Glossary of Cooking Terms

Smoked pork loin from Bavaria that has been dry-cured. When serving, it is thinly sliced similar to prosciutto.

One of two basic and most traditional types of butter available, the other being Sweet Cream Butter.

A type of milk that contains a low amount of lactose or is free of lactose. Typically, milk with reduced lactose has been fortified with lactase, an enzyme used to break down the lactose (sugars) in the milk making it easier to digest for individuals considered lactose intolerant.

Typical of many Swiss cheeses characterized by the holes ("eyes") found throughout the cheese, Lacy Swiss cheese also contains holes, but they are much smaller in size than the aged Swiss cheese.

Designed with a broad spoon base, this utensil serves several purposes when preparing foods.

A small apple with a green and red colored outer skin covering a white, firm textured, juicy inner flesh that provides a tart to sweet flavor.

Finger shaped cookies made from sponge cake batter, which are served with puddings and ice cream.

A light beer that is fermented at a lower temperature than most beers. Lager is fermented for a period of 6 weeks to 6 months.

Pronounced lah-GRAYN. A grape varietal, used in the production of red and rosé wines, grown mainly in the valleys of northern Italy in the Trentino-Alto Adige region.

A variety of cheese that comes from the alpine countryside of northeastern Italy.

An Armenian flat bread or cracker bread that is traditionally made from a dough that is formed into a circle from 6 inches to 14 inches in diameter and baked.

A young sheep, generally between 5 to 12 months of age. Lamb meat is lean with a distinctive flavor.

A salad green that has small dark green, velvety leaves with a rich, sweet flavor, similar to hazelnut.

Pronounced Lam-Broos-Koh. A grape varietal used in the production of red wine, originating in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

The lowest grade of virgin olive oil: It is not fit for human consumption. It has a natural acidity above 3.3% and may also have an unpleasant taste and aroma.

A German country bread that uses a starter as a leaven. The bread has a chewy, open crumb and a delicious sourdough flavor.

Pork fat that has been rendered. It has a firm texture and can be used for piecrusts and for frying food.

The process of injecting fat into the interior of meat, generally by using a larding instrument to accomplish the task.

A kitchen utensil that is used to inject lard into meats in order to moisten the meat and enhance the flavor.

Sometimes referred to as Italian bacon, lardo is basically cured pork fat taken from the back of a pig, seasoned with garlic and herbs, and aged for 4 to 6 months.

Meat, generally fatty bacon or pork fat, that is cut into strips 1/4 inch across and 1 to 1 1/2 inches long that is cooked to remove the fat.

A very wide flat pasta that is available in ribbons that are approximately 10 to 13 inches long and vary in width from 2 to 3 ½ inches.

A narrower version of the long lasagne noodle. It is found with wavy edges on both sides, on one side, or having straight cut edges on both sides.

A ribbon pasta that is basically the same as lasagnette, only longer in length with a rippled edge only on one side.

A beverage common in India that is made from yogurt and served plain or flavored.

Descriptor of wines made from grapes that hung on the vine until they reached a high sugar content, resulting in a sweet wine.

A potato pancake, common in German homes, that is very similar to the American version of hash brown potatoes.

A kitchen utensil that is made to easily form the crisscrossed or diamond-shaped patterns for the lattice topping of a pie or pastry.

Crisscrossed strips of dough placed on top of a pie or a savory dish, as a decorative covering.

An Armenian flat bread or cracker bread that is traditionally made from a dough that is formed into a circle from 6 inches to 14 inches in diameter and baked.

An ornamental herb with purple flowers that has been used as oil in soap and a fragrance in sachets for centuries.

A rotating device used primarily in kitchens and pantries for storing items in corner cabinets, hard to reach areas at the back of cabinets, or on tabletops.

A farmhouse cheese traditionally produced in the Rhônes-Alpes region of France that is made from cow's milk.

A rolled cheese that is similar in appearance to a jelly roll with a layer of herb or other types of seasonings lightly spread over the top of a flat layer of cheese.

The most popular of the garden lettuce, this vegetable is a loose-leaf variety of lettuce that can be grown as a flat, smooth, rough, round, frilly or oak shaped leaf.

Disease of the vine caused by a virus.

A designation used in reqard to the fat content of a meat product containing 10% or less of fat.

The ham must contain less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 grams of cholesterol per 100 grams and per Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC).

Descriptor of wine that is thin and a bit astringent, a complement for some wine styles.

An agent added to baked goods to cause the dough or batter to rise, lightening the texture and adding volume.

A word describing baked goods that have a leavening agent added to them.

The process of adding a substance to bread dough (and other baked goods) that enables the dough to rise.

A semi-dry sausage, originating in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, which is made of coarsely chopped beef that has been heavily smoked.

A medium size Italian olive that has a longer oval shape and is purplish-black in color after being picked.

A fatty substance that moisturizes, emulsifies and preserves food that is generally derived from egg yolks, soybeans and corn.

A condiment made from the Chinese Leek Flower, a long thin and very narrow stem that grows a tiny flowering bulb at the top of the stem.

A vegetable, which is a member of the onion family, that has an appearance similar to a scallion.

A Dutch table cheese, made from cow's milk that is firm but not hard and open-textured with large eyes.

Solids, a result of fermentation, that are found on the bottom of a vat. These solid particles are comprised of grape skins, pulp, and yeast.

Descriptor of a wine that possesses a rich aroma and/or flavor that is a direct result of the wine resting on the lees.