Glossary of Cooking Terms

Monosodium glutamate, a powdery substance made from seaweed or soybeans. Although it has no flavor of its own, it is a natural flavor enhancer for other foods.

A round, hard shelled nut that has a rich coconut-like flavor and crisp texture....

A type of oil obtained from the nut of the macadamia tree. The tree is native to Australia, which leads the world in production of the nut and the oil.

Macaroni is used in reference to any narrow short tubular pasta. The tubes may be straight or curved in shape and vary slightly in width.

A small cookie or cake made of egg whites, sugar and ground almond or almond paste.

Long tube pasta that is slightly slimmer than a pencil and has a small hollowed out center.

The Italian word used to reference all of the types of macaroni pasta, such as the shells, tubes, and twisted strands.

A coffee beverage that combines frothed steamed milk with a shot of espresso. Latte macchiato is a beverage that consists of a larger portion (8 ounces) of steamed and frothed milk with a shot of espresso.

A spice, native to the Spice Islands, that is used to add a sweet and savory flavor to a variety of foods.

The soaking of a fruit in a flavored liquid so that the liquid penetrates into the fruit, enabling the food to take on the flavor of the liquid.

A process, occurring during the fermentation process of wine, where the grape skins and the solids in wine are saturated with alcohol, to extract color, tannin, and aroma.

A saltwater fish, related to the tuna, with an oily, soft, pale flesh, that is sometimes pink, which when cooked, becomes flaky and firm with an off-white color.

A small to medium size apple with a skin that has a rosy red blush over a green background.

A term used to describe the process of dicing ingredients into 1/4 inch cubes or a term that is used to describe a preparation of fruits or vegetables that have been diced (cubes that are 1/4 inch square) to be served either cold (raw) or hot (cooked).

A popular wine originating from the Portuguese Island of Madeira that is well known and served as an apéritif.

A wine sauce that is made from Madeira wine as the key ingredient. Although this sauce may consist only of Madeira wine and broth, there are also numerous variations that include other ingredients to enhance the flavors of the foods topped with the sauce.

A descriptor of wine with a distinct brown hue & stale odor, a result of exposure to air.

Pronounced Mah-dee-rahn. An appellation in the Languedoc region of France. Although a small appellation, it is well known for producing robust, age worthy red wines.

An East Indian paste from the Madras region of India which is now referred to as Chennal.

A consommé that contains tomatoes or tomato juice as a flavoring ingredient. When served hot it is in a liquid form.

A flat wide ribbon pasta, somewhat similar to a narrow lasagna noodle, that is approximately ½ to ¾ inch in width and has rippled edges on both sides.

A flat ribbon pasta that is a slightly narrower version of the long variety of mafalda.

An Asian sauce, made from vegetable proteins combined with salt, pepper and various spices, that is used as a food flavoring.

A short, curved tube pasta. If not available, substitute macaroni or canneroni.

Also referred to as a Dolphinfish (but unrelated to the well known dolphin species of fish that is a mammal), a Dorado, or a Mahimahi, this fish is found worldwide in tropical ocean waters.

The small pit from sour cherries that grow on mahlep trees. Used as a seasoning in Middle Eastern cooking, Mahlab is a tiny kernel that is available as whole and split pieces.

A Spanish cheese made from cow's milk that originated on the island of Minorca off the northeast coast of Spain.

Pure white in color, this variety of salt is harvested from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

A Spanish cheese that is made from unpasteurized milk of Majorera goats on the island of Fuerteventura, which is one of the Canary Islands.

Made from pasteurized or unpasteurized sheep's milk, this semi-hard cheese is produced in the Basque region of France.

A type of Japanese sushi that consists of vegetables, seafood (either raw or cooked) and seasoned rice rolled in sheets of toasted seaweed referred to as nori.

One of the many species of shark, it is found in the moderate and tropical waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and can grow to be 1000 pounds within a period of five to six years.

A broad-leafed variety of spinach that is grown in Far Eastern countries for the shoots and leaves of the plant.

A well-known pepper native to Brazil, which is at times confused with the Melegueta chile from West Africa.

A tuber vegetable, similar to a taro root, that has a white crispy texture. Used much in the same manner as a potato, this vegetable is not eaten raw but instead is fried, boiled and cooked to a tender consistency for use in soups, stews, casseroles, and main dishes.

Pronouced Mahl-beck. A grape varietal, used in the production of red wines, originating in the Bordeaux, Loire, and Cahors regions of France.

Most notably known as "Malbec". Pronouced Mahl-beck. A grape varietal, used in the production of red wines, originating in the Bordeaux, Loire, and Cahors regions of France.

An acid in wine which adds sharpness. High concentrations of malic acid is avoided by reducing through intentional malolactic fermentation.

A Sardinian pasta that resembles gnocchetti but differs in that it is generally flavored with saffron.

Malmsey is the term used for the Malvasia grape varietal on the island of Madeira, Portugal.

Wine term describing a secondary fermentation occurring in the barrel. The result can be a minor fault if the resulting gas remains trapped in the bottle.

A term used to describe a grain as well as a sugar produced from the grain, and a product produced from malt, such as a malt beverage.

A powder substance, not to be confused with malted milk powder, that is made from dried whole grains ground into a fine textured flour for use in making baked goods more nutritious and better tasting.

A type of vinegar that is produced from barley cereal grains that are malted. To manufacture the Malt Vinegar, the grain is soaked in water to soften its texture, allowing the barley to germinate, but not sprout, which results in the release of active enzymes.

Flat, roughly cut pieces of pasta produced as random shapes from the scraps of pasta being cut and formed for another variety of pasta or pasta that is intentionally cut into a formed shape, similar to a trapezoid or a parallelogram.

A short, wide tube pasta with diagonally cut ends. This pasta has the same name as the shaped pasta that is roughly cut pasta scraps.

A soluble powder made from malted wheat flour combined with dry (powdered) milk....

A crystalline, water-soluble sugar that is formed from germinated barley as it ferments during the brewing and distilling process, prior to being made into alcohol.

A semi-soft cheese produced from the milk of Guirra sheep in the Mediterranean region of Spain near Valencia.

Pronounced Mahl-va-seeah. 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.