Glossary

Food glossary

536 definitions · page 5 of 9.

Hollandaise sauce: Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of egg yolks, a vinegar reduction and hot melted butter. It's the basic sauce from which other sauces, such as béarnaise and mousseline, are made. It's traditionally served with fish cooked in a court bouillon, or with boiled…
Honey: A naturally sweet, viscous liquid made from the nectar of flowers, collected by honey bees. Honey comes in numerous varieties with different colours, textures and flavours. The flavour, colour and sweetness is dependent on which type of flower the nectar was…
Horn of plenty: A common woodland mushroom, so named because it grows in the shape of a long horn or funnel. It's also known as black trumpet and trompette de la mort. It has a fluted edge and dark gills and is very dark brown, almost black in colour. It looks and tastes…
Horseradish: A perennial plant originating in eastern and south-eastern Europe, horseradish is cultivated for its tough, twisted root. Horseradish is a member of the mustard family. The root, which is similar in appearance to a parsnip, releases a distinctive aroma when…
Hot water crust pastry: A bit of an oddball in pastry terms as everything has to be hot rather than cold! This is a heavy dough pastry made by heating water and fat (lard) together and mixing them into the flour. Because of the high amount of water the pastry is quite hard and…
Hummus: A Middle Eastern chickpea purée made from cooked crushed chickpeas flavoured with tahini (pounded sesame seeds), oil, garlic and lemon juice. As part of Arabic mezze it's served as a dip with hot pitta bread. In Egypt hummus is often flavoured with cumin. If…
Hunza apricots: Hunza apricots look nothing like the familiar plump orange apricots. They're small, round and hard, with a beige colour - sort of like a pale walnut. They come from wild apricot trees in the Hunza valley in Kashmir and from Afghanistan and Turkey. The fruit…
Hyssop: A strong-flavoured aromatic herb from the Mediterranean region, similar to rosemary or lavender. During the Middle Ages it was popular as a flavouring for soups and stuffings, but now its main use is in the distillation of liqueurs, such as Chartreuse. It's…
Ile flottante: Literally 'floating island', this is one of the great desserts of classic French cuisine. It's a very light meringue floating on a sea of custard sauce. The meringue is made from egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract and usually cream of tartar, and cooked in a…
Imam bayildi: A Turkish dish of stuffed aubergines. The name roughly translates as 'the imam (priest) fainted'. According to legend, a certain imam was so moved by the fragrant smell of the dish that he fainted from sheer joy! The stuffing is made with a mixture of…
Infuse: To extract the flavour from herbs, spices, tea or coffee either by pouring on boiling water and allowing the water to take on the flavours before drinking hot, or by bringing the mixture to the boil and allowing it to cool.
Irish coffee: A coffee drink made from strong black coffee, sugar and Irish whiskey, topped with fresh whipped cream and sometimes garnished with a coffee bean. It's served in a warmed Irish coffee glass - a tall glass with a handle.
Jambalaya: A spicy Cajun rice dish popular throughout the American south but most often attributed to the cooking of New Orleans. There are lots of variations but essentially it's made with rice, ham or sausage, chicken, prawns, chillies, tomatoes and other vegetables.
Jerusalem artichoke: Not to be confused with the globe artichoke, the Jerusalem artichoke belongs to the sunflower family; it's the plant's underground tubers that are eaten. They're rather knobbly and irregular in shape, with a beige or purple-red skin. To prepare, leave the…
John Dory: A white-fleshed sea fish found in European waters, John Dory (also known as St Peter's fish), is an odd-looking creature with an oval, flat body and a large, spiny head. The white boneless flesh from the fillets is firm and flavoursome and can be cooked in a…
Julienne: Vegetables or citrus zest shredded or cut into thin matchsticks or very fine shreds. They're often cooked in butter in a covered pan until quite soft and then used as a garnish, especially for soups and consommés. Raw vegetables to be served as an hors…
Juniper berries: The darkish berries of the juniper tree provide one of the main flavourings for gin. These spicy, aromatic berries are also used, fresh or dried, crushed or whole, to flavour casseroles, marinades and stuffings. They are a good complement to pork…
Jus: This French word is roughly the equivalent of 'juice', but it has more specific meanings in cookery, referring either to the juices that occur during the cooking process (in particular when roasting meat) or the juice squeezed from raw vegetables or fruit…
Kebab: A kebab is essentially small chunks of meat threaded onto a skewer and grilled or cooked over coals. Kebabs can be served on their own with dips or sauces, with rice, or removed from the skewer and used to stuff an open pitta bread. Kebabs are part of the…
Kedgeree: Traditional British breakfast dish, originally from India and probably a corruption of the Hindustani name 'khichri', a favourite Indian dish. The British version is different from the Indian version and is made with rice, cooked and flaked smoked haddock…
