# | 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 - (French Origin) The style of, such as: a la allemand (The style of the German).
• à la - French, literally, “prepared in the style of”.
• a la Bourgeoise - (French) The style of the family (family style).
• a la Broche - (French Origin) Cooked on a skewer over a flame.
• a la Carte - (French Origin) Each menu item is priced separately: Foods prepared to order.
• A la Florentine - Literally French for "in the style of Florence".
• a la King - (French Origin) A Bechemel sauce containing mushrooms, green peppers, and red peppers or pimentos.
• à la King - an American dish of diced foods, usually chicken or turkey, in a cream sauce with pimientos, mushrooms, green peppers and sometimes sherry.
• à la Maréchale - small cuts of meat and poultry which are breaded and fried in butter.
• a la Mode - (French Origin) Refers to ice cream on top of pie.
• à la Mode - literally, “following the fashion”. In the United States, it is food that is served with ice cream; in France it names braised meat smothered in sauce.
• à la Nicoise - dishes with black olives, tomatoes, garlic, anchovies and dried cherries.
• à la Printanier - to be cooked or garnished with fresh spring vegetables.
• a la Provencale - (French Origin) Dishes prepared with garlic and olive oil. See Provencale.
• a la Russe - (French Origin) The Russian way.
• A.P. - As Purchased.
• Abaisee - (French Origin) a sheet of puff pastry, rolled very thinly. Also can be a thin slice of sponge cake used in a dessert.
• Aboukir - (Swiss Origin) dessert made of sponge cake and chestnut-alcohol flavored cream.
• Absinthe - Absinthe liquer was made by HL Pernod in the late 1700's. Later it was discovered that absinthe had dangerous effects on the nervous system and was outlawed in 1915 .
• Accolade - Presenting two similar kinds of food leaning on each other on the same plate. Usually in relation to poultry and game hens.
• Acetic Acid - Also known as vinegar.
• Acetomel - mixture of honey and vinegar that produces a sweet/sour syrup.
• Achar - (Hindu Origin) A yellowish, strongly spiced pickle made from a mixture of chopped fruit and vegetables steeped in a spicy sauce.
• Achar/Achard - pickles and salt relishes used in the cooking of India
• Achira - South American plant used as arrowroot
• Acid Rinse - a bath of acidulated water used to prevent discoloration of peeled fruits and vegetables that brown when exposed to air
• Acidulate - To give a dish or liquid a slightly acidic, tart or piquant taste by adding some lemon juice, vinegar, or unripened fruit juice.
• Acidulated Water - cold water with vinegar, lemon or lime juice added.
• Acidulated Water - Water to which lemon juice or wine vinegar is added, used to stop peeled vegetables from discolouring.
• Acorn Squash - a small to medium-sized acorn-shaped winter squash with an orange-streaked dark green fluted shell
• Ade - a fruit drink made by combining water with sugar, boiling until the sugar dissolves, then adding a citrus juice and ice
• Adjust - in cooking, the term means the cook must taste before serving, and add seasonings to suit his or her own sense of what the right flavor is
• Adobo - a Philippine national dish of braised pork, chicken, or fish.
• Adobo - A sauce or paste made from a variety of ingredients that may include chiles, salt, vinegar, garlic, and herbs.
• Advocaat - A thick, yellow liqueur made from egg yolks, sugar, and alcohol. Served on desserts, or in mixed drinks.
• Aemono - a Japanese salad served with dressing, or the dressing itself
• Affriander - (French Origin) To give a dish a more appetizing appearance by garnishing it.
• Agar-Agar - A seaweed based vegetarian alternative to gelatine, used as a stabiliser or thickener.
• Agave - A Mexican plant with large, fleshy leaves. Its fermented sap is used to make tequila, pulque, and mescal.
• Aging - A term used to describe the holding of meats, cheeses, and wine for extended periods of time.
• Agneau - (French Origin) Lamb.
• Agnes Sorel - A garnish made of mushrooms, chicken, and pickled tongue named after the mistress of King Charles VII of France.
• Agnolotti - A kind of ravioli in which the pasta is cut into small, round pieces stuffed with meat and vegetables and then folded over like turnovers.
• Agraz - A North African sorbet made from almonds, verjuice, and sugar. Goes with Kirsch.
• Aiguillettes - thin strips of meat or fish
• Aioli - A Provencal garlic-mayonnaise sauce. Served with cold fish, eggs, salad, snails, and cold meat.
• Aji-No-Motto - Japanese name for monosodium glutamate, MSG, used by Oriental cooks on occasion to revive a dish that has turned out tasteless.
• Akavit/Aquavit - Scandinavian form of distilled alcohol made from grain or potatoes, and flavored with caraway seeds.
• Al Dente - Italian for 'to the tooth'. It refers to the firm but tender consistency a perfectly cooked piece of pasta.
• al Dente - Italian for to the tooth; used to describe a food, usually pasta, that is cooked only until it gives a slight resistance when one bites into it; the food is neither soft nor overdone.
• Alabaster - A shaker dish of mashed potatoes and turnips
• Albondigas - a Mexican dish of spiced meat balls.
• Albumen - Egg white.
• Albumin - a protein found in egg white, milk, green plants, seeds, and animal blood.
• Ale - a fermented drink; the original term for beer.
• Alla Carbonara - A pasta sauce that consists eggs, cheese, and cream.
• alla Fiorentina - (Italian Origin) Dishes served on a bed of spinach and topped with mornay sauce.
