Glossary Q - T

Quenelle
A round oval dumpling of pounded, seasoned meat or fish usually poached in stock, eg chicken, salmon or pike quenelles.

Quiche
An open flan or tart with a savoury filling usuallly of egg and milk with other ingredients added to taste. Originally from Lorraine, the quiche has become a classic of French cuisine.

Quince
When fully ripe, the quince has a wonderful perfume. It belongs to the apple family with much the same shape as an apple but a furry skin. Quince should not be eaten raw because it is very hard and bitter but it makes excellent preserves, especially marmalade.

Quinoa
Dating back to the Incas, this grain is still grown in Bolivia and Peru. It is regarded as a 'superfood' as it is extremely rich in complete protein, so is excellent for vegetarians. The small round grains look similar to millet but are pale brown in colour. The taste is mild, and the texture form and slightly chewy. It can be cooked like millet and absorbs twice its volume in liquid. When cooked, the grains sweeten and become translucent, ringed with white. Try as a porridge, served hot with cream, dried fruit and brown sugar.

Radicchio
A crisp variety of chicory with a bitter, peppery taste. Radicchio has small hearts, red with white veins, and is generally used in salads mixed with other salad leaves.

Ragout
A French stew of meat, poultry or fish. The term is also used to describe a sauce.

Raised pie
A pork, ham or game pie that is made with hot water crust pastry.

Rambutan
A relation of the lychee, this exotic fruit has a brown leathery skin with soft spines and a white, translucent flesh that resembles the lychee in taste and texture.

Ramekins
A small dish used for baking and serving.

Ratafia biscuits
Light biscuits made with almond essence, very similar to the Italian amaretti biscuit. Used in trifles or crumbed into puddings.

Ratatouille
Vegetable stew trypical of Provençal cookery, made from aubergines, courgettes, sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic simmered in olive oil with herbs.

Ravioli
Small, square pasta cases that are stuffed with meat, cheese or vegetables and cooked in water and served with tomato sauce and grated cheese.

Reduce
To evaporate by fast boiling a flavoured liquid, such as a sauce or syrup, in order to concentrate the flavour or to thicken it.

Reform sauce
An English sauce based on poivrade sauce which contains shallots, red wine, herbs and vinegar, reform sauce has the rich combination of port, gherkins, tongue, mushrooms and hard-boiled egg whites, and is best served with either lamb or game.

Relax
Term used to describe 'resting' pastry after rolling out to prevent shrinkage.

Rice flour
Rice flour can be used to thicken soups and stews, as well as providing an alternative to wheat flour in cakes and biscuits.

Rice vinegar
Wine vinegar made from rice wine used in oriental cookery.

Ricotta
An Italian's ewe's milk curd cheese that when unripened is creamy soft and smooth. It can be eaten fresh with fruit or flavoured with sugar and cinnamon as it has rather a bland flavour. It is used in many Italian dishes especially as a stuffing for ravioli or in pastries.

Rigatoni
Large ribbed pasta tubes.

Risotto
Italian dish made form rice cooked with stock, similar to a stew or broth. Other ingredients are added are required. Various types of rice are Arborio and Carnaroli.

Rissole
Italian dish made of chopped meat or fish mixed with breadcrumbs, shaped into balls or cakes and fried.

Rocket
Also known as arugula. This green salad vegetable is popular in Mediterranean countries. The leaves have a slightly bitter, peppery flavour and should be gathered when young. Rocket is a rich source of iron as well as vitamins A and C.

Rogan josh
A spicy, rich red lamb stew from India.

Roquefort
A French veined cheese made from ewe's milk. it is matured in ancient caves in the Aveyron region and takes three months to ripen. The result is a semi-soft crumbly cheese with blue-green veins.

Rosemary
An aromatic shrub native to Mediterranean countries whose evergreen leaves are used either fresh or dried. Rosemary has a very pungent taste so not to much is needed to flavour a marinade, a stew or a grill.

Rouille
A pungent Provençal sauce to serve with bouillabaisse, made from chillies, garlic and oil.

Roux
A roux is a cooked mixture of equal quantities of butter and flour that is the base for sauces such as white sauce and béchamel.

Rump
cut of beef from the lower back, sold as roasting joints and steaks - slightly less tender than sirloin.

Saffron
To give color and flavour to, as by means of saffron; to spice.

