A Dictionary of Food

Metwurst

smoked.It may be coarse-textured (grosse Mettwurst) or smooth and fine textured (feine Mettwurst). Cooked in any way. Also called Metwurst

Metwurst Germany Mettwurst Metzithra Greece A Cretan cheese

meunière, à la France Cooked in butter and finished with beurre noisette or lemon juice and chopped parsley. Applied especially to shallow-fried fish.

meunière, fish Shallow-fried fish cooked à la meunière. See also amandes, fish aux, belle meunière, fish, doria, fish, grenobloise, fish, bretonne, fish

meunière butter sauce Clarified butter heated until it just starts to brown then cooled with lemon juice and finished with parsley and ground white pepper. Used with fish. Also called meunière butter, beurre noisette

meurette France A mixture of fish stewed in red wine from Burgundy

Mexi-bell pepper United States A mildly hot sweet pepper-sized capsicum

Mexicaine, à la France In the Mexican style, i.e. garnished with tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet peppers, rice and sometimes aubergine

Mexican bean Red kidney bean

Mexican black bean See black bean

Mexican lime West Indian lime

Mexican saffron Safflower Mexican tea Epazote Mexican yam bean Jicama

mexikansk vårkyckling Sweden Mexican spring chicken made from pot-roasted and boned poussins laid on a sort of risotto made with half and half wild rice and short-grain rice, separately cooked with chopped fried onion, mushrooms and green and red sweet peppers plus petit pois and chopped parsley. Served with a red wine sauce.

mexilhão Portugal Mussel meyve Turkey Fruit mezcal See mescal

mezclar Spain To mix or blend

meze, mezes A selection of small dishes of food similar to hors d’oeuvres. See also mezze

mézeskalacs Hungary Honey cake mezethes Greece Appetizers

mezzaluna Italy A two-handled crescentshaped chopping knife which is rocked back and forth over the food to be chopped. Versions with two and more blades are available. Also called hachoir

mezzani Italy Pasta tubes

mezze Greece, Turkey A selection of small dishes of food similar to hors d’oeuvres, appetizers or tapas served as starters or as a main meal. Both hot and cold dishes are served with pitta bread. Also called mezes, meze

mezzefegati Italy Mazzafegati mezze penne Italy Short pasta quills

mezze ziti Italy Long lengths of macaroni slightly thinner than ziti mezze. See also ziti

mezzi rigatoni Italy Ridged pasta tubes mezzo Italy Half, semi-

mfumbwa Central Africa The leaves of a forest plant eaten as a vegetable. See also afang mhaans turcarri khasta South Asia A piquant mutton curry made by cubing and piquéing mutton, rubbing in a pounded paste of minced onion, black pepper, paprika, dry-roasted mustard seeds and ground cinnamon with oil, leaving 2 hours then layering the meat in a buttered pan with onion rings, ground fenugreek, chopped ginger and garlic, finishing with onion rings and chopped mint. This is covered with mutton stock and simmered until the meat is tender, skimming and adding stock to keep the level high. Finally it is mixed, a little asafoetida added, and the whole kept warm for 15 minutes before serving. See also

turcarri

mhaans turcarri sadah South Asia A simple mutton curry made by browning chopped onion in ghee and reserving, browning the trimmed and cubed shoulder of mutton in the same ghee for 10 minutes, adding turmeric and ground coriander, and cooking briefly. The reserved onion and cayenne pepper are added and cooked briefly, then seasoned, and a little water added to deglaze the pan. The whole is then covered with water and simmered until the meat is tender, and finished with chopped parsley or coriander leaf and kept warm for 15 minutes before serving. Potatoes may be added towards the end. See also turcarri

mhannsha North Africa A large coil of pastry dusted with icing sugar. From Morocco. (NOTE: Literally ‘the snake’.)

mhon-la-u Burma Mooli

mi Vietnam Wheat flour noodles

miascia Italy A baked bread pudding from Lombardy containing apples, pears, raisins and herbs

miaso Russia Meat miata Russia Mint

Michaelmas United Kingdom The feast of St Michael on the 29th of September regarded as being the end of the harvest, used as an adjective to describe particular food served

to celebrate the occasion such as Michaelmas goose

Michaelmas goose England A traditional Devonshire method of roasting a stuffed goose by basting it with its own fat and dredging it with seasoned flour at half-hourly intervals to form a thick crust. This crust would be eaten with the goose and its gravy or, if the person were rich, fed to the dogs.

miche France A cob or round loaf

Michelin guide United Kingdom One of the restaurant guides to whom complaints and experiences may be sent. Address: Michelin Tyre plc, Tourism dept., 38 Clarendon Rd., Watford, Herts WD1 1SX. (NOTE: The other guides with the same status are the Egon Ronay and Good Food Guides.)

mi-chèvre France Cheese made from a mixture of goats’ and cows’ milk containing at least 25% goats’ milk

