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Food Glossary
Did you know ...
... that "Street Food" is not eaten straight from the tarmac and "Grab & Go" has no indecent connotations? In the international food business various new specialist expressions have arisen over recent years. Don't panic, if you feel you've been left behind. Here is our glossary giving you an overview of the most essential terms:
Theme: Glossary Indian Food
Fenugreek
Fenugreek seeds lend Indian dishes an exotic aroma and are an essential component of curry. The seeds have been proven to lead to a reduction in blood sugar and LDL cholesterol
Bombay Duck:
The Bombay Duck or the bummalo is, despite its name, a fish. It is native to the waters between Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Kachchh in the Arabian Sea. The tenderness of the fish is particularly prized among connoisseurs of Indian cuisine. Freshly caught, the fish tastes best in a batter of beaten egg, in its dried form the fish is generally contained in curry.
Curry:
A seasoning mix from the Indian kitchen containing between six and 15 tropical spices The palette extends from pepper to ginger and from coriander to nutmeg blossom. It always features curcuma – turmeric - which lends the curry its yellow colouring. It is used for Asian dishes, rice dishes, fish, poultry and different sauces.
Chutney
Chutney is a spicy, often sweet-and-sour sometimes only sharply-zesty sauce used in Indian cuisine. The sauce has the consistency of paste. In India many chutneys are prepared freshly for each meal, lending an additional taste component to the generally very hot curries. Chutney is made of vegetables or fruit. Chutneys go very well with fried meat, fish, cold cuts and cheese.
Dal Bati Churma:
There is hardly a meal in India which does not feature pulses. Lentils, peas and beans are summed up under the heading dal and are generally served peeled and halved. The term dal also stands for a specific dish – thin stews made of pulse vegetables.
Garam Masala:
In every region of India there are new recipes for the traditional blend of spices. Classic blends feature cloves, cinnamon and green cardamom as well as bay leaves, occasionally complemented by cumin, coriander seed, black pepper, nutmeg and many other spices. Ready-prepared garam masala is available in most Asian shops.
Ghee: Ghee (clarified butter) keeps very well when refrigerated and can be heated up to very high temperatures without burning. Suitable for cooking, frying, steaming (retains the vitamins) and deep- frying. Can also be used for frying spices and seasoning finished dishes such as vegetables, rice or cereals.
Gram Flour or Besan: Chickpea flour is used as a binding agent in Indian cookery, for example for onion bhajis and pakoras. It makes fried food crisp, without absorbing too much fat.
Jivitri: The dried nutmeg blossom which sheathes the nut is honey-yellow in colour. Its light sweetish aroma makes it more interesting as a spice than normal nutmeg.
Kadhai: The deep cast-iron pan with handles on both sides has a curved base like a Chinese wok.
Kala Namak: In contrast to sea salt, this is a mineral salt which is mined underground. It is also known as "stone salt" or "black salt". It has a taste of its own and is added as seasoning to chutneys, raitas and many other tasty Indian dishes.
Cumin, is a spice made of the fried and ground fruit of an Asian flowering plant of the Apiaceae family. Frequently found in Garam masala and in curry powder.
Curcuma is among the ginger plants and is found mainly in East Asia, South-East Asia and Australia. It has a piquant, slightly bitter hotness with an unmistakable flavour of its own. The ginger plant curcuma is the yellow component in curry. Curry is a blend of spices which Indians refer to as masala. It has an antibacterial and antiinflammatory effect and promotes digestion.
Mango Chutney originated in India (chatni = spice jam). It is a sweet-and-sour sauce with a consistency reminiscent of paste. Mango chutney is made of fresh mangos boiled like jam, but contains whole pieces of fruit and vegetables. Many spices such as pepper, salt, curcuma, cumin and coriander round off the flavour. In India, mango chutney is served, for example, with hot curries. It is prepared fresh for each meal. There is also a mango chutney prepared cold, in which the ingredients are simply pureed.
Okra: The green hexagonal pods are low in calories and rich in vitamin C and E.
Paneer: A mild cream cheese which is easy to make: Paneer has a very neutral taste and is suitable for sweet dishes and as well as savories such as palak paneer, a dish of spinach with cream cheese.
