A Dictionary of Food

moong dal

cm long and eaten raw, pickled or cooked. Also called Japanese radish, white radish, giant white radish, mouli, muli, daikon

moong dal Mung bean

moong ke dal South Asia Dehusked and split mung beans

moongphali South Asia Peanut moon sin China Eel

moorcock See grouse, black grouse moorfowl See grouse, black grouse moorkoppen Netherlands Filled tarts piled

high with whipped cream (NOTE: Literally ‘Moors’ heads’.)

Moor’s head Edam

Moors’ heads United States As Mohrenkopf, but with various fillings and coverings

Moosbeere Germany Cranberry

moose A large wild herbivore, Alces americana, from the north of Canada. The membrane around the muscles gives the flesh a gamey flavour and should be removed before cooking. Marinating is recommended.

moo shu zoh China A pancake rolled around a filling of chopped pork stir-fried with spring onions, cloud ear fungus and eggs

mo qua China Fuzzy melon mora Italy, Spain Blackberry mora di gelso Italy Mulberry morango Portugal See strawberry

Moravsky bochník syr Czech Republic A cows’ milk cheese similar to Emmental

Moray eel A warm seawater fish, Muraena helena, with a brown and fawn mottled skin. It is up to 1.5 m in length, has excellent flesh although with many bones and is suitable for poaching or boiling.

morbidelle Italy Tiny dumplings used to garnish soup

Morbier A hard cows’ milk cheese from Franche-Comté with a delicate flavour. The milk is treated with a lactic starter, coagulated with rennet and the curd, drained, pressed, brined and ripened for 2 to 3 months. Before brining, the cylinder of immature cheese is cut in half horizontally with a knife dipped in soot to give a characteristic black line when it is finally cut in wedges.

mørbrad Denmark Tenderloin of pork, i.e. that muscle corresponding to the fillet of beef

morceau France A small portion

morcela Portugal The Portuguese version of boudin noir

Morchel Germany Morel morchella Italy Morel

Morchella esculenta Botanical name Morel

morcilla Spain The Spanish version of boudin noir from Asturia. Also called boudin Asturien morcilla blanca Spain A boudin blanc made with chicken meat and hard-boiled eggs morcilla negra Spain A boudin noir from Andalusia made from pig’s blood, minced

almonds, sweet peppers and parsley more Italy Blackberries

morel The fruiting body of a highly prized wild fungus, Morchella esculenta, the commonest of the Morchellaceae, all of which are edible. It has an erect brownish fruit body with deep pits surrounded by irregular ridges 3 to 10 cm high and 3 to 7 cm in diameter, attached to a whitish stem which thickens towards the base. It must be washed carefully to remove grit and dirt from the pits. Available dried, fresh or canned. Also called common morel

morello cherry The best cooking variety of cherry, almost black in colour and slightly tart when ripe

morena Spain Moray eel

Moreton Bay bug Australia Sand lobster morgen complet Denmark Full breakfast morgenmad Denmark Breakfast

Morgenrot Germany A chicken broth with tomato purée and pieces of chicken meat (NOTE: Literally ‘dawn’.)

morgh shekumpour Central Asia Iranian roast chicken stuffed with a mixture of chopped prunes, sultanas, dried apricots and chopped apple, flavoured with cinnamon and brown sugar. Served with chelou.

moriawase Japan A celebratory display of sashimi, yakitori, or other food arranged artistically on a wooden platter and garnished

moriglione Italy Pochard, a red headed diving duck

morille France Morel, the fungus

Moringa oleifera Botanical name The drumstick bean

Moringa pterygosperma Botanical name

Drumstick vegetable

morkovka (plural morkov) Russia Carrot mörkt rågbröd Sweden Toast

Morlacco Italy A semi-hard, scalded-curd cows’ milk cheese similar to Montasio with a smooth rind and a firm paste with a few holes

mormora Italy Striped bream

Mornay, à la France With Mornay sauce Mornay, fish White fish poached in fish stock,

drained and kept warm, reduced cooking liquor added to boiling béchamel sauce, egg yolk whisked in, removed from heat, grated cheese added, seasoned, strained, butter

and cream added, fish coated with sauce and gratinated with grated cheese

Mornay, sauce England, France Cheese sauce

Moroccan spearmint See spearmint moroko South Africa Equal weights of greens

(Swiss chard, spinach or similar, cleaned and chopped) and potatoes. The greens are placed in the bottom of the pan with chicken stock and the potatoes on top so that they are steamed. More stock or water is added as required until the potatoes are tender then all are mashed together. From the highland regions where potatoes can be grown.