• All-Purpose Flour - is made from a blend of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat.
• All-purpouse flour - An all-around flour that comes either "bleached" or "unbleached". The texture is fine
• Allspice - An unique spice which tastes like a blend of nutmeg, cloves juniper berries, pepper, and cinnamon. From the fruit of an evergreen tree found in the Western Hemisphere.
• Allumette Potatoes - (French Origin) Potatoes cut like large match sticks.
• Allumettes - cut into matchstick sizes and shapes.
• Almond Extract - a concentrated flavoring made from bitter-almond oil and alcohol, widely used in pastries and baked goods.
• Almond Paste - a mixture of sugar, almonds, and rose water traditional among Christmas foods in Europe.
• Almonds - A type of nut sweet and bitter, available blanched, whole, halved, flaked, chopped or ground, used in both sweet and savoury dishes.
• Alphabet Pasta - Pasta shapes in the form of letters and numbers.
• Altitude (High) Cooking & Baking - Simply put, the weight of air on any surface it comes in contact with is called air (or atmospheric) pressure. There's less (or lower) air pressure at high altitudes because the blanket of air above is thinner than it would be at sea level.
• Aluminum Foil - a thin pliable sheet of aluminum; easily molded, conducts heat well
• Amandine - (French origin) Prepared with or garnished with almonds.
• Amaretti - Small almond macaroon biscuits. used as a base for trifles and other desserts.
• Amaretto - An almond flavored liqueur (made from apricot pits) from Italy. Main ingredient to a favorite drink of women "Amaretto Sour".
• American Cheese, Processed - any of the group of U.S. cheeses made with emulsifiers to increase smoothness and pasteurized milk to increase storage life
• Amontillado - Spanish sherry, in the Montilla style, usually darker and older than a fino.
• Anadama Bread - yeast bread made of cornmeal and white flour with molasses.
• Anaheim Chiles - Mild, long green chiles named for the area near Los Angeles
• Ancho Chiles - Dried poblano chiles that are dark red to almost black. Moderately hot with a smokyflavor.
• Anchovy - a small fish usually stored in olive oil or salt.
• Andouille sausage - A smoked, spicy pork sausage that is popular in Cajun recipes such as gumbo and jambalaya.
• Angel Food Cake - a light, airy cake made without egg yolks or other fats
• Angel Hair - Capellini ("Fine Hairs") A thin, delicate pasta.
• Angelica - A herb, often candied used in dessert cooking.
• Angelica - a sweet herb used to flavor a variety of liqueurs and drinks.
• Anglaise - (French Origin) The English way.
• Anis - (Spanish Origin) Anise
• Anise - a small annual member of the parsley family native to the eastern Mediterranean region
• Antipasto - assorted hors d’oeuvres, Italian style.
• Aperitif - An alcoholic drink, taken before the meal to stimulate the appetite.
• Apple - a pome fruit with generally firm flesh, which can range in flavor from sweet to tart, encased in a thin skin, which can range in color from yellow to green to red.
• Apple Butter - a very thick preserve of cooked apples.
• Apricot - a small stone fruit with a thin, velvety, pale yellow to deep burnt orange skin, a meaty golden cream to bright orange flesh and an almond-shaped pit
• Aqua Vitae - Latin, “water of life,” used to describe clear distilled liquors and brandies.
• Arborio Rice - A short grain white rice from Northern Italy. Used often in risotto because it can absorb flavor as it cooks and remain somewhat firm in the center.
• Arbroath Smokie - Smoked haddock with the backbone still in.
• Areca Nut - Betel nut, East India pepper plant. It is chewed in Asia to aid digestion.
• Armagnac - Brandy with unpolished flavor and hints of prune.
• Aroma - describes flavor and fragrance, both closely related.
• Arrack/Arak/Raki - strong liquor distilled in North Africa and in Arab lands.
• Arrowroot - A fine white powder used for thickening sauces, similar to cornflower.
• Arroz A La Espanola - Spanish rice.
• Arroz Con Pollo - Chicken with rice.
• Artichoke - Globe artichoke the leaves and base (heart), are eaten.
• Arugula - a leaf vegetable with dark green, spiky, dandelion-like leaves and a strong, spicy, peppery flavor
• Asafoetida - A spice used in Roman, Indian and Middle Eastern cooking in minusule amounts.
• Asafran - (Spanish) Saffron
• Asiago - An Italian cheese (known as poor man's Parmesan)
• Asian Pear - although there are many varities, generally though this fruit is round with speckled tan skin and has a crisp, firm, grainy white texture similar to that of a pear
• Asparagus - a member of the lily family with an erect stalk and small, scale-like leaves along the stalk, capped by a ruffle of small leaves
• Aspic - a jelly produced from the stock of meat fish, fowl or a liquid held together with gelatin.
• Athol Brose - a Scottish drink made of whisky, oatmeal, and cream sweetened with honey.
• Atole - A gruel-like blue corn-meal drink. Served with sugar, scalded milk, or both.
• Au Gratin - A dish covered with a sauce or breadcrumbs or both, then browned under a grill or in the oven.
• au Jus - (French origin) Served with natural juices.
• au Lait - (French origin) With milk.
• au Naturel - (French origin) Food that is plainly cooked.
• Aubergine - An elongated oval, purple in colour vegetable.Also called eggplant
• Avocado - a tropical fruit with a single large pit, spherical to pear shape, smooth to rough-textured skin with a green to purplish color and yellow to green flesh with a buttery texture and high unsaturated fat content

# | 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