Glossary

Food glossary

536 definitions · page 9 of 9.

Tagine: The name 'tagine' pertains to both a dish and the implement it's cooked in. Tagines are meat and vegetable stews that are central to Moroccan cuisine. They're traditionally cooked in tagines, special earthenware dishes with conical-shaped lids. Tagines are…
Tagliatelle: Long thin ribbons of pasta sold either in curled nests or straight, like spaghetti. Tagliatelle can be plain or green (flavoured with spinach) and is available fresh or dried. It goes well with thick creamy sauces that cling to the pasta well.
Tamari: A type of soy sauce that's made without wheat and is therefore suitable for those with wheat allergies or coeliac disease. Tamari is dark in colour and has a rich flavour, making it useful in marinades and dressings. It's also good as a dip. If you can't…
Tamarillo: A red, egg-shaped tropical fruit about the size of a plum. It's sometimes called a tree tomato. Tamarillo is usually eaten cooked and can be quite tart when raw, though a sprinkling of sugar can help. Avoid eating the skin, which is bitter, but use the flesh…
Tamarind: A flavouring agent made from the fruit of the tamarind tree. The fruit is shaped like a long bean, inside which is a sour pulp. The pulp can be pressed to form a 'cake' or processed to make a paste. Small pieces of tamarind cake can be broken off and infused…
Tandoori: A tandoor is a tall, cylindrical clay oven found in countries stretching from the Arabian peninsula to India. Naan breads, as well as various meats and kebabs, are traditionally cooked in a tandoor. The term 'tandoori' pertains to dishes cooked in such a…
Tangerine: A generic name given to numerous small orange citrus fruits, more commonly known as mandarins. Satsumas are simply a different variety and clementines are a hybrid between the tangerine and the sweet orange. In the UK, tangerines begin to appear on shop…
Tapenade: Tapenade is a rich, soft paste made of black olives, capers, anchovies, mustard, basil and parsley. It's traditionally spread on bread, but you can use tapenade in canapés or starters such as crostini or bruschetta, or you can stir a little into pasta dishes…
Taramasalata: A thick, creamy Greek dip made from olive oil, fish roe, breadcrumbs and seasonings. It’s usually served as a mezze dish or as an hors d'oeuvre. It can be bought ready-made but avoid tubs of electric pink taramasalata with too much food colouring.
Tarragon: An aromatic herb, often used in French cooking. Its long, soft green leaves have a distinctive aniseed flavour and can be used to flavour oils and vinegars. Dried tarragon retains much of the flavour of fresh, so it's fine to use if you can't find fresh…
Tartare: The term tartare can be used in two ways. Tartare sauce is made from mayonnaise, gherkins and capers and is the traditional accompaniment to fish. Steak tartare is made with minced beef served raw with egg yolk and seasoning.
Tarte tatin: The name given to a classic French apple tart in which the fruit is cooked under a lid of pastry, but served upside down - with the pastry underneath and the fruit on top. It combines the taste of caramel with the flavour of apples cooked in butter and was…
Teriyaki: Usually, a Japanese dish consisting of beef, chicken or fish that has been marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger and seasonings before being grilled or fried. However, the term can be used to describe the sauce itself or the cooked dish…
Terrine: This term usually describes a kind of pâté and is also the term to describe the ovenproof dish that pâté is cooked in - usually ceramic and similar to a loaf tin.
Thyme: No kitchen should be without the heady, aromatic character of thyme. There are many different varieties, both cultivated and wild, but the most widely used is the common garden thyme (Thymus vulgaris). The intensely pungent flavour complements most meats…
Thyme: Botanical properties are antiseptic, tonic, antibacterial and deodorizing. Often used in toothpaste, mouthwashes, perfumes and soap.
Timbale: A layered dish cooked in a tall mould (which is also called a timbale) and then turned out onto a serving plate. Often made of rice layered with vegetables or perhaps slices of aubergine layered with other vegetables and tomato sauce.
Tiramisu: An Italian dessert, similar to a trifle, made with Italian sponge biscuits or macaroons soaked in coffee, brandy or liqueur, with mascarpone cheese and chocolate. Tiramisu translates as 'pick me up'.
Tisane: An infusion of fresh or dried herbs that's drunk hot. Most tisanes are made from medicinal plants. A wide range of herbal teas or tisanes are available to buy from health-food shops and supermarkets.
