- Yam: A generally large tuberous root of one of the genus Dioscorea, with dense flesh, used as a starch staple and ranging from less than 0.5 kg to 25 kg in size. They must be cooked and are treated like potatoes. Varieties are found in all tropical and subtropical areas and a few in temperate regions.
- Yard bean: Asparagus bean.
- Yarrow: A hardy wild perennial, Achillea millefolium, with clusters of small flowers and feathery leaves. The slightly bitter and peppery young leaves may be chopped and used in moderation for salads, to flavor dips and as a garnish.
- Yassa au poulet: West African Chicken fried with onions then simmered in a marinade.
- Yeast: A microorganism (strictly speaking a fungus) which reproduces by budding from the parent micro-organism. The most important in cooking is Saccharomyces cerevisiae which has a multitude of variants used principally for converting sugars to alcohol or water and carbon dioxide as in beer, wine, and bread production. Yeasts can also excrete some enzymes which break down polysaccharides into simple sugars. Yeasts work best around 30 to 35°C and are killed above 60°C.
- Yeast buns: (Wales) A traditional Pembrokeshire New Year bun which is basically an egg, butter, sugar and dried vine fruit enriched, yeast-raised bread with about 75 g of each enriching agent per kg of flour. After kneading and proving, the dough is rolled and cut into rounds, proved again then baked at 220°C for 15 – 20 minutes. Also called migiod.
- Yeasted goods: Flour and starch-based mixtures which are treated with yeast to produce a multitude of carbon dioxide bubbles within the mixture prior to baking.
- Yeast extract: A dark brown thick glossy semisolid made by hydrolyzing disrupted yeast cells to form a complex mixture of amino acids, peptides, nucleic acids and their reaction products together with vitamins and fragments of other cell contents and concentrating the solution. It has an intense flavor and is used by vegetarians and others for flavouring savory dishes, as a vitamin supplement and as a sandwich spread.
- Yellow bean paste: A strong flavoured Chinese paste made from fermented soya beans. Sold in jars as a flavouring.
- Yellow bean sauce: Fermented yellow soya beans let down with brine. Used in Sichuan and Hunan cuisines and generally in Southeast Asia. Also called brown bean sauce or soya bean condiment.
- Yellow cake: (United States) Cake in which egg yolks but not egg whites are used.
- Yellow chilli: A smooth waxy-skinned chilli slightly larger than a jalapeno and very hot. Also called yellow wax chilli.
- Yellow chive: Chinese chives whose leaves have been blanched by growing in the dark and which have a mild flavour.
- Yoghurt: A fermented product made from any milk treated with a culture of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and possibly Streptococcus thermophilus at a temperature of 37 to 44°C. The fermentation is stopped by cooling to below 5°C after 4 to 6 hours when the liquid will have developed a lactic acid flavour and will be more or less thick, possibly even a gel. Different cultures of the micro-org anisms and the different milks lead to country-specific textures and flavours.
- York cheese: (England) a rich creamy soft cheese made from raw or unpasteurized cows’ milk. Also called Cambridge cheese.
- Yorkshire black pudding: (England) Black pudding flavoured with marjoram, thyme, lemon thyme and savory.
- Yorkshire cheese cake: (England) An open short crust pastry tart filled with a mixture of curd (or sieved cottage) cheese, butter, currants, eggs, sugar, grated lemon zest and nutmeg before baking. Also called Yorkshire curd tart.
- Yorkshire sauce: (England) a julienne of orange zest cooked gently in port, reserved, the port thickened with equal parts of espagnole sauce and redcurrant jelly flavoured with cinnamon and cayenne pepper, reduced, strained and finished with orange juice and the julienne of orange zest. Served with braised duck or ham.
- Yorkshire pudding: A savoury batter nowadays baked in the oven in a large flat tin or individual patty tins together with a roast of beef, and used as an accompaniment to it. Originally the tin of batter was placed beneath a joint of beef roasting on a spit to catch the juices. The batter would cook with the heat from the fire.
- Yorkshire spice bread: A heavily spiced fruit loaf raised with yeast or baking powder.
- Yabby: A native Australian crayfish (Cherax destructor), farmed and caught wild in freshwater, available year-round from specialist fishmongers.
- Yakitori: Japanese grilled meats and vegetables brushed with yakitori sauce (soy sauce, sake, mirin and rock sugar) during cooking.
- Youngberry: Hybrid of the loganberry and dewberry.
- Yum cha: Chinese sweet cakes and savouries served with tea usually in the late morning.
- Yuzu: Japanese name for a yellow citrus fruit (Citrus junos) with a distinctive sharp taste. Too acid to be eaten raw, its zest is used to flavour dishes directly or to make condiments. Hard to find fresh in Australia, frozen yuzu, found at Japanese grocers, are a good substitute.