Food Glossary Flashcards
Semolina
sem-uh-lee-nuh
Semolina is a type of durum wheat used for pasta making and other applications where high gluten is needed. Gluten, a protein found in cereal grains, is what gives pasta its chew or texture when you bite into the noodle.
Prosciutto
proh-shoo-toh
Prosciutto is an Italian ham cured by drying and typically served in very thin slices.
Guanciale
wahn-chall-eh
Guanciale is an Italian cured meat product prepared from pork jowl or cheeks. Its name is derived from guancia, the Italian word for ‘cheek’.
Prosciutto Cotto
proh-shoo-toh k-oh-t-oh
Prosciutto Cotto or “cooked ham” is bright pink in color and lighter in flavor than its crudo cousin.
Allium
AL-lee-um
All onions, garlic, shallots, chives, green onions
Nightshade
nahyt-sheyd
tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant
Legume
le-gyoom
beans, peanuts, peas, etc.
Aioli
ahy-oh-lee
a flavored sauce made of garlic, salt, mayo, and olive oil
Crudo
kroo-doh
a dish of raw fish or seafood, typically dressed with oil, citrus juice, and seasonings
Hamachi
ha-mah-chi
the Japanese name for Pacific yellowtail, especially when used in sushi and sashimi.
Sumac
soo-mak
a shrub or small tree of the cashew family, with compound leaves, fruits in conical clusters, and bright autumn colors.
Bomba Sauce
Bomb-ba saws
Bomba is a traditional sauce from Calabria, Italy. Our sauce is made from eggplant, garlic, calabrian chili, red wine vinegar, fennel pollen and olive oil
Mignonette
min-yuh-net
a condiment usually made with minced shallots, cracked pepper, and vinegar. It is traditionally served with raw oysters.
Puccia Bread
poo-chi-uh bred
traditional bread baked on an open fire from Puglia, Italy. Ours is made using our long-fermented pizza dough in the pizza oven.
Crudites
crew-da-tay
assorted raw vegetables served as an hors d’oeuvre, typically with a sauce into which they may be dipped.
Pomodoro
Pom-uh-door-oh
freshly made tomato sauce
Marcona Almonds
mar-cone-uh all-monds
a type of sweet, gourmet almond from Spain that is very popular in Mediterranean countries.
Capers
kay-purs
Capers are the pickled flower buds of a thorny, trailing shrub that grows like a weed all over the Mediterranean. It’s a stubborn, ornery plant, difficult to cultivate, with a preference for dry, stony places. You’ll find it growing from rocky cracks and crevices and climbing stone walls, like a Mediterranean ailanthus.
Cacio e Pepe
kach-e-oh pep-ay
a pasta dish from the cuisine of the city of Rome. Cacio e pepe means “cheese and pepper” in several central Italian dialects.
Vongole
von-goal-ay
denoting pasta served with clams and a light sauce of olive oil, garlic, and sometimes tomatoes.
Frisee
friz-zay
a type of chicory that has exploded onto gourmet plates. The exotic plant resembles a lettuce gone horribly awry, with a pale green explosion of frizzy leaves that adds a frisky note to green salads.
Endive
en-dive
an edible Mediterranean plant whose bitter leaves may be blanched and used in salads.
Pepperoncini
pep-per-on-chi-knee
Pepperoncini are known as fairly mild peppers. The Italian word “pepperoncini” is the plural form of “pepperoncino.” In Italy, it actually refers to the hotter varieties of chili peppers generically known as “pepperone.”
Branzino
bruhn-zee-no
mild white fish popular in Italian cuisine and usually roasted whole and served with lemon. Also called European bass.
Micro Marigolds
mahy-kroh mar-ee-golds
small yellow, orange and/or dark orange blossoms on green stems. They have a citrusy, minty herb flavor that works well in salads and as an edible garnish on some dishes.
Burrata
boo-rah-tuh
an Italian cow milk cheese (occasionally buffalo milk) made from mozzarella and cream. The outer casing is solid cheese, while the inside contains stracciatella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is typical of Apulia.
Diavola
dee-uh-vohl-uh
a spicy tomato sauce for pasta or seafood, made with crushed red pepper, garlic, and fresh herbs like parsley and basil. The sauce is made by sauteing chopped onions in olive oil, then adding tomatoes (canned or fresh), crushed red pepper and garlic. Some recipes add white wine.
Dorade
do-rod
Found mainly in the Mediterranean Sea, dorade is a medium-small fish with silver skin and white flesh that imparts a rich, meaty flavor when grilled, baked, or braised. While dorade hails from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, overfishing has caused a short supply of wild fish, so now there are various farms around the world that raise it.
Porcini
por-che-knee
oletus edulis, the scientific name for the porcini mushroom, is a great gift to humanity. It is a rich, heady, meaty mushroom that is amazingly versatile, delicate enough to give grace to an elegant stew or sauce, and yet vigorous enough to stand up to something as flavorful as a thick grilled steak.
Farro
fahr-oh
an ethnobotanical term for three species of hulled wheat: spelt (Triticum spelta), emmer (Triticum dicoccum), and einkorn (Triticum monococcum). Hulled wheat is wheat that cannot be threshed. In Italian cuisine, the three species are sometimes distinguished as farro grande, farro medio, and farro piccolo.
Sorrel
soar-ehl
a leafy herb that grows low to the ground with slender stems. It has bright lime-green leaves with dark maroon stems and veins that run the entirety of the leaf. Red sorrel leaves are shaped like an arrow with slightly curled edges.
Shishito Peppers
shi-she-to pep-per
is a mildly spicy, East Asian pepper variety of the species Capsicum annuum. It is known as kkwari-gochu ( 꽈리고추; “ground cherry pepper”) in Korea because its wrinkled surface resembles ground cherries.
Tarragon
tayr-ah-gon
also known as estragon, is a species of perennial herb in the sunflower family. It is widespread in the wild across much of Eurasia and North America , and is cultivated for culinary and medicinal purposes.
Fior Di Latte
fee-yor dee lah-tay
translates to “milk flower”. A typical product of the dairy heritage of Southern Italy, the fior di latte is spheroidal in shape, weighing between 20 and 250 grams: it has no rind and is covered with a thin, smooth, shiny, milk-white film. The taste is slightly acidulous, the structure is fibrous and at the moment of cutting it releases a sort of milky liquid.
Panna Cotta
pan-nuh cot-tuh
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded. The cream may be aromatized with coffee, vanilla, or other flavorings.
Torta
tor-tuh
Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelets; in our case, cakes.
EVOO
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ladyfinger
lay-dee-fing-gur
a small finger-shaped sponge cake.
Salsa Rosa
sahl-suh row-zuh
Our salsa rosa is made from Calabrian chili, garlic, parsley, red wine vinegar, olive oil
Colatura
a rich ingredient mainly used to add a flavor boost to pasta and vegetables. This classic condiment is made much like its Southeast Asian counterpart, using only two ingredients—in this case, anchovies and salt. It’s popular in Italy as a finishing product on just about anything where you’d like to add a savory, umami kick.