Tofu: White and wobbly and often misunderstood, tofu (also called bean curd) is an important protein source in oriental cooking. It's extremely versatile and, with the right addition of flavours, tofu can be delicious. It's made from cooked soya beans, is quite…
Topside: This is a prime lean cut of beef from the rear of the animal, usually sold rolled and tied with a layer of fat for roasting. It can also be pot-roasted, braised or boiled.
Tortilla: A Spanish omelette made with eggs, potatoes, olive oil and salt. Sometimes other ingredients, such as peppers, chorizo, onion, tuna, asparagus and mushrooms, are added. It's cut into wedges and eaten hot or cold, similar to an Italian frittata. In Mexico…
Tripe: The stomach of a cow, pig, sheep or ox - ox having arguably the best flavour. Tripe is usually sold specially prepared or cleaned for cooking and is very much an acquired taste. Depending on which animal it comes from, it will have a different appearance…
Truffle: By weight, this knobbly fungus is one of the most expensive foods in the world. Although attempts have been made to cultivate truffles, the majority are still found wild, growing around the roots of oak, chestnut, hazel and beech trees. There are two main…
Turbot: A fairly expensive flat sea fish with good-flavoured firm flesh, on a par with Dover sole. It's available as fillets, steaks or whole. Buy it whole when you can because the bones help to add flavour to the flesh, but the fillets are good for poaching or…
Turmeric: A bright yellow spice that comes from the rhizome of a plant in the ginger family. It's sometimes available fresh, but is usually sold dried and ground, in powder form. Turmeric is often a component of curry powder and it's used on its own in many Asian…
Ugli fruit: A hybrid of a grapefruit and a mandarin or tangerine. It has a distinctive, thick, mottled green and yellow skin that peels easily like tangerines. It tastes most like grapefruit but is slightly sweeter. Eat it as it is or use it in fruit salads, fruit fools…
Unleavened bread: Bread that has been made without 'leavening' - that is, no raising agent such as yeast or baking powder. Unleavened breads include chapattis and tortillas and they play an important role in Jewish ritual during Passover when it's forbidden to eat leavened…
Unmould: To turn out a cake, jelly, ice cream, and so on, from a tin or mould. This can be a delicate operation needing a little gentle help. To unmould aspics and jellies, plunge the base of the mould in hot water for a few seconds. For sponge cakes the tin should…
Vacherin: A seasonal cows’ milk cheese that's made during the winter months in France and Switzerland. When it's fully ripe, after two to three months, the crust of this cheese encases a runny-textured cheese that has a mild, sweet and creamy taste. It's so soft that…
Vanilla pod: The sweetly fragrant dried, cured pods of the vanilla orchid (Vanilla planifolia), which is native to Central America and Mexico. (There are other varieties from Tahiti and Hawaii.) The pods can be used either whole or split to reveal the aromatic seeds…
Vegetable shortening: A vegetarian alternative to lard, this is a solid fat made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. It can be substituted for other fats in cooking and is often used in baking.
Verjus or verjuice: Literally 'green juice', this is a sour juice made from sour grapes, crab apples or other unripe fruit. It was used a great deal in medieval European cookery and is undergoing a revival. It's used as a flavouring in certain condiments, and in cooking can be…
Vermicelli: Vermicelli is very fine, long strands of pasta - like a skinny spaghetti - often used in soups. The name means 'little worms' in Italian. It's available fresh or dried. Dried vermicelli is usually sold boxed in coiled nests to prevent the delicate strands…
Vichyssoise: A velvety soup made from potatoes, leeks and cream, blended until smooth and served cold, garnished with chopped chives. The name is sometimes used to refer to any cold soup based on potatoes and another vegetable.
