| Term | Definition
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| vanilla | Aeromaic bean of one variety of orchid. Bean or extract are used to heighten the flavor of other ingredients. Pure vanilla is relatively expensive due to the culturing process and time consuming extraction process.
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| varak | Extremely thin sheets of gold or silver that are applied to food to add rich coloring. Flavorless and odorless the sheets can be found in Indian markets.
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| veal | Meat from a young calf, generally from 1 to 3 months old.
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| veloute sauce | One of five basic sauces. It's made from chicken, veal or fish stock and thickened with white roux. Basis for other sauces.
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| verjuice (verjus) | Sour juice from unripe fruit such as grapes. It's added to sauces and mustards to increase flavor. Traditional in medieval and Renaissance times but now enjoying a comeback.
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| vermicelli | Pasta which is shaped in long thin strands. Much thinner that regular spaghetti.
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| verte sauce | French for "green sauce". A green vegetable such as spinach or parsley is blanched and squeezed tightly to release green colored liquid which is mixed with mayonnaise. Traditionally used on cold fish dishes.
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| vichyssoise | Creamy potato-leek soup that is served cold and topped with chives. Pronounced: VEE-she-swahz
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| vinaigrette | A basic oil and vinegar combination used over salad, cold vegetables or cold meat dishes. Simplest form includes oil and vinegar in 3 to 1 proportion with salt and pepper to taste.
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| vindloo | Hottest of the Indian curry dishes. They come from central and southwestern coastal India. A complexed spice mixture made up of mustard, cumin, ginger, pepper, fungreek, cloves and coriander makes up the basic sauce. Red chilies and tamarind concentrate add heat and unique flavoring. Sauce is typically combined with meat and served over rice.
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