Sage
A perennial broad-leaved herb that is widely cultivated for its leaves which have an aromatic, slightly bitter flavour and are used for flavouring fatty meats (such as Pork), stuffings, marinades, certain cheeses and various drinks.

Sago
A starch made from the pith of the sago palm, used to make puddings.

Salami
A sausage made from a mixture of raw meat such as pork, beef or veal and flavoured with spices and herbs; salamis can be salted, smoked or air-dried and found all over the world.

Salsa
Spicy, thick, cold relish made from tomatoes, chillies and fruit, usually used as a dip.

Salt
Crystals used as a seasoning and preservative. One of the major taste groups. Available as sea salt or rock salt, which is then further refined for cooking salt and table salt.

Sambuca
A colourless Italian liqueur flavoured with aniseed. It is drunk with one or two coffee beans floating in the glass, after it has been flamed. Sambuce is very strong but has a sweetish taste.

Samosa
A deep-fried Indain pastry stuffed with spiced vegetables or meat, usually triangular in shape.

Sangria
Spanish drink of red wine with fruit, mineral water and spices added.

Sardine
Sardines are baby pilcahrds - an oil-rich fish. Sardines are sold whole, fresh or frozen while pilcahards are mainly processed and canned. Ideal fish for grilling and barbecuing when whole.

Sashimi
Japanese dish of raw fish and shellfish served with dipping sauces and vegetables.

Satay
Pieces of meat or fish skewered and grilled, then served with spiced sauce.

Scallop
Shellfish with a delicate taste available in a range of sizes. Scallops can be steamed, fried or grilled but should be cooked gently. The flesh is firm and white.

Scone
A small, rounded cake that can be sweet, often served with clotted cream and jam, or savoury, used as an accompaniment to other meals.

Semolina
A very coarse flour used to make pizza and bread.Also refers to rounded parts of wheat used to make a pudding of the same name.

Sesame
Whether in the form of oil or seeds, sesame gives a dish a delicious and distinctive nutty flavour. Use the oil to flavour marinades and sprinkle on the sedds as a garnish.

Shallot
A type of onion with long, pointed, pear-shaped, aggregated bulbs, used in cookery.

Shortbread
A sweet biscuit, fairly dense and rich in butter. Eaten on its own or used as a base for tarts.

Shuck
To open an oyster shell with a small, thick-bladed knife.

Silverside
Cut of beef from the rear of the animal, used for boiling, stews, casseroles and mince.

Sippet
A small piece of toast or fried bread used as a garnish.

Sirloin
Premium cut of beef from the back, sold as roasting joints and fillet steaks.

Slake
To mix a thickening agent with liquid, eg cornflour, arrowroot.

Smoothie
A non-alcoholic cold drink made up of a mixture of the juices and pulp of fruit or vegetables blitzed into a smooth drink.

Sorbet
A semi-frozen water ice, usually made with fruit or a liqueur, and eaten as a palate cleanser between courses, or as a dessert.

Soya sauce
The classic Chinese sauces made from soya beans: ordinary (light), soya sauce is mildly salty in flavour, dark soya sauce gives a sweeter, fuller taste; and ketcap manis is sweeter than ordinary soya sauce and thicker that dark soya sauce.

Spaghetti
Long solid threads of pasta (spago means string), and one of the most popular of Italian pasta products.

Sprue asparagus
The thinnings of first pickings of the asparagus bed which have a good flavour - and should be cheaper than asparagus proper.

Squid
A sea mollusc related to the cuttlefish, also known as calamari. Squid can be grilled or fried and larger squid can be added to stews or cooked in their own ink.

Strudel
Austrian sweet made from very thin layers of pastry wrapped round fruit, most famously apple. A savoury version can also be made.

Sweat
To cook vegetables very slowly in a little fat and their own steam, so they soften but do not brown.

Swede
A European plant having a thick bulbous root used as food and as livestock feed.

Sweet potato
Root vegetable that resembles a potato, but it quite different. Often pinkish in colour, the sweet potato can be cooked in a variety of ways - though it is often baked.

Sweetcorn
Give a crisp bite to your stir-fry with some baby sweetcorn.

Swiss Chard
Beet lacking swollen root; grown as a vegetable for its edible leaves and stalks

Tabasco sauce
A hot, thin, spicy sauce made from vinegar and red chilli peppers. It can be used to season meat or sauces or added to cocktails for an extra kick.

