culinary glossary
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F
Fajita - The Spanish word for skirt steak.
Most people associate the word fajita with strips of meat that go into the
taco. Fajita is a highly flavorful cut of meat that comes from the outer
covering of the breast near where the brisket comes from.
Falafel - A Middle
Eastern specialty consisting of small, deep-fried croquettes or balls made of
highly spiced, ground chickpeas. They are generally tucked inside pita bread,
sandwich style, but can also be served as appetizers. A yogurt or tahini-based
sauce is often served with falafel.
Farce - (French) Forcemeat or Stuffing.
Farci- Stuffed.
Farfalle - Bow tie shaped pasta.
Feijoa - A fruit grown in New Zealand with
a thin green skin and a flavor reminiscent of strawberry, banana, and
pineapple.
Fen Berry - Fen Berry is another name for
a small variety of cranberry - also known as cram-berry, crawberry,
moss-millions, sow-berry, sour-berry, marsh wort, bog-berry and swamp
red-berry. It is found in many English recipes.
Fenugreek - A very hard seed grown in the
Middle East, which is used as a spice. Its dominant flavor and aroma is
recognizable in commercial curry powders.
Feta cheese - A classic Greek cheese
usually made from goat's or sheep's milk. It is now also made from cow's milk.
Salted and cured in a brine solution (which can be either water or whey) for a
week to several months (this is why it is sometimes called a pickled cheese
and has a sharp, salty taste. Feta dries out rapidly when removed from the
brine. Feta cheese is white, usually formed into square cakes, and can range
from soft to semi-hard, with a tangy, salty flavor that can range from mild to
sharp. It has been and still remains a significant part of Greek diet and its
name is often connected with the Greek history and tradition.
Fettuccine - Flat narrow pasta noodles
less than wide and a bit thicker than tagliatelle.
Ficelle - The French word for string. This
is a term used in cooking to describe foods that have been tied to a string
and cooked in a broth. This was a practice in villages when a communal pot was
used to cook food. The string was used in order to allow the owners to
identify and recover their piece of meat. This is generally applied to tough
cuts of meat that require long periods of cooking. Yet, some restaurants are
using the term to describe a more tender cut of meat that is poached in a rich
broth. Beef filet and duck breasts are two good choices for this type of
preparation.
Filet Mignon - The term "filet mignon" is
a French derivative, the literal meaning is small (mignon) bone-less meat
(filet). Cut from the small end of the beef tenderloin. Filet Mignon or
Tenderloin Steak is a cut of mea that is considered the king of steaks because
of its tender, melt in the mouth texture. It comes from the small end of the
tenderloin (called the short loin), which is found on the back rib cage of the
animal. Because this area of the animal is not weight-bearing, the connective
tissue is not toughened by exercise resulting in extremely tender meat. Filet
mignon slices found in the market are generally one to two inches thick and
two to three inches in diameter, but true mignons are no more than one inch in
diameter and are taken from the tail end.
Financier - A small cake or cookie that is
made with ground nuts and whipped egg whites. These are soft like sponge cake,
and have a rich flavor of nuts.
Fines Herbes - A mixture of chopped fresh
herbs consisting of tarragon, parsley, chervil and chives. Dried herbs may
also be used, but their delicacy is lost.
Fish Sauce - A pungent, salty liquid made
from fresh anchovies that is essential in Thai cooking.
Five Spice Powder - A dry spice mix used
in Chinese cooking consisting of cinnamon, star anise, pepper, clove, and
fennel.
Flan - This is a term that may be used to
describe two different preparations. The first use of this word is describes
an open top tart that is filled with pastry cream and topped with fruit. Flan
is used in Spanish and Mexican cooking to describe an egg custard that is
baked in a large shallow dish, and flavored with caramel. The dish is inverted
when served and the excess caramel is used as a sauce for the flan. The flan
may be flavored with orange, anise, cinnamon, or liqueur.
Fleuron - A small crescent shaped pastry
made of puff dough that is used to garnish fish dishes and soups.
Florentine - This is used to describe
foods that are cooked in the style of Florence. The word is most commonly
associated with dishes containing spinach and sometimes a cream sauce. Steak
cooked ala Florentine is a large T-bone steak, rubbed with olive oil and
garlic, grilled and served with fresh lemon on the side.
Flour - This is the finely ground grain of
wheat, corn, rice, oat, rye, or barley. Unless specified, this term refers to
wheat flour. Flour is milled from a variety of wheats containing different
amounts of protein. The different levels of protein give each flour unique
qualities. All-purpose flour is the most commonly used, especially by the
domestic market. This flour is milled from both hard and soft wheats, giving
it the strength needed in bread baking, but leaving it tender enough for cakes
and pastries. Bread flour has a higher protein content so that it may
withstand the constant expansion of the cell walls during proofing and baking.
Cake flour is milled from soft wheat, thus containing a very low protein
content and preventing the development of gluten. Pastry flour is of
relatively low protein content, containing just enough to help stabilize the
products during leavening. Whole wheat flours are milled from the whole
kernel, thus giving it a higher fiber content and a substantial protein
content. Semolina is milled from hard durum wheat, being used mainly for
commercial baking and pasta production.
Focaccio - An Italian flatbread made with
pizza or bread dough, that can be baked plain or topped with onions, zucchini,
eggplant, cheese, or whatever you choose.
Foie Gras - This literally means goose
liver, but the term is used to describe the fattened liver of both duck and
geese. The birds are force fed a rich mixture to help expedite this process.