Michigan banana Papaw

microcrystalline cellulose E460(i), a very finely divided form of cellulose used to add bulk and fibre to slimming food, convenience foods, desserts and the like

microcrystalline wax See E907 microorganism A microscopic form of life

such as a bacterium, virus, yeast etc. microwave cooker A small oven fitted fitted

with a timer, power variation and sometimes elaborate programmers, which cooks by subjecting the food to very high frequency electromagnetic radiation (microwaves) similar to radio waves, generated in a magnetron and piped to the oven through a wave guide. The microwaves are contained within the cooking chamber by the reflective walls but are absorbed by the food, which should be contained in materials such as ceramics, glass and plastics which do not absorb microwaves and so do not themselves get hot. See also microwaves

microwaves Very-high-frequency electromagnetic radiation used to heat up and cook foods. Microwaves transfer their energy to food by causing certain types of molecules to vibrate at their frequency. They are generally absorbed in the first cm of the surface and hence solid food to be cooked should be less than 2 cm thick or well stirred from time to time if contained in a deep container. Microwaves are reflected off metal surfaces but isolated metal within an enclosure will heat up and sometimes cause sparking.

microwave thermometer A thermometer without any metal parts which can be used inside a microwave cooker

middag Denmark, Norway, Sweden Dinner

mignon

middellandse-zeetapijtschelp Netherlands

Carpet shell clam middle See ox casings

middle bacon Bacon from the centre of the pig combining streaky and back bacon. May be sliced for rashers or stuffed, boiled or baked.

middle gammon A lean cut of bacon from between the corner gammon and the hock middle neck of lamb United Kingdom The cutlets, rib bones, vertebrae and longitudinal muscles which lie between the best end and the scrag end (neck) behind the shoulder. Used for stewing or sometimes passed off as

cutlets.

middle rib of beef United Kingdom The 3rd to the 6th ribs of beef counting from the head end. Used as a second class roasting joint or for braising, e.g. beef olives.

midolla Italy Crumb of a loaf, flesh of a fruit midollo Italy Bone marrow

mie France The soft crustless interior of white bread

miel France, Spain Honey miele Italy Honey

mien bao China Bread

mien see China Yellow bean sauce mien tiao China Noodles Miesmuschel Germany Mussel miette France Crumb

mi fan China Rice miga Spain Crumb

migas 1. Spain A Spanish breakfast dish consisting of fried breadcrumbs, flavoured with garlic, bacon and peppers 2. Portugal Tender cubed lean pork and beef, coated with massa de pimentão overnight and each sautéed separately in olive oil and bacon fat until brown. The pan juices deglazed with water, mixed with fried diced bacon, sweated garlic and chunks of moistened stale bread, seasoned as required, beaten until fluffy and served with the beef and pork. 3. Portugal Panada

migiod Wales Yeast buns

migliaccio Italy Pig’s blood mixed with a variety of nuts, spices, dried vine fruits, honey, etc. and baked in a tart or fried as a flat cake. Also called sanguinaccio alla fiorentina (NOTE: From central Italy)

miglio Italy Millet

mignardise France Small and dainty madeup dishes

mignon France 1. Small and dainty especially when applied to cuts of meat, e.g. the small muscle in a chicken breast or the small end of a fillet of beef (NOTE: Literally ‘dainty’.) 2. A smaller size of Maroilles cheese

mignonette

mignonette France Small round fillets of lamb mignonette pepper Coarsely crushed white

peppercorns. Also called shot pepper Mignot France A cheese from Normandy

similar to Livarot

mignuic, mignule Italy Pasta curls served with sauces or cheese. See also cavatieddi

mihun Indonesia, Malaysia Rice vermicelli mi-iro gohan Japan Boiled rice dressed with

the cooking liquor from the meat served in individual dishes with petit pois, seasoned egg scrambled with a little sugar and minced topside of beef, lightly cooked with soya sauce, salt, sugar and dashi, all arranged decoratively on top of the rice

mijin-giri Japan Finely shredded or brunoise vegetable

mi jiu China Yellow rice wine mijo Spain Millet

mijoter France To simmer or cook very slowly mikan Japan Mandarin orange, often hollowed out and used as a dish e.g. for

orange-flavoured jelly or seafood mike cho China Rice vinegar

mi krob Deep-fried puffed-up rice noodles mixed with stir-fried fish, pork and vegetables. See also mee krob

milagia podi South Asia A condiment from the south made from dry-roasted sesame and coriander seeds, red chillies and black gram, dehusked chick peas or similar and all coarsely ground. Used on bread or vegetarian snacks.

milanaise, à la France In the Milan style, i.e. garnished with spaghetti or macaroni, tomato sauce and ham or tongue or panéed with breadcrumbs and grated cheese prior to frying

milanese, alla Italy In the style of Milan, i.e. panéed, fried in butter and finished with lemon. Used especially of escalopes and liver.

