Glossary M - P

Macadamia
A relatively expensive nut that is native to Australia. Its white kernel has a taste reminiscent of coconut.

Macaroon
A small biscuit or cake, crunchy outside and soft inside, amde with ground almonds, sugar and egg whites. Macaroons are sometimes flavoured with coffee, chocolate, nuts, fruit etc.

Macerate
To soak raw, dried or preserved fruit or vegetables in liquid (usually alcohol, liqueur, wine, brandy or sugar syrup) to soften or take away bitterness and so that they absorb the flavour of the liquid. Dried fruits for winter compotes are often treated this way.

Mackerel
A firm-fleshed oil-rich fish, usually sold whole. Can be grilled, fried, barbecued or poached. It also suits being pickled, marinated, salted and smoked.

Madeira
Madeira is a fortified wine that comes from the island of the same name. Drunk as as apéritif, espacially served chilled, but also used in cooking where it is similar to a dry sherry.

Madeleine
French scallop-shaped cake, made with sugar, flour, melted butter and eggs, often flavoured with lemon or almonds.

Maldon Salt
An exceptional sea salt which comes from the Maldon area of Essex. Sea salt is produced as the sea washes over rocks and then recedes with the tide, leaving pools of water. The sun evaporates the water and leaves the salt in the form of crystals that can be used in cooking or preserving, as whole crystal or ground.

Manchego
a Spanish cheese made from ewe's milk which originated in La Mancha. The cheese is very fatty and firm to the touch.

Mangosteen
A tropical fruit from south-east Asia, the mangosteen is the size of a small peach with a leathery skin which, when peeled away, reveals five sweetly scented white segments.

Maple syrup
The boiled-down sap of the maple tree, this syrup is very popular in the United States and Canada. It is expensive; cheaper varieties are made from a mixture of maple syrup mixed with cane syrup.

Margarine
There are many types available using different fats and with differing flavours and uses. Some are purely vegetable-based, containing no animal products at all, and are labelled dairy-free or vegan. Others contain a mixture of animal and vegetable fats. Some are designed for spreading, and others are hard and designed for baking. All margarine contains as mich fat as butter, but some are lower in cholesterol and saturated fats.

Marinate
To steep fish, meat or vegetables in a flavoured liquid (the marinade) usually containing oil, wine or lemon juice, herbs and spices, in order to tenderise and add flavour.

Marinière (à la)
A method of preparing shellfish or other seafood, especially mussels, by cooking them in white wine, usually with onions or shallots.

Marjoram
Also called sweet marjoram, wild marjoram. The leaves of any of these plants used as a seasoning.

Marsala
Dark sweet or semisweet dessert wine from Sicily

Marzipan
Thick paste made from ground almonds, sugar and egg whites that is used in making cakes and pastries, especially as a topping for Simnel cake or as a base for the icing on a Christmas or wedding cake. It can be coloured and flavoured and used to make petits fours. It can also be moulded into the shapes of fruits, vegetables etc.

Mascarpone
Thick, creamy, soft Italian cheese used in savoury and sweet dishes.

Mayonnaise
A thick, creamy, cold sauce made by beating oil and egg yolks, usuallly with some wine vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard. Used to dress salads or mixed with other ingredients.

Meringue
A very light sweet confection made from stiffly whipped egg whites and sugar. When baked it becomes hard on the surface but remains soft inside. Used to cover pies and tarts or on its own with fruit.

Mille-feuille
Pastry made of thin layers of puff pastry, whipped cream and jam or some other filling such as fresh fruit. Mille-feuilles are usually small rectangular pasteries but can also be made as large gâteaux. Literally means 'a thousand leaves'.

Mincemeat
A spicy preserve in English cookery that consists of a mixture of dried fruit, apple, suet, candied fruit and spices, steeped in rum or brandy. It is the traditional filling ofr individual mince pies, served warm at Christmas.

Minestrone
A thick Italian soupr containing a mixture of vegetables and pasta or rice.

Mint sauce
A thin sauce made from chopped mint, vinegar and sugar, traditionally served in England as an accompaniment to roast lamb.

Molasses
thick dark syrup produced by boiling down juice from sugar cane; especially during sugar refining.

Molasses
A thick, dark, heavy syrup that is a by-product of sugar refining. It is far less sweet than syrup or honey and the darker the molasses, the less sugar it contains.

