Glossary of Cooking Terms

A young codfish, which is a round saltwater fish. Its meat has a tender, flaky texture with a mild flavor.

A lean fish with a coarse texture and delicate flavor, consisting of a large family of fish found in temperate and tropical waters all over the world.

A perennial evergreen plant, which grows in the northern coastal regions on salty damp ground.

A perennial plant that grows along the beaches and on salt meadows in moderate and cold climates.

A round saltwater fish with a flesh that is firm and flaky textured. Mild in flavor, the Sea Bass can be cooked by broiling, baking, frying, or steaming and makes a good fish for cooking whole.

A fresh bean that grows in the sea in the form of a long, pencil thin, cylindrical green stem that may have spherical-shaped, spike-like buds on the ends.

A lean fish with a coarse texture and delicate flavor, consisting of a large family of fish found in temperate and tropical waters all over the world.

A fruit native to South America, which grows in grape-like bunches. The grapes average about 5/8 inch in length and ripen in the late fall where they are found growing along shores and beaches.

A perennial plant that grows wild along the shores of the Baltic and Black Sea and the Atlantic Coast.

A type of salt extracted from seawater through the use of a vacuum evaporation process after which it is sun and wind dried and then distilled into an edible, solid form.

A round saltwater fish that is moderately lean and has a moist, flaky textured flesh.

A sea animal that can grow up to 10 inches in diameter and consists of a hard shell that is covered by prickly spines, similar to a porcupine.

Any type of fish or shellfish that comes from the sea and is edible.

A variety of different seafoods and vegetables cooked in a milk base to create a rich and hearty soup.

A small fork used to serve, extract, pick up, dip, or eat various seafoods, as occurs when eating shrimp or lobster.

A useful kitchen tool for removing meat from lobster and crab legs and for deveining shrimp.

The process of quickly browning the surface of food by exposing it to extremely high heat.

1. To add flavoring to a food to enhance its taste. Some types of flavorings that are used are salt, pepper, herbs, spices, lemon juice, vinegar and condiments.

A salt that is a combination of regular salt along with other seasonings such as paprika, dry mustard, onion powder and garlic powder.

The substances added to other foods to enhance their flavor and smell, such as salt, pepper, herbs, spices, oils, and vinegars to name a few.

A variety of sea vegetables, which are consumed in a number of different ways. They can be used as seasonings, vegetables, ingredients in soups and salads, in making tea, as thickeners, and as food stabilizers.

French term for dry.

A specialty pear that has the traditional pear shape but much smaller in size. The thicker outer skin, which is yellowish-green and red in color, covers a white juicy flesh that is very sweet and spicy in flavor.

Secondary aromas most often appear in wines that have been aged. These characteristics are typically earthy and animalistic.

In reference to wine making, "secondary fermentation" is a fermentation process occurring after primary fermentation.

In reference to wine making, a "secondary fermentor" is a vessel that is used for secondary fermentation.

A sauce that is derived from a mother sauce and has flavorings and seasonings added to create a new sauce.

A plate or dish that is formed with individual compartments to hold various amounts of food.

Minute, solid particles that develop naturally in wine that has been aged. The sediment is bitter and needs to be removed before serving (see decanting).

Descriptor of an appealing, irresistible wine.

In reference to wine making, the "seed" is the segment of a grape that contains tannins.

A large apple that is green to yellow in color with a red blushing or streaking....

A food, made from wheat gluten, which is rich in protein and is used in many vegetarian dishes.

As a culinary term, it refers to chocolate that becomes a stiff thick mass when being melted.

A natural French sea salt, translated to mean "gray salt", that comes from the Atlantic waters off the coast of France.

A type of wheat flour in which the leavening agent has already been added. The leavening agent is generally in the form of baking powder.

A date used to indicate how long a food item can remain on a shelf before it is no longer considered fresh or of a quality level sufficient to be sold to consumers.

A French cheese made from unpasteurized or pasteurized goat's milk. Typically coated with ash, this cheese is formed into small disks with one flat and one rounded side.

An artificially carbonated water that is flavorless. It is used as a mix for alcoholic beverages and soda fountain drinks or is drank on its own.

Italian pasta that is shaped similar to melon seeds. It is often used in broths....

Tiny round pasta, similar to acini di pepe, only smaller. It is generally served in light soup or in broth.

A whole or half ham from the leg primal cut that has only the leg bone remaining.

A variety of sausage that is harder and denser than fresh sausage, but not as hard in substance as a dry sausage.

A type of oil that is less expensive and not quite as flavorful as higher grades, making it very suitable as cooking oil for fried foods.

Descriptor of wine comprised of a moderate amount of carbon dioxide resulting in a moderate amount of bubbles.

A descriptor of wine with a discrete presence of sugar.

An eating chocolate that is generally a little sweeter than bittersweet chocolate.

A granular flour with a light yellow color. Semolina is produced from durum wheat, which is used almost exclusively for making pasta.

Serrano is a Spanish word meaning "mountain" which may signify the origin and growing area of these chiles.

Serrano is a Spanish word meaning "mountain", which is the area that provides the ideal processing conditions for the Serrano ham.