Glossary of French Culinary Terms P to Z
French Cooking Terms in Menus and Recipes can be Confusing
Aug 17, 2008
On menus, it sometimes seems that French terms are used to make a dish seem fancier or more exotic than it is. Thus a modest dish of fried chicken livers becomes Foie de Volalaille Sautée. You would pay more for that, wouldn't you?
In recipes, these terms become a kind of shorthand for the recipe writer, describing a preparation in many fewer words. Instead of asparagus soaked in a dressing of oil, vinegar and herbs, the recipe may simply describe it as “asparagus vinaigrette.” The goal of this glossary is to help decipher those pesky French terms.
See also the Glossaries A to B, C to E, or F to O.
Glossary of French Cuisine P to Z
TERM- DEFINITION
Pallourdes- clams
Parfait- a frozen dessert of beaten egg yolks or whites with hot syrup, sometimes with whipped cream added
Pâté- literally a paste, often of chicken liver or foie gras, used as a spread for crackers or bread
Pêche- peach
Persillade- parsley sauce with garlic and shallots
Petits pois- peas
Pignolats- pine nuts
Poché- poach, to cook in simmering (never boiling) liquid, where the heat comes from the liquid alone, promoting a slow, even cooking, e.g. poached eggs or fish
Poireaux- leeks
Poires- pears
Pois chiches- chick peas, garbanzos
Poisson- fish
Poivre- pepper, e.g. steak au poivre: steak pan roasted with a coating of coarsely cracked peppercorns
Pomme- apple
Pomme de terre- potato
Pommes frites- fried potatoes, what Brits call chips and Americans call French Fries (even the the Belgians invented them)
Porc- pork
Potage- a thick soup, usually pureed and is often thickened slightly with cream or egg yolks
Pots de crème- individual custards
Poulet- chicken
Profiterales- puff pastry filled with ice cream or whipped cream and drizzled with a rich chocolate sauce
Pruneaux- prunes
Purée- a smooth, thick liquid, traditionally made by pressing cooked fruit or vegetables through a seive, now more often accomplished with a food processor or blender
Quatre épices- four spices (aka spice Parisienne) 1 part each of clove, nutmeg and ginger with 3 parts cinnamon; used to flavor sweets or meats
Ragout- a thick, highly seasoned stew
Ravigote sauce- velouté with shallots, parsley and herbs, served on fish, poultry or light meats
Rilletes- pâté
Riz- rice
Rôti- roast
Rouge- red
Roulade- literally rolled: thin strips of meat or fish rolled around vegetables or other stuffing
Roux- a browned butter and flour mixture used to thicken sauces and stews
Saboyan- a wine custard, similar to zabaglione
Salade- salad
Sauce soubise- velouté with sautéed onions and cream, served on fish, poultry or veal
Saumon- salmon
Sauté- to cook in a small amount of fat, shifting the food from side to side
Soufflé- a delicate, airy baked egg dish, with either savory or sweet flavoring: e.g. cheese soufflé or chocolate soufflé
Soupe- a thick, hearty soup with chunks of food as opposed to a potage, which is generally puréed, or a consommé, which is a clear broth.
Steak tartare- (aka Cannibal Mound) raw beef steak, chopped and often mixed with raw egg, onions, anchovies and capers
Sucre- sugar
Suprèmes de volailles- skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Tart- pie
Thon- tuna
Tomates- tomatoes
Tomates Cerises- cherry tomatoes
Torte- cake
Tournedos- 1”-thick slices of the narrow end of a beef fillet
Truffes- truffles
Truittes- trout
Vapeur- steamed
Veau- veal
Velouté sauce- (aka white cream sauce) roux-thickened sauce of chicken, veal or fish stock with chopped mushrooms
Vert- green
Vichyssoise- a cold potato-leek soup identified with the city of Vichy, but actually created by the chef Louis Diat of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City
Vin- wine
Vin Blanc- white wine
Vin Rouge- red wine
Vinaigre- vinegar
Vinaigrette- salad dressing of oil, vinegar and herbs
Volaille- chicken
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