Pappadums: Thin wafers made of lentil flour, available commercially, ready made, with a natural flavour or seasoned with chilies, cumin or pepper. However, they often still have to be baked or fried. They are eaten crisp with sauces and chutneys.
Raita or pachadi is an Asian condiment, refined with yoghurt (dahi) and served as a dip or sauce. Yoghurt is mixed with cilantro, cumin, mint, cayenne pepper and other herbs and spices. Raita is served chilled and no Indian plate is complete without it.
Tamarinds, also known as "dates from India", are 5-20cm long, finger thick, grey-brown to cinnamon in colour and slightly curved. The brown to blackish-brown pulp is embedded in dark 10 mm long seeds beneath the breakable shell. The tamarind paste made from it is as widely used in India as lemon juice here.
Tandoori Masala: Is mixed with yoghurt for marinating meat or vegetables and is also the flavour-provider for one of the Indian dishes, Tandoori chicken. Tandoori Masala is low in calories and aids digestion.
Tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven which originated in the Punjab region, in Northern India and in Pakistan. Food is cooked over a hot charcoal fire, which can reach temperatures of up to 480°C.
The tandoor is a central fixture in many Indian restaurants. Dishes cooked in a tandoor remain juicy and the meat takes on the special earthy flavour.
Modern-day tandoors use electricity or gas instead of the charcoal.
Available in Europe from Funfood Haase GmbH, www.funfood.de.
Story 1:
History of the Viennese Schnitzel
At its cradle stood the Byzantine Emperor at whose banqueting table particularly delicate pieces of meat were served with a coating of gold leaf. A gesture of pomp and ceremony which was quickly adopted by the bourgeoisie, just that the tender meat was not covered in expensive gold leaf but rather in with a golden-colored breadcrumb coating invented to replace it by clever chefs.
Golden-yellow
Even today, the "golden-yellow" color is one of the most important characteristics of the Viennese schnitzel which, in fact, only made its way to Vienna in the middle of the 19th century. Up to then, "cotoletto milanese" was a specialty from Milan where it is said to have been discovered by the legendary military commander Radetzky, who considered it a delicacy and imported it into his own homeland.
Interestingly, before the golden yellow delicacy could establish itself in Vienna, it first became popular in the Austrian wine-growing regions where it graced the peasant wedding breakfast as "golden schnitzel". The term "Viennese schnitzel" made its first appearance in the cookery literature after 1900.
Story 2:
History of the Schnitzel
Up to 1514 the schnitzel was "coated" with real gold.
The precursors of the breaded schnitzels can be traced back to the ninth century. At the banqueting table of the Byzantine Emperor Basileus, particularly delicate pieces of meat were coated in leaf gold. In this way, and to honor the Emperor, he was presented with "golden meat". Later, the aristocracy and the rich adopted this pompous gesture, until it was prohibited in 1514. However, because gold has always been expensive and coveted, inventive citizens replaced the leaf gold with a golden-yellow coating of breadcrumbs.
The Arabs brought the schnitzel to Italy.
This custom quickly spread and was introduced to North Africa, Southern Europe and gradually further north by Byzantine Jews, Arabian traders and other culture bearers. In the wealthy city of Milan this manner of preparing the dish proved the prestige of the host.
Only in the middle of the 19th century was the Milan specialty, the "Cotoletta Milanese“ brought to Vienna, it is claimed by the legendary commander and connoisseur Radetzky. There it quickly advanced to a dish for the peasant wedding breakfast. Interestingly, the breaded schnitzel was initially popular in Austria as a dish eaten between meals or as a midnight snack. Not until 1900 does the term "Viennese Schnitzel" begin to appear in the cookery books.
The method of pounding the schnitzel originated in the Slovakian military. As meat was in short supply, it was pounded to make the pieces as large and thin as possible, so that every soldier would at least get some of the rations.
What is the lemon doing on the schnitzel?
The custom of serving a piece of lemon on the schnitzel also dates back to this time of privations. As fridges had not yet been invented, the lemon helped mask the taste of rancid fat and meat which had gone off slightly.
Later this custom was retained, as fresh lemon juice made the frying fat more digestible – and because it tastes great.
