An (almost) complete list of cooking terms.

# | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

A la - Meaning “In the Style of”, i.e. Chicken a la King, which describes a chicken dish made in the style of the chef who created this dish.

A la mode - A French term meaning “in the mode of”, describing how a dish is prepared. Americanized to mean ice cream with your pie.

Acine de pepe - Italian for “peppercorns”, these are tiny peppercorn-shaped pasta.

Al dente - An Italian term, usually referring to pasta, used to describe the texture of slight resistence when bitten. The meaning of the phrase is “to the tooth.”

Alfredo - A rich sauce of cannabutter, cream, grated parmesean cheese, and black pepper most commonly served over fettuccine.

Almond paste - Made of ground blanched almonds, sugar and glycerin or other liquid. Almond extract is sometimes added for more intense almond flavor. Almond paste is less sweet and slightly coarser than marzipan. Used in a variety of confections.

Antipasti - A light entrée eaten before the first course as an appetizer. They are very adaptable and, with increased quantities, may be eaten as a main course, generally for lunch.

Applejack - A brandy made from apple cider.

Armagnac - A fine French brandy which, like cognac, is aged in oak for up to 40 years. It is from the town of Gascony near Bordeaux.

Arroz - Spanish for “rice”. Arroz con pollo, for example, is a dish made with rice and chicken.

Arugula - A bitter and aromatic salad green. Good source of iron and vitamins A and C.

Aubergine (G.B.) - Eggplant.

Au gratin - A dish topped with breadcrumbs or grated cheese, cooked in the oven and/or finished off under the grill until golden brown and toasted.

B

Bain marie - Melting or cooking very gently by placing the ingredients in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering hot water.

Baste - To brush food as it cooks with cannabutter, meat drippings, or stock. Basting keeps baked or roasted foods moist.

Beard to tail - For crustaceans such as shrimp or lobster, once the head and body have been removed what is left is cut “beard to tail” or top to bottom on the underside to extract the meat.

Bechamel sauce - A French white sauce made with cannamilk and a roux of cannabutter and flour. A thin sauce is made with 1 tbsp each cannabutter and flour to 1 cup of cannamilk. For medium sauce, use 2 tbsp each, and for a thick sauce, use 3 tbsp each.

Beurre blanc - French sauce, meaning “white butter”. Made with wine, vinegar, and shallots reduced over heat, into which cannabutter is whisked until the sauce is thick.

Beurre manie - A sauce thickener of softened cannabutter combined with an equal amount of flour. Small pieces can be stirred into broth to thicken.

Blanch - A cooking technique of placing food into boiling water for a short time, then in cold water to stop cooking. Commonly used to assist in peeling.

Bone – When used as a cooking verb, it means to remove the bones. Also: Debone.

Borscht - A Russian or Polish soup made with beef stock, beets, and other vegetables or meat. Traditionally topped with sour cream. Served hot or cold.

Boudin blanc – a French sausage made with chicken, pork, fat, eggs, cream, bread crumbs and seasonings. In Louisiana it is made with pork, rice and onions.

Bouillabaisse - A French seafood stew made with fish and shellfish, onions, tomatoes, white wine, garlic, saffron and herbs. Often served over thick slices of French Bread.

Bouillon - A strained broth made by cooking any vegetable, meat, seafood, or poultry in water. Used for soups and sauces.

Bouquet garni - A (literal) bunch of assorted herbs tied together and put into a stew, casserole or roast.

Braise - A cooking technique of browning meat, then slow cooking in a tightly covered container with a small amount of liquid with onions, herbs, etc.

Bread – There is a great variety of Italian bread with many local variations. Generally Tuscan bread is “country” style – a large, round loaf and unsalted. Casalingo literally means “homemade” and is the term used for a typical, Tuscan unsalted loaf. Salato is salted bread, spongier and lighter. Nero means brown (usually wholemeal) bread. Stale bread is a frequent ingredient in Tuscan recipes, soaked in milk or water and then squeezed dry.

