Glossary of Cooking Terms

Formed into a circle with a handle, this utensil is used to cut the evenly round shapes from biscuit dough when they are being prepared for baking.

Similar to a muffin pan or tin, this type of bakeware is lower in height and is made specifically for the shorter biscuit made from bread dough.

A cooked rice dish that originated in southern India which is traditionally made with rice, lentils, vegetables, and spices.

A thick soup that may be prepared with a cream or water base cooked in a chicken or seafood broth.

Descriptive term for wine sharp in acid and tannin components.

Characteristic of wine considered a fault if the bitterness dominates the aroma and/or taste of the wine.

A pure, unsweetened cocoa liquor, which contains 50 percent cocoa butter and 50 percent chocolate solids.

A strangely shaped fruit from a vegetable plant that is used as a vegetable in Asian cooking.

A type of orange that does not have the sweet taste of many other oranges but instead provides a bitter flavor due to the higher acidic content.

An alcoholic beverage made from distilled spirits that have been flavored with extracts from herbs, spices, roots, botanicals, or substances such as citrus peel that is used to make orange bitters.

A type of chocolate that is sweeter than unsweetened chocolate but not quite as sweet as semi-sweet chocolate.

One of the sub-classifications of mollusks, which are a class of shellfish. The two sub-classifications are univalves and bivalves.

A popular type of small bean with a cream-colored flesh and black skin that has a slightly sweet flavor and a mealy texture.

A type of cherry native to North America that is nearly black in color and has a sour taste.

A traditional South American clay cooking pot made from clay that contains a significant amount of the mineral mica.

A small, round, black berry with a sweet, juicy flavor, which is grown mainly in France and northern Europe.

A moist German ham that is air-dried, salt cured, and smoked over pine and/or fir to give it an intense flavor.

A small oval olive from Italy that has a wrinkled black flesh if they are dry-cured or a smoother dark violet flesh if brine or salt-cured.

A type of bean grown in India that is very similar to the mung bean and is a common ingredient for Indian cooking.

A spicy aromatic rice that was developed by the California-based company, Lundberg Family Farms.

A thin width, ruffled-leafed green vegetable that is a member of the cabbage family.

A type of small black fruit harvested from trees native to Mediterranean regions.

A spice that is derived berries grown on pepper plants, such as the Piper nigrum, Piper longum or the Piper retrofractum plants.

A berry grown in clusters on the vine-like pepper plant that is used as a spice....

A variety of plum that has a dark purple to black colored skin with a firm, but juicy amber to yellow colored flesh.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wines, originating in the Cariñena District of Spain.

1. A soft, creamy mixture of ingredients that may include eggs, black molasses, brown sugar, citron, sour cream, raisins, apples, figs, suet, flour, and other ingredients that are combined and steamed to create a pudding served traditionally in the southern United States.

A root vegetable related to the turnip and horseradish family, with a sooty dull black exterior that covers a white, crisp inner flesh providing a peppery hot flavor.

A small edible fruit harvested from prickly shrubs related to the rose family and native to North America.

A medium grain variety of unmilled rice containing black bran. Black rice turns dark purple when it is cooked and has a nutty flavor with a texture similar to whole grain.

(Scientific Name: Craterellus fallax) A tender and somewhat fragile funnel or horn-shaped mushroom more commonly known as, “Horn of Plenty” (Craterellus cornucopioides).

A common Asian type of vinegar that is made from various grains such as rice, wheat, millet, or sorghum.

A type of legume that originated in Asia, but is also grown in the southern United States.

A black or purple berry harvested from various bramble bushes, which are related to the rose family.

A delicious British yeast bread prepared with all-purpose flour and occasionally whole-wheat flour that is loaded with blackberries.

Refers to meat that has been rubbed with herbs and spices and then cooked quickly over high heat so that the surface of the meat chars.

A cut of meat taken from the shoulder primal cut of pork, beef, lamb, or veal. The beef shoulder primal is often referred to the chuck primal cut.

A specialty cut of meat taken from the shoulder primal cut of beef, pork, lamb, and veal.

French for white.

A white wine made with white grapes.

White wine made with red and/or black grapes.

A grape varietal used in the production of white wine. Thought to have originated in the Loire and Bordeaux regions of France, it is also grown in the United States (primarily California), Italy, Australia, South America, Argentina, and Chile.

A 2000 year old grape varietal believed to have originated in the southwest area of Turkey and the islands between Turkey and Greece (around the Aegean Sea), it is used in the production of white wine.

The process of briefly cooking food in boiling water or steam and then immersing the food in ice cold water or frozen storage to stop the cooking process.

A Pot or Pan used for cooking that contains a basket for holding foods to be blanched.

A traditional French pudding made with milk, cornstarch, sugar, and vanilla. Almond milk is often used in place of cornstarch to provide a distinctive taste to the pudding.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red and sparkling wines, originating in the Burgundy region of France.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in Austria. The Blauer Zweigelt varietal is a cross between Blaufränkisch (Blauer Limberger) and St.

The process of combining two or more ingredients together so that they lose their individual characteristics and become smooth and uniform.

Term used to describe the process of blending two or more wine varieties, wine types, wine lots, or wine vintages with the goal of creating one balanced and complex wine.