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• Calamari: Italian word for squid (plural).
• Calasparra rice: Short grained rice grown in the mountains of the Spanish province of Murcia and typically used in paellas and other Spanish rice-based dishes.
• Calorie: The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg water by 1 degree Celsius. Used as a measure of food energy.
• Calvados: A famed apple brandy from the French region of the same name.

• Can: To preserve food by placing it into a glass jar. Follow the recommended safe canning procedures.
• Canape: Plain or toasted bread or crackers topped with a savory mixture, served as an appetizer or with cocktails.

• Cantal: A French cheese made in the Auvergne region from cow’s milk curds.
• Caper flowers: The flowers of the caper bush, salted and preserved in oil. The resulting flavour is more delicate than other caper products – capers (the buds) and caperberries (the fruit). They are used throughout the Mediterranean in many salad, fish and meat dishes and as an accompaniment with other vegetables. Available from specialty food stores.
• Capon: Class of surgically castrated male chickens.
• Cappuccino: Mixture of equal parts espresso and frothy, steamed milk.

• Capsaicin: Alkaloid found in chili pepper’s placental ribs that provides the pepper’s heat.
• Caramelize: To heat sugar until it dissolves and turns into a golden syrup, or to cook a food (such as onions) over low heat until they become soft, golden brown and sweet.

• Carbohydrates: Any of a group of compounds, including starches and sugars, which supply energy to the body.
• Carbonic maceration: A process used to make red wines from certain grapes (particularly gamay in Beaujolais, but also carignan and a range of other red varieties). Whole bunches of grapes are macerated in stainless steel tanks under a blanket of CO2 (which stops oxygen from getting to the grapes). The grapes are not crushed (or at least not intentionally, although the weight of grapes in a tank means that those in the lower layers usually burst and release their juices), and fermentation takes place inside the berries. The process can help soften tannins and produces brightly coloured, highly perfumed wines (which often have more than a touch of banana and bubblegum to them).
• Carbonnade: A Belgian dish of beef (usually shin) braised in beer.
• Careme, Marie-Antoine: Famous nineteenth-century French chef, often considered the founder of classical cuisine. Was an early practitioner and exponent of the elaborate style of cooking known as grande cuisine, the “high art” of French cooking: a grandiose style of cookery favored by both international royalty and by the nouveau riche of Paris.
• Carnaroli rice: Short-grained rice grown around the Italian towns of Novara and Vercelli, between Milan and Turin. Like arborio or vialone nano, it’s typically used in risotto and other Italian rice-based dishes. Carnaroli has a reputation for being harder to master than other risotto rices, but is considered by many cooks to give superior results.
• Carotenoid:  A   naturally   occurring    pigment    that predominates in red and yellow vegetables such as carrots and red peppers.

• Carpaccio: Italian dish of thin slices or shavings of raw meat, traditionally beef, but now extending to fish, so named at Venice’s Harry’s Bar for the Italian painter Carpaccio and his love of bloody hues.
• Carry-over Cooking: The rise in temperature in the inside of roast meat after it is removed from the oven.
• Cartoccio: An Italian method of cooking in which the food (seafood or poultry, typically) is wrapped in parchment paper (or foil) before being baked. The French equivalent of ‘in cartoccio’ is ‘en papillote’.
• Carve: To cut food into slices (usually meat) using a sharp knife.

• Cassolette: A dish presented in a small casserole – not to be confused with cassoulet.
• Cassoulet: A traditional dish from France’s southwest – essentially a gratineed braise of white beans with a combination of goose, pork, lamb and duck (often confit), and sausages.
• Cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush: Wine tasting term used to describe the pungent aroma (or combination of aromas) typical of cool-climate sauvignon blanc.
• Cavolo nero: A long-leafed, dark or black cabbage. It has a sweet, rich, earthy flavour and is available year round, although it is mainly eaten in autumn and winter.
• Cellulose: A complex carbohydrate found in the cell wall of plants. It is edible but indigestible by humans.

• Celsius Scale: The metric system of temperature measurement, with 0 degrees set at the freezing pint of water and 100 degrees C set at the boiling point of water.
• Centi: Prefix in the metric system meaning “one-hundredth.”
• Cepe: The French term for the boletus mushroom called porcini by Italians. Its traditional English name is the penny bun.
• Cephalopod: A class of mollusks that includes octopus and squid.
• Ceviche: South American dish of raw fish marinated in citrus. Pronounced seh-VEE-chay.
• Chafe: To keep food warm using a container such as a chafing dish or casserole, which has a heat source underneath (eg. candle).

• Chanterelle: Also girolle. An orange mushroom much admired by French cooks.
• Chartreuse: A herbal liqueur made by French monks. In cooking, a dish of partridge braised in cabbage leaves.
• Chasseur (sha-sur): “Hunter style,” usually referring to items served with a brown sauce containing mushrooms, tomato, and white wine.
• Chef: The person in charge of a kitchen or of a department of a kitchen.
• Chevre: A cheese made from goat’s milk.
• Chiffon: 1) A light, fluffy dessert or pie filling containing gelatin and beaten egg whites. 2) A type of cake made with an egg-white foam and with oil as a shortening.