These livers are praised for their delicate flavor and rich, buttery texture.
The largest production of commercial foie gras is done in France and Israel.
The US will only allow this product to be imported in a cooked stage, either
canned, vacuum-sealed, or frozen. These are inferior products and will never
highlight the true delicacy of foie gras. But fresh foie gras is now available
from breeders in the US. These foie gras are very fine specimens, but a very
high price goes along with them. Foie gras is prepared in a vast number of
ways, though one should remember to keep these as simple as possible to avoid
masking the flavor of this treasure.
Fondant - This is an icing made of sugar
syrup and glucose, which is cooked to a specific temperature and then kneaded
to a smooth, soft paste. This paste can then be colored or flavored and used
as an icing for cakes and petit fours.
Fondue - There are several different types
of fondue, the most notable of which is cheese fondue. This is a Swiss
specialty in which cheese is melted with wine, eggs, and seasonings and served
with bread and fresh vegetables. Fondue Bourguignonne is a pot of hot oil into
which the diners will cook strips of meat and dip them into an array of sauces
on the table. Similar to this is fondue Chinois where the hot oil is replaced
by a rich chicken or meat broth. The meat, and fish too, are then cooked in
this stock and dipped in sauces. The Japanese have a dish called shabu shabu,
which is similar to this type of fondue. Named for the swishing sound that the
meat makes in the broth, this dish is also served with vegetables and noodles
in to be eaten along with the meat. A chocolate fondue is a chocolate bath,
flavored with liqueur and eaten with bread and fruit, like fresh berries.
These are all dishes eaten as much for their social qualities as their
culinary grandeur. Their popularity in the US has diminished over the last 15
years, only being seen in ski resorts and at private dinner parties.
Fonduta - An Italian style fondue made of
Fontina cheese and served over toast or polenta. Exceptional with truffles.
Forcemeat - Ground meat or meats, mixed
with seasonings used for stuffing.
Fougasse - A flatbread from France that
was once served sweetened with sugar and orange water. It is now more commonly
seen as a bread eaten with savory dishes. In this case, the dough is brushed
with olive oil and sprinkled with herbs or salt before baking.
Foyot - This is a variation of a bearnaise
sauce with the addition of a well reduced meat glaze.
Frangipane - A pastry cream made of
butter, eggs, flour, and finely ground almonds or macaroons. Modern versions
will use a combination of cornstarch and flour. The nuts must be very finely
ground for this to be successful. This type of raw cream is baked in the
pastry shell or crepe. Frangipane is also the name for a type of panada used
in making forcemeats.
Frappe - (from the French frappe) A simple
sugar syrup mixed with fruit or other flavorings and frozen, then processed to
a slightly slushy consistency. It can be served as a drink or a dessert.
French fry/fries – In English, “to french,”
means to cut into lengthwise pieces. French Fries are short for “frenched and
fried potatoes.” The English call them 'chips', a word which has a similar
meaning (a chipped piece of wood). They are known as pommes de terre in French
and fritures or frietkoets in Belgium. Belgians enjoyed their fries served in
a paper cone with fries and a beer: The list of different names is as varied
as the countries that enjoy them.
Fricassee - A stew prepared without the
initial browning of the meat. Though chicken is the most common form of this
type of stew, fish, vegetables, and other meats are prepared in this manner.
Frittata - An Italian open-faced omelet.
Fritter - Food that has been dipped in
batter and deep fried or saut‚ed. These may consist of vegetables, meat, fish,
shellfish, or fruit. The food may be dipped in the batter or mixed with the
batter and dropped into the hot fat to form little balls. Japanese tempura
fried foods are a type of fritter, though this term is not applied to it.
Fritto Misto - An Italian mixed fried
platter, similar to the Japanese tempura platter. A mixture of vegetables,
meat, and fish are dipped in a light batter and quickly deep fried to prevent
a saturation of grease into the food.
Froid - (French) Cold.
Fromage - French for cheese.
Fromage blanc - Also called fromage frais.
In French it literally translates as "white cheese" and that's what it is. It
is a simple cheese made with milk and a culture. The technique is identical to
making yogurt. The texture of fromage blanc depends on how long, or if, you
drain the cheese after the culture incubates in the milk. Some people know it
as a runny cheese that has a texture similar to that of yogurt. In France is
sold next to yogurt in French grocery stores, and like yogurt, it is often
flavored with fruit.
Fromage bleu - Also called bleu cheese.
Fruit Pectin - A substance found naturally
in fruits such as apples, quince, and all citrus fruits. Pectins ability to
gel liquids makes it a key ingredient in jelly and jam making. You can
purchase pectin in powder or liquid form, or use high pectin fruits in the
recipe.
Fugu - Japanese for swellfish; globefish;
blowfish; ballonfish; puffer. Fugu is caught in winter only, and it is eaten
as chiri-nabe (hotpot) or fugu-sashi (raw fugu, sliced paper-thin). Only
licensed fugu chefs are allowed to prepare this fish in Japan, since it
contains a deadly poison.
Fumet - An aromatic broth made for use in
soups and sauces. The flavor of a fumet is usually concentrated on one item,
though multiple ingredients may be used. The stock is then reduced to
concentrate this flavor. Fish and vegetable broths are more commonly called
fumets, but meat may also be used.
Fusilli - Spiral shaped pasta. Some
versions are shaped like a spring. Other versions are shaped like a twisted
spiral.
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