Milanese soufflé Lemon soufflé

Milch Germany Milk

milchig A Jewish term describing food containing or derived from dairy products, or equipment used in preparing such food. See also fleishig

Milchrahmstrudel Austria Strudel pastry wrapped round a light curd cheese and baked in a cream sauce

mild-cure Cured by the quick method using a solution of salt, saltpetre, flavourings and sometimes polyphosphates, which is either injected into the food or in which the food is immersed

mildew A fungus which grows on the surface of food exposed to a warm humid

atmosphere, usually in the form of green furry blotches, each of which has grown from a single organism

mil folhas Portugal Flaky pastry, millefeuille milho Portugal Maize

milk The liquid food provided by all mammals for new-born young, consisting of a water solution of sugars and proteins with emulsified fats, various minerals, vitamins and health protective substances. The most important milk in cooking is from the cow, but milk from sheep, goats, buffalo, camels and horses, etc. is used in various cultures, especially for cheese and yoghurt manufacture. Cows’ milk is available with various fat contents and in various forms. The first milk drawn at a particular time from a mammal is usually high in sugar and low in fat and becomes progressively less sugary and more fatty as the glands are emptied, thus allowing some control over quality.

milk bread A white yeast-raised bread containing about 6% of dried milk by weight of the dry ingredients

milk chocolate A high sugar content (greater than 48%) chocolate confectionery with added milk solids

milk-fed lamb 3 to 4 week old, unweaned lamb weighing 4 to 5 kg. Usually born in winter and raised indoors on milk only. Should be eaten fresh not more than 3 days after slaughter. Also called house lamb

milkfish Bangus

milk pudding Grain, either whole or ground, and other starch products cooked in sweetened milk, e.g. rice pudding, semolina, sago, tapioca

milk substitute Creamer milk sugar See lactose

mill An implement used to reduce a solid to a fine powder, as with pepper, salt crystals, coffee, spices, etc.

mill, to To reduce foods to a powder or paste, generally by grinding or squeezing the material through close, counter-rotating or moving metal, stone or other hard solid plates, rollers or discs

millassata Italy A cheese omelette from Sicily filled with artichokes and asparagus

millefeuille France Cream slice. Also called Napoléon (NOTE: Literally ‘a thousand leaves or sheets’.)

mille foglie Italy Puff pastry

millet England, France The general name for a variety of small seeds produced by grasses used as food sources for both humans and animals. Millets tend to be drought and waterlogging resistant and hence important food sources in drought prone or marshy

areas. Millet has a delicate bland flavour and is cooked as any other grain. See common millet, sorghum, finger millet, kaffir corn, bulrush millet, hungry rice, etc.

milo maize United States A variety of sorghum, Sorghum vulgare subspecies glabrescens, used to make sorghum flour

milt 1. Soft roe 2. See melt

milza Italy Spleen, occasionally fried with herbs and anchovies

milzschnittensuppe Italy Beef broth served with fried bread spread with a mixture of minced spleen with eggs and garlic

Milzwurst Germany A Bavarian veal sausage usually fried in butter, probably contains spleen

Mimolette France An Edam-type cows’ milk cheese coloured a dark orange

mimosa A garnish or decoration made by forcing hard-boiled egg yolk through a sieve to resemble the petals of the mimosa flower mince The name given to any foodstuff processed by a combination of chopping and crushing as in a mincer, especially for meat and dried vine fruits. See also minced meat,

mincemeat

mince, to To reduce the size of solid or semisolid foodstuffs by a combination of chopping and crushing usually in a mincer or food processor

minced meat Meat which has been finely divided by being chopped or passed through a mincer. Used in stews, hamburger, pies, etc. Mincing converts tough meat into a more palatable and tender form. Also called ground meat

mincemeat A mixture of dried vine fruits, chopped mixed peel, apples and suet, with sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, grated lemon zest, lemon juice and sometimes spirits all passed through a mincer, allowed to mature and used as a filling for mince tarts and other sweets, cakes and puddings

mince pie A small round pastry tartlet with a pastry top, filled with mincemeat, baked and sprinkled with icing sugar. Also called mynce pie, shred pie

mincer A culinary implement used for mincing, consisting of a barrel with a hopper above possibly tapering towards one end, into which fits a well-fitting scroll feeder with a pitch which reduces towards the output end. When the scroll is turned either manually or mechanically it forces food towards the output end slightly crushing it. A knife with three or four blades rotates with the scroll and cuts the crushed food as it is forced through a stationary circular disc containing a number of holes. The holes in

minestrone

the stationary disc may be of various sizes to give varying degrees of size reduction.

minchet abesh East Africa Minced beef or lamb in a hot berbere sauce from Ethiopia Mineiro Frescal Brazil Queijo Minas frescal

mineola A variety of tangelo

mineral hydrocarbons Highly purified oils derived from crude oils with high boiling points and usually colourless and transparent. Technical white oils come in a range of viscosities. The highest-viscosity oil is called liquid paraffin. Once used as fat or oil substitutes in slimming foods since they are not metabolized. Used as release agents to prevent dried vine fruits sticking together. See also E905

minerals The name given to various metals and other elements usually in the form of salts, oxides or organic compounds which are necessary for health. See under individual names e.g. calcium, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium. Those required in very small amounts are called trace elements.

