Glossary of Cooking Terms

A family of plants native to warmer climates from the southwest United States through Central America that are used as an ingredient to produce the syrup for a variety of beverages, such as mescal, pulque, and tequila.

The process of storing and conditioning food products so the flavor, texture or some other aspect improves the product for consumption.

A Japanese food dish that consists of tofu, a soybean based food, that is deep-fried in oil and served with a dipping sauce that combines soy sauce and mirin.

The process of maturing a food or beverage to improve the flavor of the item being aged.

The Japanese term used to describe the foods and the process of deep-frying with oil.

A Japanese pot, similar to a Chinese wok, that is used to prepare deep-fried foods such as tempura and agedashi.

Term used to describe a harsh taste or the unpleasant texture of a wine. Wines described as aggressive are generally high in tannin or acid.

The Italian word for garlic. A food ingredient may be referred to as agilio e olio or garlic and oil.

Pronounced Ah-lee-on-eekoh. A grape varietal used in the production of powerful red wines.

The Italian word for garlic (aglio) and oil (olio).

The French term for lamb.

The Italian term for lamb.

A pasta filled with various ingredients that is made as a circle or square of pasta dough that is folded over and sealed on the open edge to form a half circle or rectangular shape.

A large Greek olive with light green coloring that contains soft-textured, delicately flavored meat.

The Italian word for sweet and sour.

The Hawaiian term used to refer to Yellowfin or Bigeye tuna. Ahi Tuna has a light pink flesh and a flavor that is stronger than most fish..

The French term for combining two flavors that create a sweet and sour taste, such as aigre doux sauce.

A French term for an alcoholic beverage that is distilled from fermented cranberries for use as a brandy or liqueur.

A French cow's milk cheese that is off-white in color and has a savory outer layer that covers and interior area which is dryer and saltier.

Refers to the back section of the pelvic bone on an animal with the other end being the hip bone.

A type of flat bread, made with whole-wheat that probably originated in Egypt, but gradually became popular throughout the Middle East.

A variety of chile pepper that is medium-hot in flavor, yellow in color and three to five inches long, maturing to a deep orange color.

A Peruvian chile that is 1 to 2 inches in length and grows upright or horizontally, instead of downward or as a hanging fruit.

One of the most common chile peppers in Peru, this chile is considered to be one of the larger types of chilies grown.

A variety of chile, common in Peru, that grows downward to a length of 2 to 3 inches.

A spice made from the ajowan seed, a plant that has an appearance similar to wild parsley.

A small seed similar in appearance to caraway seeds that is used as a spice in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking.

An Italian phrase meaning ''to the tooth,'' which is used to describe the correct degree of doneness for pasta.

A saltwater fish that is a member of the cod family and sometimes referred to as bigeye pollock or walleye pollock.

A variety of tuna that is very flavorful and has the lightest colored flesh of all the different species of tuna.

A transparent protein substance that is the main component of an egg white other than water.

The amount of alcohol by volume in a wine, specifically ethyl alcohol. Ethyl alcohol is the prominent alcohol found in wine.

A type of beer, sometimes referred to as English beer, made from fermented barley malt and hops.

A variety of olive produced in the Middle East, most notably in Syria, that is available in both a black and green variety.

A type of new potato that originated in Denmark. The skin is colorful, ranging from beige to brown with areas of red and the shape is somewhat elongated.

A popular South American sandwich cookie made with flour and cornstarch dough baked into round wafers.

Alfalfa seeds that have germinated, requiring only water and a cool place to grow, which are then harvested as a food.

Common in the Amazon region, this plant is a herb that is considered to be similar to or the same as the common herb known as basil.

A large light purple or purplish-brown olive native to Chile that contains soft, almost mushy meat.

An Italian sauce that is usually combined with fettuccine noodles and is referred to as fettuccine Alfredo.

A popular Spanish sauce served most often with grilled meats, fish or vegetables.

A type of white pasta sauce that originated in Amatrice, Italy a small town located adjacent to the Gran Sasso massif, a mountain region in the middle of the country.

Occasionally referred to as parisienne sauce, allemande sauce is made by combining cream cheese, oil, lemon juice, and chervil.

A German cow's milk cheese that is much like Swiss Emmental. It is characterized by large holes throughout the cheese and a hard texture.

A spice produced from the unripened dried berries of an evergreen tree native to Caribbean regions.

An oval, tan-colored nut harvested from a tree that is related to the rose family.

A spreadable nut butter used for cooking, baking, as a sauce or a topping for sweets and breads.

A concentrated flavoring made from the combination of almond oil with alcohol. It is used as a flavoring in many recipes, especially cakes and pastries and it can be purchased in various sized bottles.

A non-dairy liquid made from almonds that have been ground and blanched before being placed in hot water for 4 to 8 hours so the almonds become laden with moisture.

A type of nut oil extracted from the almond. The oil has a distinctively nutty flavor that is typically used as an ingredient in salad dressings, sauces and mayonnaise, and it is often used in desserts.