| Term | Definition
|
|---|
| chicory | A bitter-tasting green, related to endive.
Common in Southern cooking. Roasted roots
are used to make a coffee style beverage, or
coffee additive.
|
| chiffonade | Thin strips of vegetables(i.e. lettuce or sorrel) lightly sauteed or used raw to garnish soups.
|
| chile | The spicy fruit native to Mexico. Its popularity
since the 1500's now extends to Europe, Africa,
and Asia as well as the western hemisphere.
Many varieties, from large to small, mild to hot.
Most of the "heat" is in the seeds and veins,
and comes from the chemical compound capsaicin.
|
| chimichanga | A burrito that is fried or deep fried. A specialty of Sonora, Mexico.
|
| chimichurri | An Argentinian herb sauce of olive oil, parsley,
vinegar, oregano, onion, garlic, and seasonings.
|
| chinois | A fine, metal sieve, used to puree or strain food.
|
| chirinabe | A family-style Japanese dish of fish and vegetables,
cooked in a central pot of broth at the table.
|
| chives | A hardy, perennial herb (Allium schoenoprasum)
of the lily family, with small, slender, hollow
leaves having a mild onion odor: used to flavor
soups, stews, etc.
|
| chocolate | A highly refined and processed derivative of
cocoa beans. True chocolate must be made with
cocoa butter and chocolate liquor, both derived
from the processing of cocoa beans. The addition
of sugar and spices produces the various bitter
to sweet chocolates used in baking. Milk solids
are added for milk chocolate.
|
| chop suey | Not a Chinese dish, but rather an American-Chinese
dish, made of chopped meat, mushrooms, bean
sprouts, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, onions,
and rice.
|
| chorizo | A highly seasoned, coarsely ground pork sausage flavored with garlic, chili powder and other spices used in both Mexican and Spanish cooking.
As opposed to other sausages, casing should be removed before cooking.
|
| chowder | Most often thought of as clam chowder, but really
is any thick and chunky soup.
|
| churn | The process of agitating cream until it separates
into solids and liquids. The solid fat result
is butter.
|
| chutney | A spicy, Indian condiment made from fruit,
vinegar, and spices. It is served with curries
and other dishes, or as a spread or appetizer
with cheese.
|
| cilantro | The stems and leaves of the coriander plant, also known as Chinese parsley and coriander.
It is often used in Asian, Caribbean and Latin American cooking and can be found sold in bunches in the fresh herb section of most markets year round.
Both the leaves and the stems may be used in cooking. For cooking ideas, type cilantro into our word search feature.
|
| clafouti | A French dessert made by topping fresh fruit with batter. After baking it is served hot, often with whipped cream.
|
| clarified butter | Butter with milk solids removed. This form of
butter is good for frying as it has a higher
smoke point than butter containing the milk
solids. Easy to make by slowly melting butter in
a bowl until the solids settle to the bottom.
Then chill until hardened, turn over, and skim
off the solids.
|
| coddle | Slow cooking of eggs in hot water. Used as a way
to reduce the danger of salmonella poisoning
from tainted raw eggs, when raw eggs are called
for in a recipe (such as in Caesar Salad.)
|
| coffee | World-wide popular beverage produced by steeping
roasted, ground coffee beans. Coffee flavor is
produced by hundreds of chemical compounds, and
is among the most complex of any food or beverage.
|
| cognac | A fine brandy from the Cognac region of France.
Various grades, such as VSOP and XO indicate
how long the product as aged.
|
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