• Chiffonade: A preparation of finely sliced or shredded leafy vegetables or herbs.
• Chill: To cool food in the refrigerator until completely cooled throughout.
• Chilli:  Hot peppers, generally the smaller the hotter. It’s advisable to wear gloves while preparing hotter chillies, or wash hands thoroughly and avoid contact with eyes and other sensitive tissue. See ancho, birdseye, habanero, jalapeño, padron and serrano.
• China cap/Chinois: A conically shaped strainer.

• Chlorophyll: Green pigment in vegetables and fruits.
• Cholesterol: A fatty substance found in foods derived from animal products and in the human body; it has been linked to heart disease.
• Chop: To cut solids into pieces with a sharp knife or other chopping device.

• Choron: A bearnaise sauce with tomato.
• Choucroute: The French version of sauerkraut, from the Alsace region.
• Chowder: A hearty American soup made from fish, shellfish, and/or vegetables, usually containing milk and potatoes.

• Chunk: To cut food into large pieces, larger than a cube.
• Chutney: A highly seasoned relish of fruits, herbs and spices.

• Cigar box aromas: A blend of smoke and cedar notes derived from oak ageing. Most usually detected in cabernet sauvignon-based wines.
• Cilantro: The fresh coriander plant, used as an herb.
• Civet: A game stew, sometimes thickened with blood.
• Clafoutis: A custard tart, often scattered with cherries.
• Clamart: Garnished with or containing peas.
• Clarified Butter: Purified butterfat, with water and milk solids removed.
• Clarify: To remove solids from a liquid to yield a clear liquid, most often used with butter to remove milk solids.
• Clearmeat: A mixture of ground meat, egg whites, and flavoring ingredients used to clarify consommés.
• Club Sandwich: A sandwich consisting of three slices toast and filled with such ingredients as sliced chicken or turkey, lettuce, tomato, and bacon.
• Coagulation: The irreversible transformation of proteins from a liquid or semi-liquid state to a drier, solid state.
• Coats a Spoon: To test for doneness; a cooked egg-based mixture (such as a custard) leaves a thin layer on a metal spoon when dipped into the mixture.
• Cocktail: A type of appetizer generally made of seafood or fruit and often served with a tart or tangy sauce.
• Coconut vinegar: Low in acidity, with a musty flavour and a unique aftertaste. It is used traditionally in Asian and Thai dishes.
• Coconut: Available fresh from Asian greengrocers and other select greengrocers; the flesh should be soft, gelatinous and almost translucent. To shave the flesh, use a vegetable peeler or a large sharp knife.
• Cocotte: A ramekin. Dishes served en cocotte are typically baked in ramekins or set in a bain-marie.
• Coddle: To cook eggs in simmering water, and remove from heat when eggs are cooked, as desired. Sometimes called poach.
• Coenzyme: Any of the various small substances of which contain a B vitamin that promotes or assist an enzyme’s activities.
• Cognac: Dry spirit distilled from wine and strictly speaking produced in the Cognac region of France.
• Collagen: A type of connective tissue in meats that dissolves when cooked with moisture.
• Combine: To stir two or more ingredients with a spoon, or to beat on Low speed with a mixer, until mixed together.
• Complementary Proteins: Protein supplied by foods that, if eaten together, supply all the amino acids necessary in the human diet.
• Complete Protein: A protein that supplies all the amino acids necessary in the human diet.
• Complexity: A great thing in a wine. If you can detect loads of different flavours in your glass of wine, and those flavours develop and change over time, then you’ve got your hands on a complex wine.
• Compound Butter: A mixture of raw butter and various flavoring ingredients.
• Concasse: Peeled, seeded and diced tomato.
• Concasser: To chop coarsely.
• Conduction: The transfer of heat from one item to something touching it or a cooler part of the first item.
• Confit: Lightly cured meat, usually duck or goose, stewed in its own fat. Pieces are packed in the fat and chilled for later use.
• Consommé: A rich, flavorful, seasoned stock or broth that has been clarified to make it perfectly clear and transparent.
• Convection Oven: An oven in which hot air is circulated by a fan.
• Convection: The transfer of heat by the movement of a liquid or gas.
• Convenience Food: Any food product that has been partially or completely prepared or processed by the manufacturer.
• Coq au Vin (coke-oh-van): A French dish of chicken braised in wine.
• Coral: The roe or eggs of certain shellfish.
• Core: To remove the center of a fruit or vegetable, which contains seeds, with a knife or apple corer.
• Coring: The process of removing the seeds or pit from a fruit or fruit vegetable.
• Cork taint: is the most widely recognized wine fault. Although some people are more sensitive than others to the whiff of damp, mouldy cardboard that characterizes this problem, it’s true to say that once you’ve smelled a badly corked wine, you never forget the mouldy odour. The problem is that many people don’t recognize a mildly corked wine, as this can merely deaden the fruit rather than being overtly whiffy.
• Corn meal: Granular flour, ground from the dried kernels of yellow or white corn, with a sweet, robust flavor. Sometimes known by the Italian term polenta. Available in fine or coarser grinds.