Vinaigrette: Also known as French dressing, vinaigrette is French for 'little vinegar'. It's a fairly thick salad dressing made from a mixture of olive oil, wine vinegar (red, white or balsamic) and salt and pepper to which various flavourings can be added, such as…
Vodka: An Eastern European spirit distilled from grain and traditionally produced in Russia and Poland (although it's now made in many other countries as well). It has neither taste nor smell, although some vodkas are flavoured with spices, plants, leaves or…
Vol-au-vent: A light, round bite-sized shell of puff pastry, sometimes with a pastry lid, with a delicate filling, served as a hot or cold starter or hors d'oeuvre. The filling is made of meat, seafood or vegetables, usually bound with a sauce. You can buy ready-made…
Walnut: A creamy-coloured nut with an edible light-brown skin enclosed in a knobbly beige shell. Walnuts are very versatile and good to cook with. Ground and chopped walnuts make a delicious addition to cakes, biscuits, buns and breads. The flavour is also exquisite…
Wasabi: Although this bright green condiment is often referred to as 'Japanese horseradish', it isn't actually related to horseradish at all. It comes from the root of a perennial herb that grows in Japan and eastern Siberia. Wasabi is a traditional accompaniment to…
Welsh rarebit: A traditional British speciality consisting of a slice of toasted bread covered with a mixture of Cheshire or cheddar cheese that has been melted in pale ale with English mustard, pepper and sometimes a dash of Worcestershire sauce. It's then grilled and…
Whelk: Whelks are saltwater molluscs with grey or brownish shells. They resemble pointy snails. They're usually sold already cooked and shelled and can be eaten with a sprinkling of vinegar or with slices of bread and butter. The chewy flesh is quite juicy and…
Whipping cream: A lighter version of double cream with a fat content of over 35 per cent - the minimum amount necessary to allow it to stay firm once beaten. It's the fat globules that trap whisked air, creating the characteristic foam and texture of whipped cream. Whipping…
White sauce: The most basic white sauce, from which numerous other sauces stem. White sauce is made with a roux of butter and flour mixed with milk and cooked over a gentle heat until smooth and slightly thick. Béchamel is the king of white sauces. It differs slightly…
Whiting: A white round sea fish, whiting is a member of the cod family. It's more economical to buy than cod, although it has a relatively bland taste. It's best bought fresh and eaten immediately otherwise it loses its flavour. It's light and easy to digest and it…
Worcestershire sauce: A classic English bottled sauce that is said to have originated from an Indian recipe. It's a thin, spicy, dark-brown fermented sauce made from a variety of ingredients including anchovies, shallots, garlic, soy sauce, tamarind, salt and vinegar, which is…
Xavier: A cream soup or consommé thickened with arrowroot or rice flour and garnished with diced chicken.
XO: XO stands for 'extra old' and is used to show that a cognac has been aged for an extended period of time. The legal minimum for this designation is seven years old but most XO cognacs are much older than that, many ranging from 20 to 50 years old. The…
Yakitori: Bite-sized pieces of chicken skewered and grilled, Japanese-style. In Japan, all parts of the chicken, including the head, skin and gizzards, would be cooked, but in the UK, it's usually just pieces of breast meat. The meat is threaded on to bamboo skewers…
Yam: The yam is a staple food in many tropical countries, particularly the Caribbean. Yams have brown tough skins and the flesh can vary in colour - anything from white to yellow to purple - depending on the variety. Small yams can be cooked in their skins, but…
Yeast: A microscopic living fungus that multiplies rapidly in suitable conditions. It's an essential ingredient for bread-making and brewing. When mixed with warm water, sugar and flour, yeast produces carbon dioxide, which causes dough to rise. There are three…
Yoghurt: Yogurt is made from fermented milk and has a great many uses. It can be consumed as a drink (such as the Indian lassi) or eaten as a kind of relish (such as the Indian raita, a cooling mixture of yoghurt and cucumber), or made into a kind of cheese (such as…
Zabaglione: A rich, foamy Italian dessert made by whisking egg yolks, Marsala wine and sugar together over a gentle heat. It's usually served barely warm. Some versions might have the addition of fresh fruit or fruit coulis. Zabaglione is quite similar to the French…
Zander: A large freshwater game fish found in the rivers and lakes of continental Europe. If you happen to find some fresh zander (it isn't readily available in the UK) then you can cook it whole, stuffed and either poached or baked. It has firm flesh that has a…
Zest: The outer rind of citrus fruit containing aromatic essential oils. Remove the zest carefully using a grater, potato peeler or zester, depending on the intended use. Take care not to remove any of the white pith with the zest, because it can be very bitter…
Zucchini: The Italian and American word for courgette. Zucchini are very versatile to cook with, but buy the younger, smaller ones, because older vegetables tend to have large, tough seeds and can be very watery.