Glossary of Cooking Terms

An Italian word used to describe "small bundles" of food stuffed into a rolled food wrap.

Refers to common table salt that has had iodine added to it during processing. A small amount of iodine is important for proper nutrition in helping to prevent thyroid disease.

A medium large Greek olive that is picked when it is green in color. The olive is brine-cured and contains firm textured meat that has a mild buttery flavor.

An older variety of winter squash not commonly found because it is grown from heirloom seeds.

A type of meat produced from the eye of the loin or the adjacent area that provides a layer of fat surrounding the meat.

A variety of tea made popular in Ireland. It is made from a variety of black teas, generally Assam and Darjeeling teas that are combined to create a strong and distinctive flavor.

A hot alcoholic beverage that is a mixture of strong coffee, sugar, and Irish whiskey.

A liqueur made by mixing cream with triple or double distilled Irish whiskey, eggs, chocolate, and other flavorings or sweeteners such as vanilla and sugar.

A brine cured ham for which Belfast is famous. Irish hams develop a distinctive flavor of their own from being smoked over peat and/or juniper fires.

A name used to refer to different varieties of white potatoes. Potatoes were a major crop in Ireland and were brought to New England by the Irish immigrants in the beginning of the 18th century.

A tradiitonal Irish bread that is made with three ingredients consisting of flour, buttermilk, and baking soda as the leavening agent.

A type of stew originating in Ireland that is made with lamb or mutton, potatoes, onions, and seasonings.

An alcoholic beverage made from a mash of fermented barley and is produced in Ireland.

A process that bathes food with low level gamma rays (x-rays) or electron beams (e-beam) to reduce or kill microorganisms, such as e-coli, listeria, salmonella and campylobacter that may cause illnesses from exposure to harmful pathogens.

A substance found in numerous foods, which acts as an antioxidant, helping to diminish and repair damage to cells and tissues.

Long and conical in shape, the Italian Sweet Pepper is a popular variety of chile pepper commonly used in Italian cooking.

A medium-grain variety of rice from Italy that is characterized by its black, charcoal, and rust colored grains.

A bread that is a crusty yeast loaf prepared with water mixed into the dough instead of milk.

A plant that looks very similar to the common dandelion, but it is not actually a dandelion.

A slightly sweet, tender fruit covered with a shiny skin that ranges in color from purple, which is the most familiar, to red, yellow, green, or white, depending on the variety.

A light green or purple bean that is similar to a common green bean except that it is flatter in shape and broader in dimension.

A brittle, cracker-like Italian flat bread made with white flour that is rolled into very thin sheets.

A dessert made with water, sugar, and flavorings that are blended together and frozen.

A variety of parsley, also known as Flat Leaf Parsley, that has dark green flat leaves and a somewhat strong peppery flavor that is more intense than other varieties of Parsley.

A type of rye bread of Italian origin that is not as heavy as its northern and eastern European counterparts due to the smaller proportion of rye flour used in relation to the wheat flour content.

A name given to a wide variety of fresh sausages produced with seasonings and ingredients that duplicate or are similar to or are actually the same as the Italian methods used for making their sausages.

A type of sea salt harvested along the coast of Sicily from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Translated, a Torta means tart in Italian, which describes a small tart-like food that may be baked or made with cold, refrigerated ingredients that do not require baking.

A name given to an Italian soup that is often served for holidays or events, but is not actually a soup served specifically for weddings.

A medium size Italian olive that is oval shaped and purplish-black in color. It is a prized table olive and is also used to produce olive oil with a delicate and mild flavor.