mineral water See carbonated water miner’s lettuce Winter purslane

minestra 1. Italy The first course of a meal after the antipasto either soup, pasta, rice, gnocchi or similar 2. Catalonia Vegetable stew

minestra asciutta Italy Dry minestra, i.e. pasta, rice, etc. eaten with a fork, not a spoon minestra col battuto alla romana Italy Soup with pasta containing ham fat, onions and

garlic

minestra di riso alla cappuccina Italy Thick rice soup with pounded anchovies

minestra in brodo Italy Pasta or rice cooked in broth

minestrina Italy A light broth

minestrina tricolore Italy Potato soup garnished with diced cooked carrots and chopped parsley

minestrone 1. Italy A substantial thick, mixed vegetable soup with the addition of some of pasta, rice, beans and potatoes in many local variations. The UK version is given in the next entry. 2. United Kingdom A soup made from paysanne-cut mixed vegetables sweated in oil without colour, white stock, a bouquet garni and seasoning added and simmered 20 minutes, peas and diamond-cut green beans added and simmered 10 minutes, paysanne-cut potatoes, short lengths of spaghetti, tomato purée and diced, skinned and deseeded tomatoes added and simmered until all cooked. A processed mixture of fat bacon, garlic and parsley formed into pea-sized balls dropped into the

minestrone alla milanese

boiling soup, the bouquet garni removed and all served with grated Parmesan cheese and toasted slices of French bread.

minestrone alla milanese Italy The classic minestrone with tomatoes, peas, beans, courgettes, potatoes, cabbage, bacon and rice, often served at room temperature or chilled

minestrone alla sarda Italy A minestrone with beans, chick peas, potatoes, cabbage, fennel, pasta and pork

Ming dynasty egg Chinese preserved eggs minhota, à Portugal In the style of Minho, i.e.

with chopped ham and vinho verde miniature corn Small (up to 10 cm long) cobs

of sweet corn used as a vegetable and eaten whole. Also called baby corn

Minneola A variety of tangelo

Minnesota blue United States An American copy of Roquefort cheese, but made from cows’ milk instead of ewes’ milk

Minnesota slim United States A moist, opentextured cows’ milk cheese coloured orange, which easily melts

mint A large group of hardy herbaceous perennials of the genus Mentha, which interbreed readily to form hybrids. Generally up to 1 m high with oval pointed aromatic leaves, deep veined and set in pairs up a square green to purple stalk. Some varieties are variegated (two colours). All are edible save that penny royal should only be used in small quantities. See also Mentha

mint sauce United Kingdom Chopped mint leaves, macerated with boiling water and sugar and combined with an equal amount of vinegar. Served with roast lamb.

mintuba Central Africa Treated cassava tubers. See also bâton de manioc

minute France Cooked quickly

minute steak Lean pieces of beef which have been passed through rollers covered with sharp projections. These have the effect of breaking down the fibres in the steak so that it cooks quickly when grilled or fried. Also called flash-fry steak

minyak kelapa Indonesia, Malaysia Coconut oil

Minze Germany Mint, the herb

miolos Portugal 1. Brains 2. The soft crumb inside a loaf of bread

Mirabeau, à la France Garnished, especially of grilled meats, with anchovies, olives and pats of anchovy butter

mirabelle France A small, golden, cherrysized variety of plum, Prunus insititia, very popular as a dessert fruit in Europe, also the alcoholic liqueur made from the same. Also called golden gage

mirasol Spain Sunflower mirchi South Asia Chilli peppers

mirepoix England, France A mixture of rough cut aromatic vegetables used as a bed on which to braise meats and to flavour sauces. Often browned in fat in the oven before use. mirin Japan A sweet rice wine used almost exclusively for cooking and not classed as an alcoholic drink. Used in basting sauces to give food a translucent glaze. A wellflavoured sweet sherry with a little extra sugar may be substituted. Also called

honmirin, Japanese sherry, sweet sake mirliton 1. Choko 2. France A small almond-

flavoured pastry cake from Normandy miroton France A dish of boiled beef warmed

up with an onion and mustard sauce. Also called boeuf miroton

mirride odoroso Italy Sweet cicely mirtilli Italy Bilberries

mirto Italy, Spain Myrtle

mirto holandés Spain Bog myrtle

mirugai Japan A gaper clam, Tressus keenae, around 14 cm across and 9 cm thick with a large projecting syphon, The syphon is skinned and used for sushi, sashimi and sunomono but is very chewy. The rest is also eaten but is has a poor flavour. Also called mirukui

mirukui Japan Mirugai

mischen Germany To mix or blend mischiare Italy To mix or blend

Mischling Austria A hard scalded-curd strong-flavoured mountain cheese made from cows’ milk coagulated with a natural lactic starter. The paste contains a few irregular shaped holes and cracks but the rind is dry, hard and unbroken.

mise en place England, France The collection, weighing and preparation of all ingredients for a recipe before it is assembled and cooked (NOTE: Literally ‘putting into place’. It is an essential in a commercial kitchen and will save time in a domestic situation.)

miser’s feast Wales A very simple traditional dish from 19th-century Carmarthenshire consisting of peeled potatoes and sliced onions seasoned, covered with a piece or slices of bacon, a small amount of water added and all covered with a lid and simmered until the potatoes are cooked and most of the water absorbed. The potatoes and onions were mashed with a little of the liquid for one meal and the bacon eaten with boiled potatoes the next day.