Convenience Guide
„Basics“:
All items used as "basics" to take fillings or toppings for trendy meals, snacks or hand-held foods - such as tortillas, pitta bread, flat bread, ciabatta, pizza bases, baguettes, etc.
"Convenience Food":
Industrially pre-made food which makes cooking easier.
„Eat on the move“:
Food which people enjoy while on the move, on a take-away basis. This includes sandwiches, spicy sausages, chips, pizza triangles, finger food, etc.
"Ethno Food":
Meals based various ethnic cuisines and traditions, e.g. Asian or Mexican, with a certain typical ethnic touch.
"Fast Food":
Preparation, service and eating practically all at once, often consumed standing or on the move.
"Finger Food":
A growing trend, which is heading in all ethnic directions - including Spanish tapas, American appetizers, or Asiatic dim sum. These small snacks are characterised by the fact that they are consumed in two or three bites direct from the fingers.
„Food to go“:
All kinds of ready-prepared meals - whole menus or constituent parts of menus, but also including snacks and salads - to take away and eat at home or in the office. Providers include restaurants, bakeries, butchers, snack bars, etc.
"Functional Food":
Foods with health-giving content, e.g. vitamins, which offer added beneficial effects.
"Fun Food" und "Fancy Food":
When the chef or food designer gives full rein to his or her creativity when preparing food.
"Fusion Food":
(French cuisine: éclectiquu): Combinations of Far-East, Mediterranean, Mexican or French cuisine with one another with the help of traditional preparation methods.
„Grab & go“:
A concept describing sandwich shops without seating facilities or tables where customers serve themselves with ready-made meals, salads, sandwiches or deserts and take them away to eat cold or hot at home or in the office.
"Hand Held-Food":
A catch-all term for all basics and toppings which can be put together to make hand-held snacks.
„Hand Held Snack“:
A generic term for snack which can be eaten straight from the hands without crockery or cutlery, e.g. pizza triangles, wraps, pitta pockets, etc.
"Instincto Food":
Raw food which is evaluated by smell and instinctively selected to suit specific bodily needs.
"Junk Food":
Fatty, sweets food without great nutritional value.
"Nonfood":
Everything inedible. In the catering trade, e.g. cutlery, cleaning materials, etc.
"Novel Food":
New food varieties which contain ingredients which are either hitherto unknown in our cuisines or are not produced using conventional methods.
"Slow Food":
Producers and restaurants who have formed a European association in resistance to the fast food trend.
„Spread“:
A bread or sandwich filling made up of several components mixed together. In contrast to butter or margarine, a spread has its own distinctive taste and usually coarse grained or contains pieces. It can be made by consumers themselves, for instance by combining Mango Dip with yoghurt. An excellent vehicle for conveying ethnic flavours.
„Street Food“:
A modern trend word for a small, usually hot, meal bought at snack kiosks and then eaten outside or during the lunch break, e.g. on a park bench. It is a small "all-in-one-menu", served in a practical container. A popular version at present is Asiatic noodle-based snacks.
„Toppings“:
These are the creative "heart" or "topping" for such basic as pitta products, wraps, pizzas, etc. Delicious examples from SALOMON® are the chicken, beef, vegetarian and sauce toppings from the SALOMON® Creative System for Hand-Held Snacks.
„Quick Casual Dining (also known in the trade as "Fast Casual Dining)“:
The premium end of fast-food catering, developed from the successful concepts of "Quick Service Restaurants" (Burger King, Mc Donald's, etc.) and the "Casual Dining Restaurants" (Applebee's, Chilis, Olive Garden, etc.). With Quick Casual Dining, customers order their meal at the counter, the meal is then prepared fresh for the diner who fetches it from the counter to enjoy it on the premises in an appropriate restaurant atmosphere. The best-known example is the American chain "Panera Bread".
TexMexologie
Avocado:
Used puréed for guacamole dips. Easily discoloured - this can be prevented with lime and avocado oil.
Blue Corn/Blue Corn Tortillas:
Tortillas made with blue-coloured maize (natural colour!). A particularly tasty and expensive maize variety - considered chic in the USA.
Burrito:
A filled wheat tortilla, steamed. Fillings: meat/poultry, vegetables, salad.
Chilli:
The name for a dish consisting of beans, beef or minced beef, chilli sauce - a classic.
