1.

Feta
Sheep's or goat's milk are the
traditional base for this salty,
crumbly cheese, giving the
cheese a more complex taste. It
is often stored in brine; if so,
rinse it before using to remove
some of the saltiness.

2. Feuilletage
En feuilletage means in pastry.
3. Dolmades
Greek dish using vine leaves to
wrap a filling of rice or meat
and other vegetables.

4. Dried shrimp
These small sun-dried prawns
are soaked in hot water or
pounded to a paste before
using. Available from Asian
food stores.
5. Dijon mustard
French mustard with a smooth
creamy consistency and a mild
flavour made with brown mustard
seeds, salt, spices and verjuice.

6. Dim sum
Cantonese term denoting both a
style of morning or midday meal
(also known as yum cha) and the
small dishes served at that meal to
accompany tea. Steamed and fried
dumplings, both sweet and sour, are
among the best-known dim sum
dishes.
7. Digestive
French term for an after-dinner drink.
Often strongly alcoholic (as in the case
of Cognac or eau-de-vie), they are
supposed to aid digestion. The Italian
term is digestivo.

8. Dhal
Indian dish of cooked dehusked split
pulses such as lentils seasoned with
spices.
9. Demerara sugar
Light brown sugar with
coarse crystals.

10. Dengaku
Japanese style of cooking
grilled skewered food with a
sweet miso paste.
11. Deglaze
Loosening and dissolving
meat residue from the pan
base or roasting dish with
water, wine or stock.

12. Degustation
A tasting or sampling menu,
typically of several smaller
courses.
13. Daube
A French braise of beef,
mutton or lamb enriched
with red wine and onions.

14. Dauphinoise
Style of potato dish in
which they're thinly sliced
and baked with cream, milk
and sometimes cheese.
15. Dark soy sauce
A soy sauce often used for the colour it
imparts. It's less salty than light soy
sauce.

16. Dashi
Japanese fish stock made from dried
seaweed.
17. Daikon
Japanese long white radish.

18. Dariole
An oval-shaped mould used
for baking and pastry.
19. Croute
To cook en croute is to wrap or
seal in pastry.

20. Curd
Solid which separates from
coagulated milk or soy milk used
to make cheese or soya bean
curd.
21. Croque monsieur
A French toasted or pan-fried
ham and cheese sandwich. When
made with an egg, it is known as
a croque madame.

22. Crosne
A flavoursome tuber also known
as a Chinese artichoke.
Pronounced 'crone'.
23. Kaffir lime leaves
Two glossy dark-gree

24. Crepinette
To cook en crepinette is to
wrap in caul fat. A crepinette
is usually a small patty of
meat wrapped in caul fat, not
unlike a rissole.
25. Julienne
Technique of cutting vegetables,
fruit or citrus rinds into
matchstick-sized strips.

26. Jus
French for juice, in restaurant
parlance jus usually refers to the
pan juices from a piece of meat
used to sauce it on the plate.
27. Japanese rice vinegar
Colourless vinegar made from
fermented rice and seasoned
with sugar and salt. Also
known as seasoned rice
vinegar.

28. Japanese rice wine

Otherwise known as sake, an
alcoholic beverage fermented
from steamed rice also used
as a replacement for mirin in
cooking.
29. Jamon Iberico
A Spanish ham widely regarded as the
world's best, jamon Iberico de bellota, to
use its full name, is the cured leg of a
black Iberian pig fattened on grain and
then foraged on acorns (bellota in
Spanish) in the months before slaughter.
The hams are cured for a minimum of
nine months. See also serrano.

30. Tranche
French for a slice.
31. Timbale
A round mould, often with tapering sides,
or a dish prepared in such a mould.

32. Togarashi
This classic Japanese seven-spice mixture
commonly contains chilli (togarashi),
orange peel,
sansho, black and white sesame seeds,
seaweed and ginger.
Available from Asian food stores.
33. Torrone
Italian for nougat.

34. Japanese rice seasoning

Mix of chopped nori, sesame seeds,
caster sugar, sansho pepper and sea
salt, available from Japanese and Asian
food stores. To make your own, place 2
sheets of finely chopped nori, 1/3 cup
sesame seeds, 3 tsp caster sugar, 1 tsp
ground sansho pepper and 1 tbsp sea
salt in a mortar and, using a pestle,
grind to a coarse powder.
35. Triage
If you're making a really posh wine,
you don't want any unripe or overripe
berries to be pressed along with the
good ones - and as for leaves, twigs and
bits of slug, well, they've really got to go

36. Truffle
A highly prized, highly aromatic (and very
expensive) fungus which grows under the
ground near hazelnut and oak trees.
37. Toro
Japanese term for the prized fatty
belly meat of the bluefin tuna,
generally served as sashimi or very
simply and lightly grilled. Also
Spanish for bull, and the meat of
bulls.