Mish Egypt A soft buffalo milk cheese which is kept for up to a year in salted buttermilk

mishkaki East Africa Beef kebabs in which the beef has been marinated for several hours in a mixture of ginger, tomato, garlic, tamarind paste, curry powder and seasoning processed in a mixture of oil and water. Popular all along the coast.

miso Japan A dark brown salty paste tasting rather like soya sauce. It is made by a two step fermentation first producing koji from grains or beans then fermenting the koji mixed with mashed, well cooked soya beans and salt, stirring at intervals. It is aged for up to 3 years. Used as a flavouring and condiment. A good source of B vitamins. See also hatcho-miso, inaka-miso, shinshu-miso, shiro-miso. Also called bean paste, bean sauce

miso-dengaku Japan Grilled, skewered and coated with a sweetened miso

misoltini Italy Salted and dried agoni. Also called missoltitti

miso-ni Japan Cooked in miso

miso-ramen Japan A white curly noodle containing the cream coloured miso

miso-shiru Japan A traditional soup made from kombu and shiitake mushrooms simmered in dashi and finished with shredded spring onions, diced bean curd and red miso. It must not be boiled at the finishing stage.

Mispel Germany Medlar missoltitti Italy Misoltini misticanza Italy Mixed salad misto Italy Mixed

mistol jujube Argentinian jujube misto mare Italy Mixed fried seafood

miswa Philippines Fine white wheat flour noodles similar to hiyamugi noodles. Sold in bundles and should be cooked carefully to avoid breaking up.

mithai South Asia Indian sweetmeats made in various ways but often based on evaporated or condensed milk (khoya) and nuts. Also called methai

mitha nimboo South Asia Sweet lime

mithia tiganita Greece Cooked mussels, battered and deep-fried at 180°C. Served with lemon wedges.

mitili Italy Mussels

mititei Romania Skinless sausages flavoured with garlic and ground caraway seed and containing bicarbonate of soda which gives them an unusual texture and flavour

mitmita East Africa A hot yellow chilli pepper from Ethiopia

mitsuba Japan A herb resembling Italian parsley whose leaves are used as a garnish

mizuna greens

either chopped or whole. Also called

Japanese parsley, trefoil

Mittagessen Germany Lunch miúdos Portugal Giblets

miveh dami Central Asia An Iranian rice, meat and fruit dish, made like a risotto by frying onion and diced lamb or veal in clarified butter and adding cinnamon, sour cherries, chopped walnuts, currants, chopped dried apricots and washed basmati rice with enough water to cook on a low heat in a tightly closed pan

mix A mixture of dry ingredients to which water, milk, eggs or a combination of these is added and the result may be eaten as is, left to set, or further cooked, e.g. bread mix, soup mix, cake mix

mix, to To combine two or more ingredients so that they are intimately and irrevocably mingled

mixed grill A mixture of small portions of various grilled meats, offal, bacon, ham, sausage together with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, served as a main meal or breakfast dish

mixed herbs Mixtures of dried herbs supplied for flavouring, often proprietary brands formulated for different applications such as sausages and the like

mixed salad An assortment of raw or cooked vegetables, leaves, fruit, cheese, sometimes with cooked fish, shellfish, meat, offal or egg assembled together as a single dish of attractive appearance and treated or served with a suitable dressing. Served warm or cool.

mixed spice Mixtures of ground spices supplied for flavouring, often proprietary brands formulated for various cakes, biscuits, desserts, etc.

mixed vegetable soup See potage paysanne mixer Any hand-operated or machine operated implement used for mixing ingredients ranging from a simple spoon to a complex food processor. See also whisk, food

processor, blender

Mizithra Greece A Ricotta-like cheese made from the whey remaining after conventional cheese making with ewes’ milk

mizu Japan Water

mizuna Japan A bitter leaf used as a herb mizuna greens An annual or biennial oriental

brassica, Brassica rapa var. nipposinica, with dark green, glossy, almost feathery leaves with white stems which form large rosettes rather like endive but not bitter. They may be eaten at any stage of growth up to 10 weeks and are cooked as a vegetable or the young tender leaves used in salads.

m’jadarah

m’jadarah Middle East Sliced onions fried until crisp in olive oil, most removed and drained and reserved, cooked lentils and rice added to the leftover oil and onions with cinnamon, allspice and pepper and cooked until dry. Served covered with the reserved crisp fried onions.

mjölk Sweden Milk

mjuka småfranska Sweden Soft bread rolls mkate mayai East Africa A light wheat flour pancake wrapped around fried eggs and fried minced meat, from Kenya. Also called

egg-bread

mkate wa ufute East Africa A type of flat bread from Zanzibar made with a yeast raised flour batter (equal parts of milk and water), fried in oil like a pancake and sprinkled with sesame seeds

moa luau United States A Hawaiian dish of diced boiled chicken mixed with cooked taro leaves, butter and seasoning

moambé sauce Central Africa A sauce made from palm nuts boiled in water until the skin comes off, drained, mashed into a pulp, mixed with water and strained through a sieve to remove skin and kernels. The pulp and oil are then cooked until thick to make the sauce. Used as a base for many soups and stews. Also called nyembwe sauce, palm butter

moa niu United States A Hawaiian dish of boiled chicken in a white sauce placed in a halved coconut shell still containing coconut flesh, covered in cooking foil and baked in a bain-marie in the oven

mocetta, la Italy 1. A large salami 2. Dried salted chamois or goat flesh served in very thin slices as an antipasto

