The WOLFS Provisions Food Lexicon

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Blanching Process where vegetables are shortly cooked in boiling salty water and then immediately cooled (shocked) in an ice bath

Roasting Method of cooking over an open flame or an oven, where hot air is used to cook food from all sides evenly at temperatures of at least 300 F or 150 C

Boiling  Process of cooking ingredients in boiling water

Broiling Cooked under a source of high heat

Braising Cooking of food in a steam environment in a closed container with a certain amount of liquid

Grill To cook over direct heat (for example: over coal on a bbq grill) 

Pan-Frying Cooking in a pan (See Sauté)

Poaching Technique where ingredients are slowly cooked in milk, water or broth. Different than braising as this is often not in a closed environment and uses lower temperatures 

Sauté Cooking technique where ingredients are introduced to a very hot pan with a small amount of oil or other fat and quickly cooked

Sous-vide “Under Vacuum” cooking method in which ingredients and sealed without air in a plastic pouch and cooked in a temperature-controlled water bath. Typically for a more extended period. 

Confit Slow cooking process, where ingredients are submerged at low temperature (usually 200 F or 93 C) fat. Typically Oil, tallow, pork or duck fat. This technique is a preservation technique and therefore the items are typically salted prior to being introduced to the warm liquified fat. 

Dicing  Cut into small cubes

Gratin Cooked ingredients are covered with grated cheese or breadcrumbs and then baked in an oven until a brown color is achieved

Marinate Adding flavorings to (usually) raw food by keeping it in a specific liquid to improve taste or soften it. 

Purée Grinding or mashing vegetables or fruit into a creamy paste or thick liquid

Béchamel  A white sauce combining a roux (flour and butter) with milk and often grated nutmeg. 

Beurre Blanc A hot emulsion sauce made of reduced liquid (typically wine, vinegar and shallots) to which cold butter is gradually added

Velouté Made of chicken broth and white browned flour and butter (a 50/50 roux)

Espagnole Savory, rich and slightly sweet consisting of a brown stock, a brown roux (cooked flour and butter) a mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery) and tomato paste or purée

Hollandaise Rich emulsion of egg yolks, melted butter and an acid (typically lemon juice or sometimes a vinegar reduction) and seasonings 

Al Dente Pasta cooked until it reaches a slightly raw interior (the pasta has bite)

Antipasto A selection of appetizers

Cannelloni Large tube-shaped pasta served with stuffing and is often baked

Conchiglie Sell-like portions of pasta

Ditalini Tiny tubes of pasta (think mac ‘n cheese)

Farfalle Mini bow shaped pasta

Fettuccine Flat ribbons of pasta 

Frittata With asparagus, tomato, spinach etc. 

Lasagna A baked dish consisting of layers of wide, flat pasta sheets, sauce (typically tomato) cheese, béchamel and a variety of other ingredient options

Linguine Long thin and flat strips of pasta

Risotto Slow cooked creamy rice dish made with short grain rice and a flavored broth

Macaroni Pasta shaped like bent tubes

Mascarpone Cream cheese

Manicotti Similar to cannelloni 

Pappardelle A wider (than linguine) flat pasta. Great for heavy and strong ingredients

Penne Tube shaped pasta with cut ends

Tagliatelle Flat pasta between Pappardelle and Fettuccine

Panino Italian sandwich (The singular to many Panini)

Pancetta  Cured Pork belly

Arepas Corn-based bread

Arroz con Gandules Puerto Rican rice dish served with peas (Typically served with celebrations)

Arroz con Pollo Rice with chicken

Carnitas Roasted pork served with tortillas

Ceviche Raw seafood or fish “cooked” in the uncooked juices of citrus fruit

Chicharron Fried pork

Chimichurri An Argentinian sauce/marinade made from fresh parsley, sweet paprika, pepper, rosemary, vinegar, olive oil and can also be with mint or hot pepper flakes. Often served with grilled meat

Cilantro Coriander

Empanadas Savory pastry is usually stuffed with meat or a starch. Originally from Spain 

Pupas A thick corn tortilla with cheese

Ropa Vieja Shredded beef dish from Spain

Salsa Verde Green sauce from Mexico

Tortas Mexican sandwich

Maki Any type of sushi made with a bamboo mat (Makisu)

Hosomaki Small maki rolls

Futomaki Large/Thick Maki

Nigiri Raw fish on a bed of vinegared sushi rice

Sashimi Strip of raw fish served without rice

Nori Dried, black and green seaweed used in sheets to create sushi

Roe Fish eggs

Hashi Japanese word for chopsticks

Toro Fattiest part of a fish (often Tuna)

Hamachi Young Yellowtail (Sometimes also associated with Snapper)

Sake Salmon

Unagi Freshwater eel (Typically cooked)

Anago Sea eel

Ika Squid

Ebi Cooked shrimp

Maguro Tuna

Saba Mackerel

Suzuki Striped bass

Tai Red Snapper

Hotate Scallop

Uni Sea Urchin

Shoyu Soy sauce

Gari Pickled ginger

Gyoza Chinese Dumplings

Miso Fermented soybean paste

Mirin Sweetened sake for cooking

Sake Rice wine

Shitake Chinese black mushroom

Tempura Deep fried vegetables or prawns

Yakitori Charcoal-grilled meat on skewers