Ketchup: Often called catsup in the US, this thick, slightly sweet and spicy sauce is a traditional American accompaniment for French fries, hamburgers and many other foods. It's usually made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and spices, but other flavours such as…
Ketjap manis: Also spelled kecap manis. Similar to dark soy sauce but sweeter, this extremely rich, dark, syrupy sauce is used in marinades, as a condiment or as an ingredient in Indonesian cooking. The sweetness comes from palm sugar; other flavourings include garlic and…
Kirsch: From the German 'kirsch' meaning cherry, this is a clear liqueur distilled from cherries and their almond-flavoured stones, often used in sponge cakes, for macerating and to flavour dishes containing fruit. It's often added to fondue and is used in the dish…
Kiwano: An exotic fruit from New Zealand, also known as horned melon or jelly melon. It has a bright yellow-orange skin covered in stubby spikes and a pale yellow-green pulp with a jelly-like texture and tangy flavour. It's a refreshing fruit to eat as it is from…
Knead: To work and stretch dough either by hand or using an electric dough hook. The process makes the mixture smoother and softer and develops the elasticity of the gluten. It also evenly incorporates air and any additional ingredients at the same time. Depending…
Kohlrabi: One of numerous members of the brassica family, a pale green or purple, bulb-shaped vegetable that tastes a bit like a mild turnip. It's grown more for its bulb-like stem than for its greens leaves, although these can be eaten too if they're attached when…
Koulibiac: Also spelled ‘coulibiac’, this is a Russian pie filled with fish, vegetables, rice and hard-boiled eggs. European cooks have adapted and varied the recipe in many ways, making it with brioche dough or puff pastry and filling it with various additions such as…
Kumquat: A small citrus fruit originating in central China but now cultivated in the Far East, Australia and America. Kumquats - sometimes called Chinese oranges - can be eaten whole, including the skin, or used for pickling and preserves. They're as sharp in taste…
Ladies' fingers: An alternative name (because of its appearance) for okra, an ingredient that's widely used in Indian, Middle Eastern, Caribbean and southern US cookery where it's an essential ingredient in gumbo. A long green pod with a slightly fuzzy skin, it's full of…
Langoustine: The French name for the Dublin Bay prawn (which isn't actually a prawn at all, but a small lobster, Nephrops norvegicus). It's also known as Norway lobster and is sometimes called scampi. (Scampi has also become a widely used name referring to tail pieces of…
Lard: Rendered and clarified pork fat, lard is a fine white fat that's less used these days because of its high animal-fat content. It's used particularly for slow cooking, but also for deep-frying, and it's said to make the best crisp, flaky pastry.
Lardons: Lardons are small, chunky cubes of bacon (smoked or unsmoked) used to flavour dishes such as quiches. They can also be fried and scattered in salads. They're often sweated with onions as a base for soups or stews. They give a good salty depth of flavour to…
Lasagne: Rectangular sheets of Italian pasta, about the size of a standard envelope. The baked dish that incorporates them is also called lasagne and is usually prepared with alternate layers of Bolognese sauce, lasagne sheets and béchamel sauce, topped with grated…
Lassi: A traditional Indian drink that used to be made from buttermilk poured into earthenware crocks, with salt added to help combat dehydration in the hot climate. It's now made from thin yoghurt, often sweetened with sugar or rosewater or sometimes spiced with…
Lemon: Very sharp, acidic citrus fruit with a shiny yellow skin and sour but zingy flavour. Lemons are rich in vitamin C but with a low sugar content. They're available all year round and used in both sweet and savoury dishes. The aromatic zest or outer rind and…
Lemon balm: As its name suggests, this leafy, green herb has a lemony flavour and fragrance. It works well with fish, poultry and vegetables as well as in salads, stuffings and drinks. It's a member of the mint family and makes a very refreshing infusion or tea. Only…
Lemon sole: Lemon sole is actually a flounder (the family that includes plaice and turbot) and not a sole fish at all, even though it's frequently compared to Dover sole. It's widely available and can be bought as fillets or whole. It has delicate, sweet white flesh and…
Lemongrass: A main ingredient in Thai and South-east Asian cuisines, lemongrass is a pale green stalk that can be used fresh, dried or powdered to impart its lemon flavour to sweet or savoury dishes. Fresh stalks are sold in many supermarkets now. If used whole, the…
Lime: This small, green citrus fruit is used mainly for its juice. It can be added to savoury dishes, as in Asian cuisine, curries in particular. It has a stronger, more sour taste than lemon. Lime juice and zest can be used in marinades and salsas or just…
Lime leaves: Sometimes called kaffir lime leaves, these are the leaves of a wild lime tree which have an unusual figure-of-eight shape - double leaves joined tip to end. They have a spicy, lemon flavour and give a distinctive citrus scent to soups and curries in Thai and…
Lingonberry: Lingonberries are a dark red soft fruit similar to a cranberry, traditionally used in Scandanavian cooking. They can be used to make lingonberry juice which can be served hot or cold, and lingonberry jam.