Mocha A strongly flavoured coffee. The word is also used for a mixture of coffee and chocolate flavours used for cakes and puddings and sometimes the cake itself. mochi Japan Steamed glutinous rice pounded to a smooth paste and made into small sweet or savoury cakes or dumplings. May be

grilled and served with soya sauce. mochi-gome Japan A very small grain

glutinous rice. Used to make mochi cakes. mochiko Japan Ground mochi-gome used as

a thickening agent

mochomos Mexico Cooked, shredded and crisply fried meat

mock crab England Chopped hard-boiled egg and egg yolk mixed with grated red Leicester cheese and shredded cooked chicken breast bound with a mixture of cooked egg yolk, mustard, anchovy essence, butter and pepper. Rested, then presented on crab shell and garnished as for dressed crab.

mock cream A creamed mixture of fat and sugar, mixed with a corn flour thickened milk-based white sauce. Used as a cake filling especially in the UK during World War II.

mock hollandaise See Dutch sauce

mock turtle soup England Soup made from stock derived from calf’s head, aromatic vegetables and turtle herbs, strained, thickened and coloured brown, garnished with diced lean meat from the calf’s head

moda, à Portugal In the style of moda di, alla Italy In the style of

mode, à la 1. France In the fashion 2. United States Served with a scoop of ice cream 3. France With carrots, onions and a calf’s foot braised in wine. Used of beef dishes.

mode de, à la France In the style of moderne, à la France In the modern style, i.e.

garnished with cauliflower sprigs coated with cheese sauce, tomatoes and duchesse potatoes

moelle France Bone marrow

moelle, sauce France Bordelaise sauce finished with poached and diced bone marrow and chopped parsley

moeum spey sar Cambodia Mooli

mofo South Africa The traditional bread of Madagascar, usually baguette-shaped

Moghul masala A mild Indian spice blend containing green cardamoms, cinnamon, black peppercorns, mace and cloves

mo gwa China Bitter gourd

mohali mandarin Ponkan mandarin mohingha Burma A spicy fish soup based on

coconut milk with local vegetables, served with noodles, hard-boiled eggs, raw onions, chillies and lemon. The national dish of Burma.

mohi shekumpour Central Asia A large fish, slashed and marinated in lemon juice and oil, the cavity stuffed with chopped spring onions and herbs mixed with some of the marinade, and baked at 190°C for about 45 minutes. From Iran.

moh lung ye baw Burma Small flour and grated coconut dumplings filled with jaggery and cooked in a sauce based on coconut milk. Eaten to celebrate the cutting of a baby’s first tooth, which meant it had survived the first hazardous months of life. Also called teething cake

Mohnbrötchen Germany Poppy seed rolls Mohnkipfel Germany Poppy seed crescent

rolls

Mohnkuchen Austria, Germany A cake made from a base of white yeast-raised dough topped with a sweet rich mixture containing

poppy seeds. Served in pieces dredged with icing sugar.

Mohnsamen Germany Poppy seed

Mohnspielen Germany Christmas bread soaked in milk and sprinkled with poppy seeds, currants and sugar

Mohnstriezel Germany Poppy seed cake made from a yeasted egg and butter enriched stiff dough, rolled in a ball, submerged 5 to 8 cm below cold water and left until it rises above the surface; dried, punched down and kneaded and allowed to prove; rolled into a 6 mm thick rectangle about 25 by 40 cm and covered with a filling of ground poppy seeds, raisins and almond nibs (5:3:1), mixed with an egg yolkenriched and sweetened béchamel with stiffly beaten egg whites folded in at the end; then brushed with melted butter. The rectangle is rolled from either short side like palmiers and baked seam side down at 190°C until golden brown and crusty.

Möhre Germany Carrot

Mohrenkopf Germany A Genoese sponge cooked in hemispherical moulds. Two placed together with a chocolate filling and covered with whipped cream. (NOTE: Literally ‘Moor’s head’.)

Mohr im Hemd Austria A chocolate pudding topped with ice cold whipped cream and covered with hot chocolate sauce (NOTE: Literally ‘Moor in a shirt’.)

Mohrrüben Germany Carrots

moilee South Asia A dish of fish or meat containing thick coconut milk in the sauce. See also molee

moi-moi West Africa A dish based on blackeyed peas, soaked, skinned and ground. See also moyin-moyin

moisten, to To add a little liquid to a dry mixture of foods so as to soften or flavour it, but not so as to be able to see free liquid moist sugar United States Muscovado sugar moixama Catalonia Thinly sliced, dried and

cured, e.g. of fish or meat

mojama Catalonia Thinly sliced, dried and cured. Used e.g. of fish or meat.

mojettes France White cooked haricot beans, eaten warm or cold as a salad

moka France Mocha

moke-kaung Burma Ridged sand clam

Mokka Germany Mocha

molahu kozhambhu South Asia A wellseasoned and spiced soup made with yoghurt, coconut, lentils and tamarind thickened with a little rice flour

molasses The thick brown drainings from raw and recrystallized sugars which is a complex

mølja

mixture of sugar, invert sugar and other plant derived components and minerals. Cane sugar molasses are used to produce treacle. Beet sugar molasses contains too many bitter and astringent beet compounds to be palatable.

molasses sugar A fine grained unrefined sugar containing a large admixture of molasses so that it is very soft. Used in cakes and puddings.