38. Tuaca
An Italian liqueur made from brandy
with citrus and vanilla accents. It's
available from speciality liquor stores.
If unavailable, substitute with brandy
or whisky.
39. Turmeric, fresh
A rhizome related to galangal and
ginger, typically seen dried and ground
and sold as a spice. Used fresh, it must
be grated or pounded to release its
pungent flavour. Its yellow stain can be
very difficult to remove; some chefs
wear rubber gloves when handling it.
40. Udon
A thick Japanese wheat flour noodle
usually served in soup.
41. Jackfruit
Malaysian fruit with brown spiky skin,
fibrous yellow flesh and large white
seeds, the flesh is eaten raw or roasted
and the seeds are dried, roasted and
ground.

42. Jalapeño
Long, tapering thick-fleshed green
chillies with strong flavour and
middling heat. The jalapeño is a
popular chilli in Mexican cuisine and is
often stuffed or pickled.
 43. Jambalaya
Creole long grain rice dish with
varied ingredients such as
chicken, ham, sausage and
seafood with onions, celery, green
pepper and tabasco.

44. Jambon
French for ham.
 45. Jamon
Spanish for ham. See also
serrano and jamon Iberico.

 
46. Italian pearl barley
Smaller, whiter and quicker to
cook than regular barley. You can
substitute with regular pearl
barley, but you will need to cook
it for 45 minutes.
 47. Itami udon
Japanese soft noodles made from
udon noodles bolied and then
fried with vegetables and served
with condiments.

48. Ile flottante

See floating islands.
 49. Infuse
Bringing liquid into contact with
food, herbs or spices so that the
flavour transposes from one to
the other.

50. Insalata
Italian for salad. The plural is
insalate.
51. Rosewater
Distillation of rose petals that retains the
intense fragrance and flavour of fresh
roses. Rose water has been used for
centuries in Eastern countries. Available
from specialty grocers.
 
52. Roti
The Indian term for bread, it also often
indicates the flatbread chapati, and the
Indian-derived pancake-like flatbreads
common to Indonesian and Malaysian
cooking, as well as in the West Indies.
 
53. Rotolo
An Italian term for a roll, usually a
sheet of pasta rolled to contain
sweet or savoury ingredients. See
also roulade.
 
54. Rouille
Literally, rust, a French condiment
(essentially mayonnaise with chilli,
garlic, bread and fish broth)
traditionally served with
bouillabaisse and other fish soups.
55. Roulade
A roll; a piece of fish or meat or a
pancake used to contain and roll
up other ingredients. The Italian
equivalent is rotolo.
 
56. Roux
Butter and flour cooked together
to form a paste used to thicken
sauces or soups.
57. Saffron threads
Dried stigmas from the crocus flower.
Saffron is the world's most expensive
spice because each flower produces
only three stigmas, which must be
hand-picked and delicately dried.
 
58. Sake
Japanese rice wine made from
fermented rice. It can be drunk hot or
cold, or used in cooking, particularly in
sauces and marinades.
59. Salmis
A classic French dish of roasted
poultry accompanied by a sauce made
from the pressed carcass.
 
 
60. Salsa
Sauce.
61. Salsa verde
Italy's green sauce - a cold condiment
of coarsely chopped or pounded (or
processed) parsley, capers, garlic,
vinegar, anchovies and olive oil.
 
62. Sambal
Spicy, chilli-based condiments
common to Malaysia and Indonesia.
 63. Umeboshi plum
Japanese apricot coloured with red
shiso leaves and pickled in salt with a
sour and salty taste often served as a
digestive.
 
64. Unbleached flour
Flour which had not been treated with
a bleaching agent to whiten the colour.
 65. Unleavened
Cooked without raising agents,
such as yeast.
 
66. Upside down cake
Cake baked in a tin with a layer
of fruit on the bottom so that
after turning the cake out the
fruit is visible on top.
67. Veloute
A classic French sauce of stock
thickened to a velvety consistency
with a roux. The term also applies to
soups enriched and thickened with
egg yolks and cream.
 68. Ventresca tuna
Ventresca is Italian for belly (the
French is ventreche), and ventresca
tuna, sold in jars and tins, is the high-
quality, flavoursome, rich meat cut
from the belly of the fish.
 69. Verjuice
The juice of unripe grapes, typically used as
a less acidic substitute for vinegar in
dressings and sauces, but also quite
refreshing as a non-alcoholic mixer. It is
now produced in many Australian wine
regions and is available from David Jones
Foodhalls and specialty stores. Also verjus.
70. Vialone nano
A small Italian rice variety (nano means
dwarf). It expands more than any other - up
to three times its original size - but is not as
firm in texture when cooked, creating a
creamier style of risotto.
 71. Vichysoisse
A classic French soup of
potatoes, leek and cream, served
cold.
 