Linguine: A flattened spaghetti-like pasta. It's best served with a medium-thick sauce which will cling to the thin strands well. Cream-based sauces go well with linguine and it's often served with seafood. Allow about 75g/2½oz of pasta a person. Use spaghetti if you…
Lobster: Although there many lobster varieties around the world, the two main ones are the American (or Maine) lobster, which is considered the biggest and best, and the European lobster, which tends to be smaller. They can be used interchangeably in recipes. Lobster…
Loganberry: A hybrid between a blackberry and raspberry, the loganberry is a large soft dark-red berry, a little bigger than a raspberry. It has a less subtle flavour than a raspberry and can be quite tart, so needs plenty of sugar when used in desserts. Use it as you…
Loin: A loin is a cut of meat that comes from the back of the animal. It's sold as a roasting joint, with or without bones, as well as chops and steaks which are good for grilling and barbecues. You'll occasionally find the word loin describing some fish, such as…
Lovage: Also known as sea parsley, the leaves and stem of the lovage plant add an intense celery-like flavour to soups, stews and stocks or pork and poultry dishes. It can also be used to enhance potato dishes.
Lychee: A fruit that originated in China and is now grown in the Far East and the West Indies. It's about the size of a small plum and has a thin, hard, rough shell that comes off easily. The white, juicy flesh has a similar texture to grapes but is more chewy, with…
Lyonnaise (à la): À la lyonnaise describes various dishes, usually sautéed, characterised by the use of chopped onions cooked in butter until golden and often finished off with vinegar and sprinkled with chopped parsley. Lyonnaise sauce is a classic French sauce made with…
Macadamia: A relatively expensive nut that 's native to Australia but is now grown commercially in Hawaii and California, particularly for the American market where they're widely used in cookies, ice cream and cakes. The shell is incredibly hard to crack, but inside…
Macaroon: A small light biscuit, crunchy outside and soft inside, made with ground almonds, sugar and egg whites. Macaroons are sometimes flavoured with additional ingredients such as coffee, chocolate, nuts or fruit. They're particularly good made with freshly ground…
Mace: This is the lacy outer layer (or 'aril') that covers the nutmeg, a nut-like seed of the nutmeg tree. Mace is sold either in blades or ground. It adds a mild nutmeg flavour to soups and sauces as well as sausages, pâtés and fish dishes.
Mackerel: A firm-fleshed, oil-rich fish with a torpedo-like shape and beautiful silvery-blue skin. It's delicious and nutritious - packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Fresh mackerel is usually sold whole with or without the head on. It can be grilled, fried, barbecued or…
Madeira: Madeira is a fortified wine that comes from the island of the same name. Different grape varieties are used to make the four types (Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey), which range from dry to sweet. It can be served chilled and drunk as an aperitif, but is…
Madeleines: Buttery French sponge cakes traditionally baked in scallop-shaped Madeleine moulds. They're made with sugar, flour, melted butter and eggs, often flavoured with lemon or almonds. The English version is often baked in dariole moulds and topped with jam…
Maldon sea salt: An exceptional sea salt that comes from the Maldon area of Essex. Sea salt is produced as the sea washes over rocks and then recedes with the tide, leaving pools of water. The sun evaporates the water and leaves the salt in the form of crystals that can be…
Manchego: One of Spain's best-known cheeses, made from ewes' milk. It originated in La Mancha but is now made all over the UK. It's sold fresh or slightly aged in olive oil, and has a deep yellow rind and creamy white interior. It's firm to the touch with a buttery…
Mangosteen: A tropical fruit from South-east Asia, the mangosteen is the size of a small peach with a leathery skin which, when peeled away, reveals five sweetly scented white segments which have a very delicate taste and melt in the mouth. Eat as it is or add a few to…
Maple syrup: The boiled-down sap of the maple tree, this syrup is very popular in the US and Canada. It's expensive because of the low yield from the sap (40 gallons of sap are needed for one gallon of syrup!) but the cheaper imitations labelled 'maple-flavoured syrup'…
Marengo: A chicken or veal dish made with cognac or white wine, tomatoes, eggs, crayfish, garlic, olive oil and bread. Chicken Marengo is said to have been created by Napoleon's chef Dunand, who was ordered to create a meal for Napoleon while he was on the…
Margarine: Margarine was invented in the 1860s by a French chemist as a cheap replacement for butter. Nowadays it's bought as a product in its own right, frequently in the belief that it's a healthier option than butter. All margarine contains as much fat as butter…