Molbo Denmark An Edam-type cows’ milk cheese covered in red wax

mold United States Mould

Moldavia Russia A hard smoked scaldedcurd ewes’ milk cheese made in the form of a cylinder (up to 25 kg). Contains 42% water, 31% fat and 25% protein.

mole Mexico As mole poblano, but with added tomatoes, thickened with tortillas and sweetened with raisins. Also called molli

moleas de vitela Portugal Veal sweetbreads moleche Italy Small shore crabs cultivated in the Venice lagoon and eaten just after they have shed their shells and before the new

shells have hardened

moleche alla muranese Italy Moleche floured, egged and fried

moleche ripiene Italy Moleche, killed by being left in beaten egg for 2 hours, then floured and fried

molee South Asia A dish of fish or meat containing thick coconut milk in the sauce which is usually made from sweated onions, garlic, chillies and fresh ginger with spices to which the coconut milk is added. The fish or meat are then cooked in this sauce without boiling. Also called moilee

mole poblana con guajalote Mexico Boiled turkey served with mole or mole poblano sauce

mole poblano Mexico A sauce made from deseeded chile poblano puréed and fried with onion, coriander and garlic and combined with a small amount of unsweetened chocolate. Individual cooks may add other chillies for their own special flavour.

moler Spain To grind molho Portugal A bunch

môlho Portugal 1. Gravy 2. Sauce môlho branco Portugal White sauce môlho de maças Portugal Apple sauce

mølja Norway Cod steaks boiled in water and served with sliced, cold, boiled cod’s roe and a sauce made from boiled cod’s liver heated with onion and water and the oil which floats on the top of the water in which the liver is boiled

moll de roca

moll de roca Spain Red mullet, Mullus surmuletus

molle, molletto Italy 1. Soft 2. Soft-boiled mollejas Spain Sweetbreads

mollet France Soft or soft-boiled, especially of eggs

molletto Italy Molle

molli A sauce made from deseeded chile poblano. See also mole, mole poblano

mollica Italy Crumb

molls a la brasa Catalonia Red mullet cooked over an open flame

mollusc The general term for a creature with a soft body and a hard either external or internal shell, but which is not segmented. Many molluscs live in the sea. Molluscs are divided into univalves (gastropods) with a single solid external shell, bivalves which have a hinged two part external shell and the cephalopods, some of which have an internal shell.

molluschi Italy Molluscs mollusk United States Mollusc

molohia Egypt A thick green soup made by boiling finely chopped meloukhia leaves (or spinach beet if not available) in stock and adding chopped garlic and ground coriander seeds fried in butter. Sometimes named after the vegetable.

molokhia A plant related to okra. See also meloukhia

moloko Russia Milk

molt fet Catalonia Well done. Used of meat. molto cotto Italy Well done, cooked through molva occhiona Italy Ling, the fish momendofu, momentofu Japan Bean curd

which has been strained through cloth, slightly pressed and presented in cubes or similar

momiji-oroshi Japan A mixture of finely grated mooli and red chillies served wet as a condiment or dry after expelling the juice through a cloth. The juice may be used for flavouring other dishes. The grating of the chillies is achieved by inserting the long red variety into holes pierced in the mooli then grating the combination.

Momordica charantia Botanical name The bitter gourd

Momordica cochiniensis Botanical name

The spiny bitter gourd

Momordica muricata Botanical name

Kantola

Monarda didyma Botanical name The herb bergamot

Monascus purpureus A fungus used in addition to the alcohol producing microorganism to impart a purplish red

colour to the rice which is used to make angkak or rice wine. See also red rice

mondé(e) France 1. Hulled. from monder, ‘to hull’. 2. Formed into a round ball shape e.g. when a tomato is cored and skinned

mondeghili Italy Meatballs from Lombardy made with minced beef and cheese then panéed and fried

Mondseer Austria A semi-hard, cooked-curd cows’ milk cheese made with a lactic starter. The cheeses are brined then ripened for up to 8 weeks. The supple yellow paste contains small irregular holes and is enclosed in a thin dry rind. The taste varies from mild to piquant depending on age.

mongete Spain Dried kidney bean. Also called monguete

mongetes tendres i patates Catalonia

French beans and potatoes

mongo-ika Japan Cuttlefish strips used for flavouring stocks and soups

Mongolian barbecue An upwardly convex domed steel plate set over a fierce heat source and usually with a gutter round the edge. Finely chopped foods (often self selected by the guest) are cooked rapidly on the plate in small quantities. Said to be derived from the upturned shield on which Mongolian horsemen cooked their food. Also called Genghis Khan griddle