Chimichanga:
Similar to a burrito, a large wheat flat bread filled with meat/poultry, vegetables or salad, fried.
Cilantro, fresh coriander:
An important seasoning of the Southern Kitchen.
Corn Tortilla:
A flat bread made of maize or maize meal. Diameter up to max. 15 cm. For tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, nachos.
Empanada:
Fried dough cases typical of South American cuisine (Argentina/Columbia). Often falsely attributed to TexMex cuisine.
Enchilada:
A dish made from maize tortillas, marinaded, filled, rolled a topped with melted cheese.
Fajita:
A popular TexMex dish: meat, cut into strips, is roast or fried, seasoned and served in a hot pan, with side dishes to fill a wheat tortilla of approx. 15 cm.
Flauta:
A tortilla filled, rolled tight, then fried.
Flour Tortilla:
A type of flat bread made with wheat flour, size approx. 15 cm (fajitas) or 25-30 cm (burrito, chimichanga).
Guacamole:
A preparation of avocado purée.
Jalapenos:
Mexican chilli peppers, 5-8 cm long, medium-hot, the chilli most widely used in the USA for Mexican cookery.
Lime:
A lemon-like citrus fruit, very full-flavoured.
Nacho:
Tortilla chips, cut from maize tortillas. Fried nacho quarters are used for meals, smaller pieces as nibbles.
Quesadilla:
A maize tortilla filled with cheese and fried.
Refried Beans:
A preparation made from pinto beans: boiled, puréed with added fat or vegetable oil, and mixed with the other ingredients in preparing meals.
Salsa:
Literally: Sauce. The tasty, spicy, usually vegetable-based sauces of the TexMex cuisine. A classic is the tomato-based red salsa (also called Salsa Cruda), and the tomatillo-based green salsa. An essential ingredient is fresh coriander.
Taco:
Soft steamed or crunchy baked/fried maize tortillas (fried in a V shape), filled with poultry or minced beef and vegetables/salsa plus salad, a Mexican fast-food-classic!
Taco Beef:
Minced beef, ready-cooked, seasoned, for scattering and use in taco-shell fillings and as a topping for cheese-topped nacho dishes.
Tapa:
In Mexico: a soft tortilla, filled, folded and lightly baked, similar to chimichanga.
Tomatillos:
Light-green or yellowish vegetable type of the gooseberry family. Botanically speaking not related to the tomato, but used in a similar way. Often used in green salsa. Difficult to obtain in Germany. Tinned tomatillos are not recommended.
Tortilla:
Literally: a small cake (Spanish: torta). Mexican bread, thin and flat, made from maize or wheat flour, used in TexMex cuisine as a plate, shell or envelope for numerous dishes.
Tostada:
Flat maize tortillas, fried in special baskets, which form the basis for various dishes.
American Glossary
Appetizer:
Starters and small snacks, usually offered in the form of finger food.
Baging Scoop:
A measured scoop for fries, used to ensure even portions.
Beer On Tap:
Draught beer.
Broiler:
For roasting and grilling (burgers).
Club Steak:
Fillet steak.
Cole Slaw:
Cabbage-based salad, almost always served with burgers and fries.
Diner:
1950s-style restaurant, characterised by chrome and neon and a long counter, behind which the food is prepared.
Event:
Any organised event, often used as an attraction in themed gastronomy.
Free Refill:
Unlimited refills; often refers to a cup of coffee.
Griddle:
A large frying plate, at the heart of US cookery. Provides an even temperature and is easy to keep clean.
Movie bar:
Restaurant or pub with a cinema theme, characterised by expensive fixture and fittings and special attractions such as open-air cinema or star guests.
Nightcap:
A bed-time drink or last order..
Onion Bloomer:
A device for slicing large onions to form a "flower" shape.
Oz:
Abbreviation for ounce; 1 ounce=28.35 g.
Pitcher:
An open glass jug for drinks, mainly beer, used to pour into glasses at the table.
Service:
In the USA defined by terms such as open, helpful and friendly.
Side orders:
Individual side dishes.
Sports bar:
Restaurant or pub with a number of TV screens and sport- related decor.
Steamer:
Steam cooker for system catering.
Toppings:
Sauces, for example sour cream on fried potatoes. | 