• Corn starch: Fine, powdery flour ground from the endosperm of corn the white heart of the kernel and used as a neutral-flavored thickening agent in some desserts. Also known as corn flour.
• Corn syrup: Light- or dark-colored neutral tasting syrup extracted from corn.
• Corned beef: Beef brisket, or sometimes other cuts, cured for about a month in a brine with large crystals (corns) of salt,   sugar,   spices,    and    other    seasonings    and preservatives to produce a meat that when slowly simmered in water , develops a moist , tender mixture, mildly spiced flavor and bright purplish-red color.
• Cornichons: Small French-style sour pickled cucumbers no more than two inches or so in length.
• Coulis: A sauce made from a puree of vegetables and/ or fruit.
• Coupe: A dessert consisting of one or two scoops of ice cream or sherbet in a dish or glass, topped with any of a number of syrups, fruits, toppings, and garnishes; sundae.
• Course: A food or group of foods served at one time or intended to be eaten at the same time.
• Court bouillon: Water simmered with vegetables, seasonings and an acidic product such as vinegar or wine. Used for simmering or poaching fish, shellfish or vegetables.
• Court-bouillon: An aromatic broth used for poaching, usually associated with fish or poultry.
• Couscous: A type of granular pasta from North Africa, cooked like a grain.
• Couverture: A high-quality chocolate containing at least 32% cocoa butter.
• Crab: Crabs are sold live, cooked, and raw (or green). Blue swimmer crabs and spanner crabs are usually sold cooked, as they don’t live long after capture. Mud crabs are best bought live, though care should be taken, as they can inflict serious injury with their claws.Crabs are best cooked in water containing 25gm of salt per litre.
• Cream of tar tar: Acidic powder used as an additive to meringue to stabilize egg whites and for heat tolerance. Used as leavening agent most commonly with baking soda to make baking powder and an ingredient in syrups to prevent crystallization.
• Cream Soup: A soup that is thickened with roux or other thickening agent and contains milk and/or cream.
• Cream sour:  Commercial dairy product made from pasteurized sweet cream, used as an enrichment in a wide range of savory and sweet recipes. Its extra acidity can boost the leavening action of baking soda in quick breads.
• Cream: To beat together two or more ingredients, such as butter and sugar, until the mixture is smooth, creamy, uniform consistency. The term can also mean light and heavy cream’s butterfat content and related richness. Light cream has a butterfat level varying from 18-30 percent. It is sometimes called coffee cream or table cream. Heavy whipping cream, sometimes simply labeled heavy cream, has a butterfat content of at least 36 percent.
• Crecy (kray-see): Garnished with or containing carrots.
• Crème Anglaise: French for English cream – a light custard.
• Crème Fraiche: Cultured thick cream, with a fresh, sour taste. Does not separate when boiled. If unavailable, substitute with sour cream.
• Crème Patissiere: Custard filling for pastries and cakes.
• Crepe: A thin, delicate pancake
• 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.
• Crimp or Flute: To press together two pastry layers on edge of pie crust, sealing the dough and at the same time creating a decorative edge using fingers, a fork, or other utensil.
• Critical Control Point: An action that can be taken that will eliminate or minimize a food safety hazard.
• Croissant: A crescent-shaped roll made from a rich, rolled-in-yeast dough.
• Croque monsieur: A French toasted or pan-fried ham and cheese sandwich. When made with an egg, it is known as a croque madame.
• Croquette: A food that has been pureed or bound with a thick sauce.
• Crosne: A flavoursome tuber also known as a Chinese artichoke. Pronounced ‘crone’.
• Cross-contamination: The transfer of bacteria to food from another food or from equipment or work surfaces.
• Croute: To cook en croute is to wrap or seal in pastry.
• Crudités: An assortment of raw vegetables, i.e., carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, served as a hors d’oeuvre or appetizer often accompanied by a dip.
• Crumble: To break up into small pieces.
• Crush: To reduce to crumbs, powder, or small pieces.
• Crustaceans: Sea animals with segmented shells and jointed legs, such as lobsters and shrimp.
• Cube: To cut meat or vegetables as examples into 1/2-inch equal-sided squares.
• Curd: Solid which separates from coagulated milk or soy milk used to make cheese or soya bean curd.
• Curdle: To overcook a mixture, such as an egg-based recipe, causing the mixture to separate. The mixture will appear lumpy. Another example is when acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, to milk is added to milk which will then thicken and become lumpy.
• Cure: To preserve meats by drying and salting and/ or smoking.
• Custard: A liquid that is thickened or set firm by the coagulation of egg protein.
• Cut in: To mix a cold fat (such as butter) with flour or dry ingredients by hand until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This can be achieved by using a pastry blender or two tableware knives.
• Cuttlefish: A cephalopod similar to squid but with a chalky interior bone and a squatter body shape.
• Cycle Menu: A menu that changes every day for a certain period and then repeats the same daily items in the same order.