Bread starter - Before commercial baking powders and yeasts were available, bread starters were a mixture of flour, water, sugar and yeast set aside to ferment and then kept alive by regularly adding equal parts of water and flour. Various types of starters include sourdough and Herman. Two cups of starter mixture substitutes for each package of yeast called for in a recipe. The starter should not be used if it turns orange or pink as it has been invaded by undesirable backteria and must be discarded.

C

Calorie - An energy unit of measure. It is defined as the energy required to heat one gram of water by one degree C. at sea level. Fat and alcohol both have nearly twice the calories per unit of weight than carbohydrates and proteins.

Courgettes (G.B.) - Zucchini.

Crostini - A slice of unsalted bread, topped with a variety of ingredients, from liver paste to chopped tomatoes, or boiled and sautéed green vegetables.

D

Debone - When used as a cooking verb, it means to remove the bones. Also: Bone.

Decant - Pour off by gently inclining the bottle without disturbing the sediment.

F

Fillet - A very tender, boneless piece of meat, or also fish.

Finocchiona - Cold, cured pork, typically Tuscan and rather spicy. Flavored with fennel seeds.

Fontina - Cheese from the Val d’Aosta, semi-soft, with a mild and slightly nutty flavour.

Frittata - Omlette, but denser than the whisked, French version; it is always served whole and round or cut into pieces. In Florence it is often made with spinach and used as a sandwich filling.

Funghi porcini - One of the most delicious mushrooms, used fresh in the autumn and dried (soak for a couple of hours in cold water before using) the rest of the year. Their texture is smooth and silky and their flavour quite strong and distinctive. A genuine speciality and treat.

G

Garnish - Decorate a dish for presentation at the table.

H

Hang - Leave fresh meat, especially game, to dry or become tender.

J

Julienne - Fine, matchstick-sized pieces of chopped vegetables.

L

Line - Cover the inside of a dish, bowl or mould with paper, pastry, gelatine etc.

P

Parboil - Cook partially to soften in boiling water before proceeding to cook in another manner.

Pecorino - Cheese made with sheep’s milk, ranging from the soft, fresh (young) kind to the more mature, harder, crumbly kind.

Peperoncino - Chili pepper. In general the dried pods of the chili are used, crushed, in cooking.

Pinzimonio - A dish consisting of assorted, fresh, uncooked vegetables, chopped into bite-sized pieces. Each person has a small, individual bowl in which he mixes oil, salt and pepper to his own preference. He then dips his vegetables into the bowl to flavour.

Purèe – Mashed and creamed vegetables or cooked fruit.

Purslane - A small, round-leafed, herb-like plant used in salads.

R

Radicchio - A form of chicory or endive. It may be green or red and is eaten in salads, or grilled, baked, or used in risottos. Sharp- flavoured.

Rare - Meat, grilled, fried or roast leaving the meat red and tender on the inside.

Reduce - Simmer a sauce or gravy until it partially evaporates.

Ribbons - Indicates the consistency of a sauce or cream when it leaves a thick, smooth trail on the surface as it falls from the spoon.

Roulade - A round “parcel” of meat or fish, stuffed and rolled up.

Rucola - Rocket. A deliciously peppery salad plant.

S

Schiacciata - A flat bread, marked with dimples on the surface and baked with oil and salt sprinkled on top.

Sformato - A kind of savoury pudding, not unlike the filling used in a quiche.

Skim - Remove the excess fat which forms on the surface of a liquid or sauce.

Soften - Fry gently until transparent and no longer crisp.

Soprassata - Assorted cuts of pork, minced, chopped, dressed and flavoured in various ways, then “pressed” into a large sausage form. Served as a cold cut meat.

Spinach, turnip greens, Swiss chard - Most greengrocers sell these vegetables ready-prepared, boiled, then rolled and pressed into smallish balls.

Stew - Cook slowly, simmering with liquid in a covered casserole.

Stock - Liquid from stewed meats, cooked vegetables etc. used as a basis of soups, casserole, stews.

W

Whisk - Beat rapidly until smooth and frothy.