded onion | Peeled onion studded with cloves and bay leaf |
| succotash | An American dish made from green corn and lima beans |
| supreme | Boneless breast of chicken |
| sushi | A Japanese dish made up of rice, veg and seafood (raw or cooked) rolled in nori and sliced. Served with a dipping sauce |
| sweat | To cook in fat under a lid without colouring the foods |
| syllabub | A cream dessert flavoured with a liquor |
| syneresis | The squeezing out of liquid from an over cooked protein, eg scrambled eggs |
| t.v.p. | Textured vegetable protein, derived from soya beans, oats etc |
| table d’hote | A set menu at a set price |
| tahini | A strong flavoured sesame seed paste |
| tempura | A Japanese dish of fried foods in a light batter (actually of Portuguese origin) |
| terrine | An earthenware dish used for making patés, patés are known as terrines if served in them |
| timbale | A double serving dish |
| tofu | Low fat bean curd made from soya beans |
| tourné | Turned, to shape into barrels or large olive shapes |
| tournedos | Small fillet steaks |
| tranche | A slice of, mainly applied to fish |
| troncon | A slice of flat fish on the bone |
| vanilla pod | A black beanlike plant, the flavour of which is used in the making of sweet dishes |
| vegan | A person that eats no animal flesh or animal by products whatsoever |
| vegetarian | A person that only eats vegetables and dairy products |
| veloute | A basic sauce or a soup based on a veloute |
| Vichysoisse | A chilled soup made from potato and leek |
| vinaigrette | A salad dressing made from good quality olive oil and vinegar |
| vitamin B | A complex vitamin |
| vitamins | Chemical substances which assist the regulation of the body's processes |
| vol au vent | A large puff pastry case |
| wasaabi | Japanese horseradish, that has an unusual florescent green flesh, it has a very strong taste and is used greatly in Japanese cuisine. |
| wok | A round bottomed type frying pan used extensively in Chinese cuisine |
| yeast extract | A mixture of brewers yeast and salt, high in flavour, protein and vitamin B |
| yoghurt | Easily digested fermented milk product |
