How often have we seen a recipe we like, but are not sure
what the cooking terms mean? Here is a list of the most common French cooking terms to
help you with your recipes and understanding restaurant menus.
Acidulate: To make foods or liquids slightly acidic by
adding vinegar or lemon juice to it.
Affriander: A French term for an appetising presentation to
Affrioler: A French term for enticing one’s guests to the
table with hors d’oeuvres and small samplings.
Arroser (baste): To spoon melted butter or fat or liquid
over food as they cook.
À La: A French term meaning “in the style of”
À La Carte: A French menu term referring to the price of
individual items. One of the French cooking terms most often seen on the menu
Amuse Bouche means ‘amuse the mouth’ – small samples of food
offered before a meal to whet the appetite.
Aperitif: a light alcoholic beverage served before a meal.
Assation: A term for cooking foods in their own natural
juices without adding extra liquids.
Au Bleu: A French term for the method of preparing fish the
minute it has been killed – the fish is plunged into a boiling court bouillon,
which turns the skin a metallic blue colour.
Au Jus: A French term for meats served in their natural
Au Poivre means ‘with pepper’, either coating the meat with
peppercorns or serving with a pepper sauce.
Baste: To spoon, brush or pour fat over a roast as it is
cooking to add flavour and to glaze it.
Bain-marie: A water-bath for oven cooking delicate terrines
and desserts. Usually the dish is placed in a roasting tin half filled with
Beurre Manié: A paste made by mixing equal quantities of
butter and flour. It is stirred into stock or sauce at the end of the cooking
to aid thickening.
Beurre noisette: A simple sauce made by cooking butter until
it is brown and ‘nutty’
Blackened: A technique where meat or fish is coated with a
seasoning and then seared in a cast-iron skillet in which oil has reached its
Blanch (blancher): To plunge food into boiling water and
boil it until it has softened or is partially cooked. It is used to remove a
strong taste from some foods such as cabbage or onions.
Blanchir: To place in boiling water so as to whiten and
loosen the skins, usually of meats.
Blanquette: A meat stew, usually of veal, with an egg and
cream sauce and garnished with onions and mushrooms.
Blend (mélanger): To mix less vigorous than beating, using a
fork or spoon.
Bleu: French term for a cut of meat cooked until is only
warmed through or rare.
Blondir: A French term for lightly browning foods in a fat.
Boil (bouillir): Liquids heated until they are rolling and
sending up bubbles. A slow boil is when there is only a bubble here and there –
to simmer. When there is very little movement in the water – to poach.
Bon Femme: A French term used to describe food cooked in a
simple or rustic manner.
Bouquet garni: This is one of the French cooking terms most
often seen. It is a bunch of herbs used to flavour dishes usually consisting of
parsley, thyme, bay and celery leaves.
Braise (braiser): To brown food in fat then cook in a
casserole with a small amount of liquid.
Brulé: A French term to describe ‘burnt’ as in crème brulée.
Brunoise: A French term used to describe a specific cut or
mixture of vegetables – usually small dice, braised in butter.
Champignon: A French term for any edible mushroom or the
particular dish they accompany.
Charcuterie: Products such as salami, sausages, pates and
similar forcemeats usually based on pork and pork offal.
Court bouillon: A mixture of water, herbs, vegetables and
either wine or vinegar, used mainly for cooking fish.
Croquettes: Small fish cakes or meat and/or vegetable
Deglaze (deglacer): After meat has been sautéed or cooked in
a pan, liquid is poured in and the bits of meat and juices scraped into the
liquid. This deglaze is important for a good sauce.
Degrease (degraisser): To remove fat from the surface of hot
Dice (couper en des): To cut food into cubes the shape of a
À la Ficelle: Suspended by a length of string.
Flambé: Flamed, usually using alcohol of some form.
Fold (incorporer): To blend a delicate mixture such as egg
whites when beaten e.g. soufflé.
Fouetter (Beat): To mix food or liquid thoroughly using a
spoon, fork or whisk etc.
Fumet: Concentrated fish stock.
En Gelée: Cold, jellied.
Gibelotte: Meat stewed in wine in a casserole.
Au Gratin: To brown the top of a dish either in the oven or
under a grill. Usually of cheese or breadcrumbs mixture.
Julienne: To cut vegetables or citrus rind into short, thin
strips. Vegetables used to garnish are often cut in this manner to decorate.
Marinate: To soak foods in a liquid so as they absorb the
flavor for example beef marinated in red wine. Again this is one of the French
cooking terms we most often use.
Mesclun: A salad mix of young lettuce leaves and herbs such
as rocket, lamb’s lettuce, dandelion leaves, basil, chervil and endive.
Traditionally found in the south of France.
Mirepoix: A flavouring employed mostly in braising meat,
which is usually composed of finely diced or chopped carrots, leeks, onions,
celery, lean bacon and bay leaf and thyme, all cooked gently in oil or butter.
Nap, napper: To cover food with a sauce
Paupiette: Thin rolled, stuffed escalope slice of meat.
Roux: A mixture of flour and butter, or fat, blended
together over a low heat and which serves as the basic thickening agent for
Sauté: To fry lightly and quickly in a small amount of
butter of fat, tossing and turning, during the cooking process, instead of
allowing to sizzle.
Velouté: A thick cream soup.
Once you have an idea of what the French cooking terms mean
it will make it much easier when making your wonderful French recipes.
You will find French cooking terms used in many cook books
and it is useful to have a knowledge of them.
I do hope these have helped a little.