Mornay sauce
A béchamel sauce enriched with egg yolks and flavoured with grated Gruyère cheese. It is used to coat dishes to be glazed under the grill or browned in the oven, including poached eggs, fish, shellfish, vegetables.

Mortadella
A large, lightlysmoked Italian sausage flavoured with myrtle berries and studded with pistachios or green olives.

Mortar
A vessel in which substances are crushed or ground with a pestle.

Moules marinière
Mussels prepared à la marinière, ie by cooking in white wine with chopped shallots, parsley, thyme and a bay leaf.

Moussaka
A dish from Greece, Turkey and the Balkans, made of layers of lamb, slices of aubergine, potatoes and onions and covered with white sauce and cheese.

Mousse
A name describing either a sweet or savoury dish which is light and creamy. Sweet versions are made with beaten egg whites, savoury mousses use gelatine.

Mozzarella
An Italian fresh or unripened cheese made from the milk of the water-buffalo and sold swimming in whey; fans often prefer its soft sponge-like texture and mild creamy flavour to the alternative cow's milk mozzarella which can ne more rubbery and less flavoursome.

Muscovado sugar
Unrefined or raw sugar, obtained from the juice of the sugar cane by evaporating and draining off the molasses. Muscovado sugar contains impurities which render it dark colored and moist.

Nachi or Asian pear
An exotic fruit that has the texture of a pear but the flavour of an apple, and is excellent in fruit salads.

Nam pla
This fish sauce is fundamental to Thai food. It is made with the liquid that comes from fermented anchovies and is very pungent.

Nasturtium
An annual flowering plant whose leaves and yellow/orange flowers are sometimes used as an ingredient or garnish in salads. The leaves have a good peppery bite. The flower buds and seeds, picked when soft and pickled in vinegar, can be used as a substitute for capers.

Navarin
French stew of lamb or mutton with potatoes and/or other vegetables, especailly young spring lamb and new vegetables.

Nibbed almonds
Skinned almonds cut into pieces about 2mm square and the length of the nut, shaped like nibs.

Noodles
The basic fast food of Asia, noodles come in a variety of types. Stock up with egg noodles, rice noodles, oil noodles and vermicelli.

Nori
Nori is an edible seaweed, dark green in colour and used in Japanese cooking for, among other things, wrapping sushi.

Nougat
A sweet substance made from sugar, almonds or other nuts and honey. Can be chewy or brittle

Offal
The internal organs and innards of an animal or fish, including brain, tongue, liver, kidney, tripe and heart.

Okra
Looking like a cross between a baby marrow and an haricot bean, okra - otherwise known as 'ladies' fingers - provides an adaptable vegetable base for almost anything.

Olive
Small oval fruit of the olive tree, widely cultivated in Mediterranean regions. Olives are harvested and preserved in oil or brine at various stages of development. The early olives are green, while the later, more mature olives are black. They taste very different, and black olives tend to have a more intense flavour. Available in a variety of guises: flavoured, stuffed, stoned, in oil or in brine, sliced or whole.

Olive Oil
Pressed from olives, a rich fruity oil used for frying (not deep-frying), marinades, dressings and baking. The oil from the first pressing is pure, pale greenish-yellow in colour and is much prized. The pulp is then pressed again to yeild more, darker oil. Extra virgin indicates the first press of the olives and is not suitable for cooking, though oil from subsequent pressings is. Olive oil has many health-promoting properties.

Ouzo
Greek spirit flavoured with aniseed. Like French pastis, it turns cloudy when water is added and should be served with iced water.

Oyster
A saltwater shellfish, invariably sold fresh. Can be steamed, grilled, poached or eaten raw.

Oyster mushrooms
An ear-like grey or greyish brown bracket fungus that grows in clumps or clusters. Oyster mushrooms have a subtle flavour and are often used in Oriental cookery.

Oyster sauce
Rich, thick and brown, this doesn't taste much of fish - it's made by cooking oysters in soya sauce.

Paella
A traditional Spanish dish of rice and saffron that usually includes tomatoes, chicken and seafood.

Pak choi
Also known as bok choi, this leafy green Chinese vegetable belongs to the cabbage family. It is best suited to brief stir-frying or steaming to keep its mild flavour.

Pancakes
Also known as crêpes. Thin, flat cakes made by shallow frying on both sides a thin layer of batter of flour, milk and eggs. Can be sweet or savoury, served by themselves or used to wrap other ingredients.