72. Vierge
French for virgin; sauce vierge,
an uncooked sauce of tomatoes,
olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and
herbs, is often served with fish.
 73. Vietnamese mint
Pungent and peppery narrow-
leafed member of the buckwheat
family, not the mint family.

74. Hirame
Japanese use of flounder or
halibut in sushi.
75. Vietnamese sandwich
Known by the term banh mi in Vietnamese,
these light, crusty baguettes are typically
spread with pate and mayonnaise before being
filled with Vietnamese-style coldcuts, freshly
cooked pork or chicken (or a combination
thereof), shreds of pickled carrot, ribbons of
raw cucumber, sprigs of fresh coriander and
chopped hot red chilli. They are dressed with
nuoc cham, the chilli, lime, soy and fish sauce
condiment, sometimes also with a splash of
Maggi brand seasoning.

76. Vin Santo

A traditional Tuscan dessert wine made from
trebbiano and/or malvasia grapes. If
unavailable, s
77. Spaetzle
A German dumpling, not unlike
small gnocchi, made with flour
and egg rather than potato,
poached or fried. Pronounced
schpetz-LAH.

78. Speck
Either a boned, cold-smoked leg
of ham, or a German coldcut
resembling lardo.
79. Snow sugar
A confectioner's sugar with a
vegetable fat added to prevent the
sugar from absorbing moisture
from the cake and dissolving. It's
available from The Essential
Ingredient and specialty food
stores.
80. Soubise
A French onion sauce.
81. Spherification
The method of containing a small
amount of liquid within a soft membrane
of itself using chemical gelling agents, as
popularised by pioneering chef Ferran
Adria of Spain's El Bulli restaurant.

82. Star anise

Dried star-shaped pod that has an
astringent aniseed taste; used to flavour
stocks and marinades.
83. Steak frites
French for steak and chips.

84. Sugar, muscovado

Very dark brown sugar which has
a strong molasses flavour. The
crystals are slightly coarser and
stickier in texture than brown
sugar.
85. Ras el hanout
Means 'head of the shop'. A traditional
blend of Moroccan spices, showcasing the
best spices a merchant might have for sale.
It can include paprika, cumin, ginger, orris
root, saffron, dried flowers, ginger, turmeric,
fennel and bay leaf.

86. Ratatouille
A southern French classic of eggplant,
zucchini, tomatoes, onions, capsicum, garlic
and olive oil cooked together and served
either hot or cold. Pronounced RAT-a-TOO-
ee.
87. Semolina
Granular flour made from durum
wheat (hard wheat). Used in pasta-
making and in Middle Eastern and
Indian sweet-making. Available milled
fine, medium and coarse from
supermarkets and delicatessens.

88. Serrano
Jamon serrano, Spanish for mountain
ham, is a dry-cured Spanish ham,
typically served in thin slices, similar
to prosciutto.
89. Ravigote
A French sauce of vinegar, white wine
and shallots, much like a thick
vinaigrette.

90. Ravioli
A filled pasta, typically consisting of
two sheets of pasta pressed together to
contain a mixture of meat, cheese or
vegetables in a square or circular
package. Raviolo is the singular form.
91. Reduction
The opposite process to oxidation, in
which a wine is deprived of oxygen. It
can give a wine a whiff of overboiled
cabbage. While there's little you can do
to improve an oxidised wine, a bit of
aeration should get rid of reductive
odours.

92. Remoulade
A French condiment of celery or
shredded celeriac with mayonnaise,
capers, mustard, cornichons and
herbs.
93. Ricotta
Soft white cow's milk cheese; roughly
translates as 'cooked again'. Is made from
whey, a by-product of other cheese making, to
which fresh milk and acid are added. Ricotta is
a sweet, moist cheese with a fat content of
around 8.5 per cent and a slightly grainy
texture. It is used in both savoury and sweet
recipes.

94. Rillettes
A French dish of pork, duck or goose meat (or
rabbit or fish) cooked to shreds in fat and
served cold as a spread for toast, like a coarse
pate. Pronounced REEY-et.
95. Roquefort
A blue-veined French cheese
made with raw sheep's milk. Its
importation has had a chequered
history with Australian
quarantine and customs.
96. Rosé
Most rosés are made from red
wine grapes that are macerated
for a short time in order to
extract a small amount of colour
and very little tannins.
 
97. Saucisson
French for sausage.

98. Savarin
Traditionally a yeasted ring-
shaped cake soaked in syrup.
99. Self-raising flour
Plain flour that is sifted with
baking powder in the proportion
of 1 cup flour to 2 tsp baking
powder.

100. Semifreddo
Italian for semi-frozen, a style of
dessert most often like a chilled
mousse or parfait.