Culinary Dictionary - C, Whats Cooking America. Linda’s Culinary Dictionary – CA Dictionary of Cooking, Food, and Beverage Terms. An outstanding and large culinary dictionary and glossary that includes the definitions and history of cooking, food, and beverage terms. Please click on a letter below to alphabetically search the many food and cooking terms: cabbage – There are over 7. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kohlrabi, collards, kale, turnips, and many more are all a member of the cabbage family.
These plants are all known botanically as members of the species Brassica oleracea, and they native to the Mediterranean region of Europe. History: According to horticultural historians, barbarians were eating the juicy, slightly bulbous leaves of wild cabbage in Asia long before the dawn of recorded history.
The Greeks revered the cabbage for its many medicinal properties. Cato, an ancient Roman statesman, circa 2. BCE, advised people to eat plenty of raw cabbage seasoned with vinegar before a banquet at which one plans to “drink deep.” Even the ancient Egyptians advised starting the meal with raw cabbage, including cabbage seeds, to keep one sober. It is an historical fact that the laborers who built the Great Wall in China were fed sauerkraut to prevent scurvy and other debilitating diseases that come from eating only rice.
Europeans were devouring stewed cabbage during the cold winter months because it was one of the few staples available when the ground produced little else. One of the finest of red wines. It is associated with the Bordeaux region in France but the grapes are now grown worldwide.
VAH- loh) – This cheese is said to date back to the 1. Today, Caciocavallo cheese is made from cow’s milk, though its cryptic name literally means “horse cheese” – the Sicilian word “cacio” sharing the same root as casein while “cavallo” means horse. There’s a theory that the cheese owes its name to the manner in which two bulbs were attached by a string and suspended from a beam “a cavallo” as though astride a horse.) It takes at least eight months to age Caciocavallo cheese properly, achieving a sharper flavor in about two years. Caciocavallo is a good complement to stronger wines, and widely used for grating over pasta. It is a favorite of Sicilian chefs for use with pasta.
It Is usually shaped as a large wheel. Caciovacchino” was a similar product made in times past. Caesar Salad (SEE- zer) – The salad consists of greens (classically romaine lettuce) with a garlic vinaigrette dressing. The Caesar salad was once voted by the International Society of Epicures in Paris as the “greatest recipe to originate from the Americas in fifty years.”History: For a detailed history of the Caesar Salad, check out History of Salads and Salad Dressingscafe noir – French for black coffee (coffee without cream or milk).
FEH) – It is the Italian term for “coffee.” In Italy, the term caffe usually refers to a small cup of espresso coffee. Cajun cuisine (KAY- juhn kwee- ZEEN) – Cajun food is essentially the poor cousin to Creole. Today it tends to be spicier and more robust than Creole, utilizing regionally available resources and less of the foods gained through trade.
Some popular Cajun dishes include pork based sausages such as andouille and boudin; various jambalayas and gumbos; coush- coush (a creamed corn dish) and etouffee. The true art of Louisiana seasonings is in the unique blend of herbs and spices that serve to enhance the flavor of vegetables, seafood, meats, poultry and wild game, along with a “Cajun” cook that knows how to blend these spices. History: Learn about the history and recipes of Cajun Cuisine. Cakes are made from various combinations of refined flour, some form of shortening, sweetening, eggs, milk, leavening agent, and flavoring. There are literally thousands of cakes recipes (some are bread- like and some rich and elaborate) and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure.
Baking utensils and directions have been so perfected and simplified that even the amateur cook may easily become and expert baker. There are five basic types of cake, depending on the substance used for leavening. History: For a detailed History of Cakes.
Cake flour is very finely ground soft wheat used to make tender, fine- textured cakes. It is bleached with chlorine gas, which, besides whitening the flour, also makes it slightly acidic. This acidity makes cakes set faster and have a finer texture. Turkey Cookies With Candy Corn. MAH- ree) – Calamari are squid. This cephalopod has a long body with swimming fins at the rear, two tentacles, and eight arms. Calamari takes their name from the Latin word “calamus,” which refers to the inky liquid excreted by the squid and used in pastas and sauces.
Calas – Calas are fried balls of rice and dough that are eaten covered with powdered sugar, not unlike rice- filled beignets. History: It is said that long ago, on cold mornings in New Orleans, women would walk the streets of the French Quarter selling these warm fried cakes for breakfast. Calas! Calas, Tout Chaud!” as the Creole women used to shout when they sold them in the French Quarter of New Orleans. California Roll – A California roll is a slender mat- rolled sushi roll containing crab, avocado, and cucumber. Today, in California and Hawaii, sushi reigns supreme, and the most popular sushi today are the California Rolls. Most people in Japan have never heard of the California Roll.
Learn how to make California Rolls – American- Style Sushi Rolls. History: During the 1. California, most people did not like the thought of raw fish and nori, so a smart unknown California chef created the now famous California Roll.
Most people in Japan have never heard of the California Roll. ZOH- nay) – An Italian word meaning “a trouser leg.” It is a pizza crust rolled out and topped with all the ingredients of a normal pizza except tomato, then folded over to a half- moon or crescent- shaped turnover. The tomato sauce is sprinkled on top and it then goes into the oven.
It is lightly drizzled with olive oil upon its emergence. Camembert cheese (KAM- uhm- behr) – (French) Soft and ripened (tastes much like Brie cheese), but more pointed in flavor and richer in texture.
It is made from 1. The most widely marketed of all French cheeses.
It is used for dessert and snacks. History: Marie Fontaine at Camembert in Orne, France first made Camembert cheese in 1. It is said that Napoleon was served this cheese (which was as yet unnamed) and he then named it Camembert.
Canadian bacon – It is a lean, boneless pork loin roast that is smoked. Called back bacon in Canada, Canadian bacon is precooked and can be fried, baked, or added to casseroles or salads. KAN- uh- pay) – A French term that consists of bite- size bits of savory food spread on edible bases (toasted or untoasted bread) and garnished or decorated. They are served as snacks (appetizers) at cocktail and buffet parties.
Candlenut is the name of a tropical nut used in Malaysian cuisine. It derives its peculiar name from the fact that the oil of the nut is also used to make candles. Candlenuts are available only roasted, whole, or in pieces, because raw they are highly toxic. The function of the candlenut in satays or curries is to flavor and thicken. History: At the 1.
Columbian Exposition, a World’s Fair held in Chicago, chocolate- making machinery made in Dresden, Germany, was displayed. Milton S. Hershey, who had made his fortune in caramels, saw the potential for chocolate and installed chocolate machinery in his factory in Lancaster, and produced his first chocolate bars in 1. Other Americans began mixing in other ingredients to make up new candy bars throughout the end of the 1. It was World War I that really brought attention to the candy bar. The U. S. Army Quartermaster Corps commissioned various American chocolate manufacturers to provide 2. The blocks were chopped up into smaller pieces and distributed to dough boys in Europe.