Pancetta
Cured belly pork used in Italian cookery, usually either in thin slices or thicker cubes. Its flavour is salty, sweet and slightly aniseed. Either dry fry in its own juices or fry in oil and then use to flavour the rest of the dish. It can be grilled until crisp and then crumbled over pasta, rice, salads and soups.

Panettone
A large round yeasted fruit cake from Italy, traditionally eaten at Christmas and Easter. It can be served as a dessert, accompanied by a sweet wine.

Papaya
Also known as pawpaw, papaya is used when green, as a vegetable rather than a fruit. Papaya salad is a Thai speciality.

Paprika
Milder that cayenne, paprika is the ground red powder of mild and hot peppers and is an important ingredient in Hungarian goulash and in Spanish sausages and salamis.

Parboil
To boil vegetables until half cooked. Used to part-cook potatoes and other hard root vegetables prior to roasting them at high temperature to ensure that the inside is cooked while the outside crisps up well.

Parmesan
Hard, grainy cow's milk cheese extensively used in Italian cuisine, often grated over dishes, as in spaghetti bolognese. Best grated just before use.

Parmesan
A hard, sharp, dry Italian cheese made from skim milk and usually served grated as a garnish.

Parsley
Herb used as flavouring and garnish or eaten as a vegetable. Available as curly or flat-leafed varieties.

Pashka
A traditional Russian dessert for celebrating Easter. Made from curd cheese, cream, almonds, chocolate and dried fruit.

Passata
A smooth tomato sauce that you can buy in bottles or packets, with or without herbs.

Pasta
A dough made from durum-wheat semolina, water and often eggs which is kneaded and cut into a wide variety of shapes. Eaten with sauces, stuffed, or added to soups for bulk. Bought fresh or dried, it is used in dishes from Italy to China.

Pâté
Literally, a pâté is a French pie, but the word is now most often taken to mean a rich paste made of liver and other meats.

Patty pan
Small, circular, green or yellow courgette with fluted edges.

Peanut
Also known as a groundnut. This edible nut is the seed of a member of the pea family, not a tru nut. The Pods mature underground and each contain 2-4 seeds. Peanuts can be roasted, salted and eaten whole or used in cooked dishes. Peanut or groundnut oil is widely used in cooking and margarine manufacture.

Peanuts
Don't think of eating satay without peanut sauce, but take care with the salt when using salted peanuts. Use ground peanuts as a garnish too.

Pecan
A North American nut related to the walnut, high in vitamins and minerals. Widely used in sweets, especially pecan pie, but can be used in savoury dishes.

Penne
Pasta tubes shaped like quills.

Périgeux
Périgeux sauce is a demi-glace sauce made with the addition of finely diced or chopped truffles. It is served with small cuts of meat, poultry or game.

Perry
An alcoholic drink, similar to cider, made from a varieties of perry pears; the single variety perry is still and made by artisan producers who may be hard to find, but sparkling perry is readily available in supermarkets.

Pestle
A club-shaped, hand-held tool for grinding or mashing substances in a mortar.

Petit four
A small fancy biscuit or cake often served at the end of a meal.

Pilchard
Pilchards are an oil-rich fish. Sardines, which are baby pilchards, are sold whole, fresh or frozen while pilchards are mainly processed and canned.

Pine nut
Or pine kernel. The small edible seed of the stone pine which grows in the Mediterranean region. Pine nuts are rich in protein and oily - so they tend to go rancid quite quickly. Used in savoury dishes, especially vegetarian ones.

Pistachio
Nuts that have a distinctive open shell, allowing them to be roasted and salted whole. Eaten as a snack or used for cooking. Pistachios go best with veal, port and poultry. The green colour makes it very popular for creams and ice-creams.

Pita bread
A Middle Eastern flat bread which can be opened up to form a pocket which can be stuffed with a variety of fillings.

Plaice
Orange-spotted flat sea fish available whole or in fillets. Can be grilled, fried or poached.

Polenta
A cornmeal porridge that is the traditional basic dish of northern Italy. Polenta can be eaten fresh or, when set, cooked in a variety of ways.

Praline
A sweet made of almonds and sugar invented for the French Comte du Plessis- Praslin by his cook in the 1600s.

Puff pastry
A very light pastry made in layers that expand when cooked, leaving large air pockets inside. Used for sweet or savoury dishes.

Purée
Used to describe either the act of making a smooth sauce or paste from various ingredients or the final result.