Glossary of Cooking Terms

An acronym for the United States Department of Agriculture, which is a government agency established to support agricultural production and to enforce regulations designed to protect farmers and consumers who use agricultural products.

A guide showing the recommended daily food allowance, represented in a graphical manner using a pyramid shape.

A ground substance that is a purple colored starch made from the meat of purple yams, a tuber that has a gnarled appearance.

A Japanese vegetable with tender asparagus-like stalks that have a flavor mildly resembling fennel.

A thick, white noodle made from wheat flour and water. Udon noodles have a slippery texture and are most often served in soups or stews, but they also work well in braised dishes or served cold.

Most notably known as "Trebbiano". A grape varietal used in the production of white wine.

A pumpkin-like squash that is large and round, easily growing to a size of 15 to 25 pounds at maturity.

Most notably known as "Tempranillo". A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Spain.

In reference to wine making, "ullage" is a term used to describe the space between wine and the top of the storage container.

A South American tuber vegetable that resembles a small potato. The ullucos are round or elongated and their color ranges from yellow, yellowish magenta to magenta.

A popular breakfast originating in Northern Ireland. This meal consists of fried bacon, sausages, black pudding, mushrooms, tomato and eggs served with fried soda bread and potato farls.

A milk product that is processed by heating it to 300º Fahrenheit and then vacuum sealing it in a container to provide a longer shelf life of 6 months or so without refrigeration.

A term first used by Asians attempting to identify flavors that are earthy, meaty, robust, pungent, or savory.

A particulary strong, meaty, savory flavor, in aged or fermented wine. Cooking with wine increases the umami.

A strand pasta produced in the Umbria region of Italy that is often considered to be a thicker version of spaghetti.

Common in Japan, this variety of plum is very popular for it health benefits. The ume plum is a fruit that is harvested when it is green before it ripens to be used as a pickled condiment, which is referred to as umeboshi.

Produced from a plum, this red colored seasoning is made from the juices created by the pickling of ume plums.

A Japanese condiment made from ume plums that are harvested before they are ripe, and then soaked in a brine with red shiso leaves to be pickled.

A food dish common to South Africa that is basically a stew containing dried corn and beans or peas.

A variety of highly refined flour with the bran and the germ removed, but without chemical bleaching, thus eliminating the majority of nutrients in the flour.

A type of flour that contains a high level of protein and is often used as an ingredient to improve some aspect of the baking process or the prepared food.

A ham that had not reached an internal temperature exceeding 137° F during processing.

underripe, unripe,

Meat from the lower blade portion of the chuck primal cut of beef. The underblade is located directly under the shoulder blade and is commonly sold as underblade roasts or steaks.

A term used to describe secondary flavor components of a particular wine.

Opposite of a "filtered wine".

Opposite of "fined wine".

A jelling ingredient that is produced from animal byproducts. Sold in powder form, one tablespoon of gelatin is generally enough to gel approximately two cups of liquid.

A hybrid citrus fruit of grapefruit, tangerine and orange that grows in tropical regions.

One of the two sub-classifications of mollusks, which are a class of shellfish. The two sub-classifications of mollusks are bivalves, which have a hinged double shell and univalves, which have one shell and include shellfish such as abalone, conch, snails, and squid.

A term describing breads and other baked goods that do not contain a rising agent, such as yeast, baking powder or baking soda.

To remove a food from its mold so that it maintains it's molded shape.

A product that has not been produced using a heating process to destroy harmful microorganisms.

A type of butter that does not contain any salt. Unsalted butter is often prefered for use in cooking and baking because it does not contain any salt, which may tend to alter the flavor of the food when added to some recipes.

A type of fatty acid that is in a liquid form at room temperature and is primarily taken from plants.

Pure, unsweetened cocoa liquor, which contains 50 percent cocoa butter and 50 percent chocolate solids.

Generally used in reference to gelatins, puddings and custards, referring to the time that passes until a liquid reaches a state of firmness.

Not to be confused with watercress, this salad green is a member of the mustard family and is also known as English cress, garden cress, land cress and winter cress.

A cake which is made by placing fruit in the bottom of a baking pan and then adding the batter on top of the fruit.

A type of flour, native to India, which is made by grinding black gram pulses or lentils into a fine powder.

A cheese made with pasteurized cow's milk from the Catalan Pyrenees mountain region of northern Spain.

The trim pieces from foods that are suitable to use for other products, reducing the amount of overall waste.

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

A variety of different products have been designed to hold many different utensils, such as knives, spatulas, or miscellaneous kitchen utensils.

Any tools or instruments used in the preparation, serving and consumption of food.

A small lightweight knife, which usually has a blade that is 4 to 7 inches long and is used for miscellaneous light cutting.

Most notably known as "Cabernet Sauvignon". A grape varietal, used in the production of robust red wines, originating in the Bordeaux region of France.

Most notably known as "Montepulciano". A grape varietal, used in the production of deep ruby red wines, originating in the Abruzo and Marche regions of Italy.