Mongolian fire-pot See Mongolian hot pot

Mongolian hot pot A large pot with a funnel through the middle somewhat like a ring mould, and with a burner below which uses the funnel as a flue. Food is cooked at the table, possibly a stew or a stock into which finely sliced raw meat is briefly dipped as in flying lamb slices. Also called Mongolian fire pot

monguete Spain Dried kidney bean mong yau China Caul

monkey bread 1. Baobab 2. United States A sweet bread made by placing separate pieces of dough at random into a bread tin and baking. The bread may be enriched and flavoured.

monkey nut Peanut

monkfish 1. A round seawater fish, Lophius piscatorius, with a large ugly head and very fine-tasting white tail flesh often used as a substitute for scampi. The whole tail can be roasted like a leg of lamb. The fish can grow up to 2 m in length and 30 kg, but is usually sold smaller. It is found in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Also called anglerfish, goosefish 2. A name sometimes given to the angel fish, a type of shark

monk’s hotchpotch See ghiveci cǎlugǎresc

Monmouth pudding Wales A pudding made with soft white breadcrumbs, sugar, butter and strawberry jam into which beaten egg whites are folded and all baked together

món ngôi Vietnam A cold dish of food monoacetin See glycerol monoacetate

Monoatriumglutamat Germany Monosodium glutamate

monopotassium glutamate See E622 monosaccharide A simple sugar consisting of

a 6-membered ring structure. The important monosaccharides in food are glucose, fructose and galactose which in various combinations form most of the sugars, starches and carbohydrates found in food.

monosodium glutamate The white crystalline sodium salt of the amino acid, glutamic acid, a constituent of proteins now produced by fermentation. It has a distinctive meaty taste in itself but is used to enhance the flavour of other foods especially in Chinese cooking and in convenience foods. See also E621. Also called MSG, aji-no-moto, taste powder, gourmet powder, ve tsin

monounsaturated As polyunsaturated but only one carbon atom has less than two hydrogen atoms or other groups attached monounsaturated fat A fat or oil which contains a single unsaturated (i.e. double) bond in the chain of carbon atoms which make up the fatty acid part. Olive oil is the

commonest example.

monsieur France Monsieur fromage monsieur fromage France A small double

cream cows’ milk cheese from Normandy with a strong flavour and in the shape of a tall cylinder. Also called monsieur

monstera deliciosa The fruit of a tropical tree, Monstera deliciosa, with a green scaly skin about the size of a large maize cob. The ripe pulpy flesh is white and has a strong flavour similar to that of pineapples and bananas. Also called ceriman

Montasio Italy A hard, cooked-curd wheelshaped (up to 15 kg) cows’ milk cheese made with a whey starter, pressed, salted 10 days, brined for 7 days and ripened for 6 to 12 months and varies from a dessert cheese to a grating cheese as it ages. Resembles Asiago.

montata Italy Whipped

Mont Blanc France A dessert of sweetened chestnut purée topped with whipped cream monté, to The shortened anglicization of monter au beurre, meaning to add butter to a sauce before service to enrich, thicken and

gloss it

Monte Bianco Italy As Mont Blanc, with chocolate and rum

mooli

Montecenisio France, Italy A soft blue cheese made with cows’ milk possibly mixed with goats’ milk from the region west of Turin monter France To increase the volume of an ingredient by whipping to incorporate air monter au beurre England, France To add butter to a sauce at the last moment to give it

a sheen

Monterey Jack United States A scalded-curd bland Cheddar-like cows’ milk cheese made in dessert, semi-hard or grating textures depending on the ripening time. The grating version is known as Dry Jack. Originally from Monterey, California.

Montia perfoliata Botanical name Winter purslane

Montmorency, à la France 1. Dishes dedicated to the Montmorency family especially various cakes and sweet and savoury dishes containing Montmorency cherries 2. Garnished, especially steaks, with artichokes, carrots, potatoes and sometimes with Madeira sauce

Montmorency cherry A particularly prized variety of cherry used in many sweet and savoury dishes

Montoire France A mild, pleasant-tasting goats’ milk cheese from the Loire

montone Italy Mutton

Montpellier butter This butter without the oil and egg yolks is sometimes chilled and cut into decorative shapes for cold buffets. See also beurre de Montpellier

Montpensier, garnish France A steak garnish of artichokes, asparagus, truffles and potatoes

Montrachet France A small, delicate and creamy goats’ milk cheese made in the shape of a small cylinder and wrapped in grape or chestnut leaves

montreuil France With peaches

Montreuil Germany Fish poached in white wine and served with potatoes and shrimp sauce

Montrose cakes Scotland Self-raising flour, caster sugar, butter, eggs and currants (4:4:4:4:3) made up by the creaming method, flavoured with brandy, rose water and nutmeg and baked in buttered bun tins at 190°C for 10 to 15 minutes

Montségur France A bland cows’ milk cheese from Languedoc-Roussillon

monzittas Italy Snails (Sardinia) moo Thailand Pork

moolee South Asia Cooked in a coconut sauce

mooli South Asia The long white tubers of a species of radish, Raphanus sativus, with a similar and sometimes hotter taste. Up to 40