Glossary of Cooking Terms

A food spread typically made with Italian black olives that are pureed and mixed with olive oil and black pepper.

An Italian olive paste, used as a food spread or sauce, that is made with green olives pureed and mixed with olive oil, anchovies, capers, lemon juice, vinegar, red chiles, garlic and assorted herbs and seasonings.

Essential fatty acids that our bodies are unable to produce without obtaining them from food.

An egg dish made with two or three beaten eggs that are cooked until they set and then eaten as a flat or folded serving of food.

There are several types of pans designed specifically for making omelets. A traditional omelet pan is made with low curved edges and a wide diameter bottom to enable the omelet to be rolled easily.

A vegetable, which belongs to the lily family of plants, that is grown for its edible bulb, which most often serves to flavor a variety of foods.

Coarsely chopped onions that are dehydrated to form flakes. They convenient to use and can be used as a substitution for fresh onions in a dish but will have less flavor.

A utensil used to assist in slicing onions. The holder consists of a handle containing stainless steel prongs.

Dehydrated onions ground to a granular form and used for seasoning purposes.

Popular with many consumers who enjoy fried foods, this appetizer is a common menu item in the U.S.

A salt made form a combination of finely ground dehydrated onions (onion powder) and salt.

A lighter textured and more fluid soup that is used as a flavoring for food dishes or as an ingredient in a variety of different soup-based recipes, such as French Onion Soup.

A fish in the mackerel family, which is commercially caught in the Pacific Ocean.

A fish found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, having a large round profile with raw flesh that is multi-colored.

A variety of fish that is common to the Pacific Ocean, most notably the Hawaiian Islands.

A very large, early ripening apple. It has a yellow skin with a red blushing covering a large portion of it.

Descriptor of wine that reveals it’s full character.

A bread with a loose consistency in the texture of the baked dough. An open crumb provides more air pockets with less dough per square inch than is provided by closed crumb breads, such as French brioche that contains less air pockets and more dough per inch.

A hot or cold sandwich that consists of only one slice of bread topped with one or more ingredients, such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese, vegetables, olives, pickles, and/or a sauce.

A method of canning where the food is heat processed directly in a covered kettle and then, while hot, poured into sterile jars and sealed.

A method of allowing wine to rest for several minutes after pouring. Some bottled, aged wines need this time to develop hidden characteristics.

A long narrow variety of squash, very similar to zucchini in flavor, that is often considered to be of African decent, but common in southern Europe and Asia.

A baseball-sized citrus fruit with a tough orange skin and flesh that is segmented and juicy.

An alcoholic beverage made with a cognac base that is flavored with the fruit of an orange, providing a sweet, strong orange flavor to this cordial.

A variety of the honeydew melon that has a hard, salmon colored outer rind with an pale orange inner flesh.

An orange flavored extract most commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking that is starting to be used more in Western cooking.

The juice squeezed from an orange, which is used as a beverage that is generally served at breakfast.

A heavily perfumed, reddish green leaf mint with a citrus fragrance and flavor. It is used in tea and fruit desserts and is a nice addition in potpourris.

A low-fat saltwater fish from New Zealand and Australia that has a white flesh with a firm, moist texture and a mild sweet taste.

Tea consisting of black tea leaves that are flavored with small pieces of orange peel along with some spices.

A green, tiny leaf herb that has an aroma similar to oranges. It is used in sweet dishes and tea.

A variety of tomato that is large and round with an orange skin that is smooth and somewhat firm to the touch.

A small narrow utensil designed to remove peels from oranges, lemons, limes and other similar sized fruits with citrus skins.

An oblong-shaped squash that is a variety of the spaghetti squash. It has a tan to yellow thick-skinned outer shell with a tapered oval shape.

Pasta that has a shape resembling an ear, hence the name, meaning "little ear" in Italian.

An aromatic, spicy herb that is native to the Mediterranean regions and Asia, which is also grown throughout the world.

Chickens labeled "organic" must be certified by a certification entity. To be certified the chickens must be fed organic feed that is made up of grains and soybeans that have been grown in soil that has not been exposed to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other harmful chemicals.

Organic eggs are produced from hens that have been given feed in which all of the ingredients were grown without the aid of commercial fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.

A type of flour milled from wheat that is grown and processed according to specific standards.

Any of the variety of food products grown or containing ingredients that have been produced without the use of antibiotics, chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Winemakers often supplement wines during winemaking by adding small amounts of sulfur dioxide to protect fruit quality and prevent oxidation, allowing wine to age well.

A Chinese eggplant, which is typically sweeter in flavor, with a long cylindrical shape that can be straight or curved.

Orlando Tangelo has a round, slightly flattened shape. It does not have the protuding neck of the Minneola Tangelo.

A very small pepper, which is only approximately 1 inch long and ½ inch wide. The pepper changes color throughout maturity, starting out yellow, changing to orange and is finally red at maturity.

A variety of mandarin orange that is a cross between a tangerine and a sweet orange.

A vegetable and barley soup tradionally served in Italy. Orzetto will often consist of barley, onions, garlic, herbs, and a variety of vegetables simmered into a hearty food dish....

Small pasta shapes resembling rice or grain, which is used in soups and casseroles and is sometimes substituted for rice.

A small round fruit, similar in appearance to breadfruit, which is a member of the mulberry family.

A French cheese made from raw (unpasteurized) sheep's milk, considered pure sheep's milk from Manech or Basco-Béarnaise ewes that are raised along the Pyrénées mountain range in the Basque region of France.

A traditional Italian food dish made with veal shanks dredged in flour, chopped vegetables such as onions, celery, tomatoes, and carrots, that cook together in a chicken or beef stock with seasonings such as olive oil, garlic, marjoram, pepper, thyme, and white wine.