Glossary of Cooking Terms

Originating in Austria, it is a sweet dessert baked into a 10 to 12 inch diameter tart.

A Hungarian fresh cheese traditionally made from sheep's milk, but is also made from combinations of sheep's and goat's milk or sheep's and cow's milk.

A sweet alcoholic beverage, made as a blend of ingredients that have been enfused with the flavor of fruits, spices, herbs, creams, or various types of nuts to create the final result.

The liqueur that is added to Champagne bottles, replacing wine lost by expelling the plug of yeast from the bottle.

A liquid flavoring typically made with vinegar and a wood smoke concentrate, which provides a smoky flavor to foods.

A foodborne pathogen or bacteria, referred to as Listeria monocytogene that causes illness from items that have been improperly handled, processed, or cooked, such as meats, poultry, seafood, and produce.

The smallest variety of the hard-shell clams, measuring less than 2 inches. Littlenecks are small and tender, generally served raw on the half shell.

Produced in Normandy, France this cheese is made from pasteurized or unpasteurized cow's milk that has been partially skimmed.

A label or identifier for food products that has been supplemented with live active cultures resulting in a product that has not been pasteurized following the fermentation process.

Descriptor of wine that is fresh, crisp, and full of life.

A cooked sausage that consists of finely ground pork and pork liver combined with onions and seasoning, which is formed into a round soft textured sausage.

Beef liver is rich in protein and iron, but like many other organ meats, it is high in cholesterol, so it should not be consumed often.

Pork liver is generally available fresh or frozen. It is stronger flavored and not as tender as the liver from other animals.

A cooked sausage that consists of finely ground pork and liver combined with onions and seasoning, which is formed into a round soft-textured sausage.

A crisp Oriental radish that is large and oval-shaped with a very thin white skin covering a crisp and juicy white-colored inner flesh.

A boiled noodle dish from China that is served with a variety of ingredients such as vegetables and meat, which have been stir-fried and are then combined with the noodles.

Constructed like a traditional loaf pan, this type of pan is made to allow fat and drippings to be removed as the loaf bakes.

A baking pan, rectangular in shape and deep walled, that is used to bake a single loaf of bread or various types of meat loaves.

A popular shellfish valued for its rich juicy meat. The European and American Lobster are the most popular of the Lobster family.

A utensil that is used to crack open the hard-shelled claws and other parts of a lobster in order to access areas containing meat.

(Scientific Name: Hypomyces lactifluorum) Orange in color, the name for this variety of mushroom is derived from its coloring that is similar to a lobster with the burnt orange outside and white inner meat.

A utensil that is used to remove meat from the small cavities and areas that are difficult to reach within a whole lobster.

A fruit that are pods from trees grown in the Orient, Mediterranean and Italy. The pods are flat, curved, leathery and brown with a purplish tint.

A hybrid of the raspberry and blackberry which looks like a long dark red raspberry but has a sharper tart flavor.

The primal cut of an animal that contains the most tender and the leanest sub-primal and market ready cuts.

Loin chops, which are crosswise slices from the loin roast, are the leanest, tenderest, and most expensive of the various lamb chops.

A dry Italian sausage made from lightly seasoned pork and is seasoned with garlic.

A leaf lettuce variety that has long leaves with very ruffled edges that are green toward the interior of the head and are red on the outer portion of the head.

An Italian meat specialty made from very lean, boneless pork loin. To prepare the meat, the loin is salt cured, then repeatedly brushed with salt and sugar after which it is seasoned with garlic, paprika, pepper, and other spices.

Originally, this term referred to a beef flank steak that is marinated and then broiled or grilled.

A long, thin Asian bean that can measure from one to three feet in length, but are best eaten when they are 12 to 20 inches long.

A popular Chinese cabbage that is used for salads and shredding. The cabbage is barrel shaped with crisp white stalks and crinkled leaves, which are pale green or yellow in color....

Rice with a length that is four to five times its width. The rice is fluffy and dry when cooked and because of its low starch content, the rice separates easily without excessive stickiness.

A popular spice, used like black pepper to season foods in countries such as India, Africa, Morocco, and regions of Asia.

A small round tropical fruit, native to Asia and related to the lychee nut, that grows in bunches ranging in size from slightly less to slightly more than one inch in diameter.

Red leaf or green leaf lettuce varieties that loosely extend out from the stalk forming a leafed stem instead of a headed plant having leaves that remain close and tightly grouped around the head.

A long thin Chinese sausage that is similar to andouille or chorizo sausage, but is not quite as spicy.

A fruit of Asian origin that is grown in regions throughout the world where sub-tropical to mild climates prevail, but not in climates that are too humid or hot.

A required code on a wine label that identifies the exact lot of the wine. The lot number distinguishes wines that, based on the rest of the label, would appear to be the same.

An underwater Asian root vegetable, with a shape similar to a long squash, which may grow up to four feet in length.

Oval shaped seeds from the fruit pod of the lotus plant. The seeds, which are eaten fresh or dried, have a sweet, mild flavor and are eaten alone as a snack or are used in desserts, such as sweet fillings.

A hot sauce made with red hot peppers, vinegar, salt, and special spices. Many of the Louisiana hot sauces are made with cayenne peppers, which provide for a mild hot sauce.

Fresh Greek sausage made from pork and flavored with orange zest, marjoram, coriander and allspice.

A shiny, smooth leaf herb with leaves, stem, roots, and seeds that are all used for flavoring.

Food products containing less than 20 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. The saturated fat content must also be 2 grams or less per serving.

Food products containing a designated percentage of fat solids that overall are less than other similar products in the same type and category and they must not contain more than 3 grams of fat per serving.

Milk containing 1% percent milk fat. Although many will consider skim milk, which contains 1 percent or less of milk fat to be a low-fat milk, the typical classification for a low-fat milk is the variety labeled "1% low-fat" milk.

Milk that has the majority of the sodium (approximately 90%) removed and replaced with potassium.

Pieces or filets of salmon that are cured in brine and then cold-smoked from several days to almost a month, depending on the flavor and texture desired.

A smaller elliptical-shaped green olive that is native to southern France. This olive is brine-cured and has a slightly salty flavor.