Tagliatelle
Pasta made into thin ribbons, often served with creamy sauces.

Tahini
Beige-coloured, oily and thick paste of sesame seeds. Used in Middle-Eastern cooking, both savoury and sweet, and a popular product for vegetarian dishes. The oil floats and the thick paste must be stirred thoroughly before use.

Tamarind
The tamarind tree bears furry pods - if you split one open, you'll find a sticky pulp. And that's what Nancy uses to give a lemony, zingy flavour to a dish. Buy it fresh, or in compressed, dried blocks.

Tamarind
A spice made from the pods of the taramind tree by drying and pressing the pulp of the pods; a small piece can be broken off and infused to create an acidic liquid flavouring in authentic Indian curries.

Tandoori
In Indian cookery, a method of cooking chicken or other meat. Tandoori spices - ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cayenne - are mixed with pureed garlic, pureed ginger, lemon juice and oil to make a paste that is used to coat the food which turns a red-orange colour. It is then cooked in the 'tandoor', a tall cylindrical clay oven. Traditional naan breads are also cooked in the tandoor. Tandoori spices can also be added to yoghurt and used as a marinade.

Tangerine
Tangerines are small orange citrus fruit. Mandarins and satsumas are simply different varieties of tangerine, and clementines are a hybrid between the tangerine and the sweet orange. They are usuallly eaten raw.

Tapenade
Tapenade is a paste made of black olives, capers, anchovies, mustard, basil and parsley. you can use it on crostini or brushchetta, with pasta and in sauces, as a marinade for meat and also for adding to caseroles and stews.

Taramasalata
A thick, creamy Greek dip made from olive oil, fish roe, breadcrumbs and seasonings. Usually served as a mezze dish or as an hors d'oeuvre.

Tarragon
An aromatic perennial herb, often used in French cooking. Its pointed leaves have a distinctive aniseed flavour and can be used to flavour oils and vinegar. Tarragon is particularly good with chicken.

Tartare
Sauce made from mayonnaise, gherkins and capers.

Tarte tatin
The name given to an apple tart that is cooked under a lid of pastry, but served upside down - with the pastry underneath and the fruit on top.

Teriyaki
A Japanese dish consisting of food, such as beef or chicken, that has been marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sake, sugar, ginger and seasonings before being grilled, broiled or fried. The sugar in the marinade gives the cooked food a slight glaze.

Terrine
Usually describes a kind of pâté made of pieces of meat in a deep dish with straight sides. Can be used to describe the dish itself.

Thai fish sauce
An oriental flavouring made from fremented, salted fresh fish, also known as fish gravy: it has a fishy aroma with a slaty taste and adds richness to dishes like stir-fries and soups.

Thyme
A perennial plant with small grey-green aromatic leaves and small purple flowers. It is one of the basic herbs used in cooking.

Tiramisu
An Italian dessert made of sponge or macaroons soaked in coffee, brandy or liqueur with mascarpone cheese and chocolate.

Tisane
An infusion of fresh ordried herbs that is drunk hot. Most tisanes are made from medical plants.

Tofu
Important protein source in oriental cooking. Made from cokoed soya beans, it is quite bland in flavour and responds well to marinades. Good for stir-frying, barbecuing, grilling, it is also high in calcium and vitimin E and low in saturated fats.

Topside
Cut of beef from the rear ofthe animal, sold as a roasting joint.

Tortilla
Flatbread made from corn or wheat flour.

Tournedos
Also known as filet mignon. A small round slice cut from the heart of a fillet of beef.

Tripe
The stomach of a cow, pig or sheep used as food. It is usually sold specially prepared or cleaned for cooking.

Truffle
An underground fungus with a very strong taste. Expensive to buy as they are generally picked in the wild, often found with trained pigs. Truffles are rounded, of variable size and irregular shape and come in a range of colours. The word can also refer to a chocolate and cream confectionery often flavoured with rum

Turbot
A flat sea fish with firm flesh. Available as fillets, steaks or whole. Suits poaching or grilling.

Turmeric
This is the orange- yellow powder that colours curry powder. Buy fresh, but often - it loses ots aroma quickly.

Turmeric
Bright yellow spice often used in curry. Turmeric has a more bitter taste that saffron. It is used mainly in Indian and south-east Asian cooking.