A

• A La Carte: Menu in which items and beverages are priced individually.
• A la grecque: A preparation style where vegetables are marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs and served cold.
• A Point: French term for cooking until the ideal degree of doneness. When referred to meat, it means medium rare.

• Abbacchio: Italian for young lamb. Traditionally an abbacchio would be milk-fed, weighing less than 10 kilograms.
• Accra: A Caribbean dish of salt cod fritters, often served as an hors d’oeuvre. Also known as stamp-and-go.

• Acid: A substance that neutralizes a base (alkaline) in a liquid solution. Foods like citrus juice, vinegar, and wine that have a sour or sharp flavor. Acids have a PH of less than
• Additives: Substances added to many foods to prevent spoilage or to improve appearance, texture , flavor or nutrition. They might be synthetic materials copied from nature or naturally occurring substances.
• Adductor Muscle: The muscle with which a mollusk closes its shell. In the case of American scallops, this is usually the only part that is eaten.

• Aerate: To incorporate air into a mixture by sifting or mixing
• Aerobic Bacteria: Those that thrive on oxygen.

• Agar-agar: The Malay name for a gum extracted from a red seaweed, used as a gelling or setting agent. Its advantages over the more commonly used gelatin include its resistance to heat (it stays jellied until near-boiling point) and the fact that it is vegetable rather than animal-based, and can thus be used in vegetarian cooking. It is available from Asian grocers and specialty stores.
• Aged balsamic vinegar: Fragrant, sweetish vinegar from Modena, Italy, made from concentrated grape juice and aged in wooden barrels for at least 10 years.
• Aging: The period where freshly killed meat is allowed to rest so that the effects of rigor mortis dissipate , or the period during with freshly milled flour is allowed to rest so it whitens and produces less sticky dough.

• Agnolotti: A stuffed pasta shape, usually translating to small, crescent-shaped or semicircular ravioli in Australian restaurants.
• Agrodolce: Italian for sour and sweet. See also the French, aigre-doux.
• Aigre-doux: French for sour-sweet. See also the Italian, agrodolce.
• Aioli: Garlic mayonnaise. A specialty of Provence, in the south of France.

• Airline Breast: Boneless chicken breast with the first wing bone still attached.
• Al Dente: Italian term meaning “to the tooth”. Used to describe mainly pasta that is cooked until a slight resistance when bitten into
• Albumen: Primary protein found in egg whites.
• Alioli: A Catalan sauce of garlic and oil mixed to a paste, much like aioli, only without the eggs.

• Alkali: Also known as a base , any substance with a pH higher than a 7 .
• Alkaloid: A number of bitter organic substances with alkaline properties found often in plants and sometimes in drugs.
• Allemande: Sauce made by adding lemon juice and liaison to Veloute made from veal stock.
• Alligot: A French dish of potatoes mashed with Cantal cheese curds. Alligot is a traditional dish of the Auvergne region.

• Allumette: A matchstick cut 3 mm x 3mm x 5 to 6 cm (1/8 in x 1/8 in x 2 to 2-1/2 in) long and usually for potatoes.
• Almond Extract: Flavoring derived by dissolving the essential oil of almonds in an alcohol base. Use only products labeled “pure” or “natural” almond extract (essence).
• Almonds: Can be purchased as blanched, skins removed; flaked, paper-thin slices; ground, also known as almond meal; or in slivers, small lengthways-cut pieces.

• Amandine: Dishes made or garnished with almonds.
• Amaretto: Italian liqueur combining essences of apricot and almond.
• Amaro: Italian for bitter, amaro also describes a style of bitter, often herbal, Italian digestivo, such as Averna or Fernet Branca. The plural is amari.

• American Service: Restaurant service in which the waiter takes the orders and brings the food to the table.
• Amino Acid: The base molecular component of proteins.
• Anaerobic Bacteria: Those that are able to live and grow without the presence of oxygen.

• Ancho chilli:  A broad dried chilli of a reddish-brown colour. Ranging from mild to hot, it’s one of the sweetest dried chillies. In its fresh state it is referred to as poblano chilli.
• Anchoiade: A southern French sauce made from anchovies, garlic and olive oil, often served on toast or with raw vegetables.

• Anchovies: Tiny saltwater fish, related to sardines; most often found as canned filets that have been salted and preserved in oil. Imported anchovy filets packed in olive oil are the most commonly available; those packed in salt, available canned in some Italian delicatessens, are considered the finest.
• Anchovy Paste: Smooth paste made from preserved filets of the tiny saltwater fish, combined with oil and packed in squeeze tubes and jars.
• Andouillette: A small French sausage made from the lower intestine of the pig, usually served grilled. The larger version, the andouille, is typically smoked and served cold.

• Angus Beef Certified: A brand created in 1978 to distinguish the highest-quality beef produced from descend ants of the black hornless Angus cattle of Scotland.
• Anterior: At or toward the front of an object.
• Antipasto: Italian term describing an assortment of appetizers.
• AP Weight: As purchased; the weight of an item before trimming.

• Aperitif: A drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite.
• Appetizers: Also known as first courses, small portioned hot or cold foods.
• Apple Jack: Apple brandy made from hard cider.
• Apples: There are thousands of kinds of apples, and they differ in color, flavor, shape, size and texture. Different varieties are used for different purposes. The most common varieties of apples are Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Mcintosh, and Rome Beauty.

• Arborio Rice: A variety of short-grain rice from Italy.
• Argenteuil: Garnished with asparagus.

• Armagnac: Dry brandy similar to cognac, distilled in-­ and made from wine produced in–the Armagnac region of southwestern France.
• Aroma: The sensations as interpreted by the brain.
• Arrowroot: A starch obtained from the rhizome of a West Indian plant. Sold as a dried and milled white powder. Does not mask or alter natural flavors. Produces sauces and pastes of remarkable clarity. Use as a thickening agent in place of flour or cornstarch for fruit sauces, pie fillings, puddings, salad dressings, dessert sauces, vegetable sauces, and meat glazes. Do not use to make any gravy. Arrowroot reaches maximum thickening at lower temperatures than other thickeners, thus it is ideal for use with heat sensitive foods.
• Artichoke: Also known as globe artichoke. The large flower bud of a type of thistle, grown primarily in the Mediterranean and in California. The tightly-packed cluster of tough-pointed, prickly leaves, conceals tender, gray- green flesh at the vegetable’s center–the heart. A globe artichoke is easily prepared for cooking. While trimming dip the artichoke repeatedly in a mixture of water and lemon juice to prevent discoloring.
• Arugula: Green leaf vegetable, Mediterranean in origin with slender multiple-lobed leaves that have a peppery, slightly bitter flavor. Often used raw in salads, also known as rocket.
• AS Weight: As served; the weight of an item as sold or served, after processing and/or cooking.

• Aspic; aspic jelly: A clear jelly usually made from a clarified butter stock thickened with gelatine, used to coat foods with a strong reflective glaze.
• Assemble: To gather necessary ingredients for a recipe together.
• Assiette: French for plate or platter, in common English use it means a selection of the same ingredient prepared different ways, such as an assiette of pork.

• Au gratin: Food cooked with a browned or crusted top, often made with bread crumbs, cheese and/ or sauce topping and cooked under a salamander/broiler.
• Au Jus: Roasted meat, poultry or game served with their natural unthickened juices.
• Au lait: A French term meaning served with milk.
• Au Sec: Cooked until nearly dry.
• Avgolemono: Greek soup made of chicken stock, egg, and lemon juice.