Morón Spain A mild and delicate white cheese made from a variety of milks in the Seville region and often consumed within 24 hours of production. If kept longer it is steeped in olive oil and rubbed with paprika.

moros y cristianos Caribbean A Cuban dish of black eyed beans and long-grain rice cooked and mixed together with fried finely diced onion and garlic (NOTE: Literally ‘Moors and Christians’.)

morötter Sweden Carrots morozhenoe Russia Ice cream

mortadella Italy The original Bologna sausage, noted for its size and dating from the 12th century if not before. The composition is variable but the best contain only pork, garlic and seasoning. Cheaper ones may contain in addition, veal, tripe, donkey and spices, etc. All are ground to a fine paste and stuffed into pig’s or beef bladders, boiled and hung up to dry for a few days.

mortadella di campotosta Italy A type of mortadella with a cylinder of bacon through the centre

mortadelle France A version of mortadella made from pork, salt pork fat and fresh pork fat, soaked in wine and smoked

mortar The round ceramic, stone or steel bowl in which food is placed to be broken down by the pestle. See also pestle and mortar

mortella Italy Myrtle

mortella di palude Italy Cranberry mortifier France To hang meat or game

mortpølse Norway A sausage made from a mixture of beef, mutton and reindeer meat

morue France Cod, also used for salt cod

morue salée France Salt cod

Morus nigra Botanical name Mulberry

Morven Scotland A soft cows’ milk cheese with a yellow rind from Scotland made into square blocks. It is similar to Butterkäse and like that cheese is flavoured with caraway seeds.

moth bean

morwong Australia A perch-like fish, Nemadactylus family, sometimes called and sold as sea bream because of a superficial resemblance. It is found from New South Wales along the south coast to Western Australia and Tasmania. It has a grey back and a silver underside and grows to 4 kg. They are reasonably cheap, have a moist flesh with medium-sized flakes and can be cooked in any fashion. Also called queen snapper, sea bream

mosbolletjie South Africa A sweetish bun, eaten fresh or dried like a rusk, often flavoured with aniseed

moscardino bianco Italy Curled octopus moscovita Italy A rich dessert mousse moscovite, sauce England, France Poivrade

sauce made with venison stock and finished at the last minute with a sweet fortified wine infused with juniper berries, soaked and plump currants and toasted pine nuts or chopped almonds

mosede kartofler Denmark Mashed potatoes moskovitaeg Denmark Egg mayonnaise Moskovski Russia A hard cows’ milk cheese

with a good flavour matured for 3 to 4 months

moss curled endive See endive moss curled parsley Parsley mossel Netherlands Mussel (blue)

Mosslands saddle of lamb England A boned and skinned saddle of lamb with the bone replaced by a pork fillet, the whole seasoned, rolled, tied and roasted in the oven at 180°C for about 70 minutes per kg or until cooked

mostacciolo Italy A rich fruit cake with almonds, chocolate and candied fruit

mostarda Italy, Portugal Mustard

mostarda di Cremona Italy A mixture of fruits preserved in a mustard-flavoured sugar syrup served with boiled meats. Also called mostarda di frutta

mostarda di frutta Italy Mostarda di Cremona mostaza Spain Mustard

mostelle France Three-bearded rockling, the fish

mosterd Netherlands Mustard

mosto Italy Unfermented grape juice, must Motal Russia A salty ewes’ or cows’ milk

cheese from the Caucasus matured in brine for 3 to 4 months

motella Italy Three-bearded rockling, the fish moth bean One of the most recently domesticated legumes, Phaseolus aconitifolius, which is very drought-resistant and is grown in India for its green or black

seeds

mother

mother The name often given to a undefined mass of microorganisms, yeasts, bacteria, etc. which are used to start a fermentation mother of vinegar The whitish flora which grows on the surface of naturally brewed

vinegar used as a starter for vinegar moti sonf South Asia Fennel

mouclade France A mussel stew with a white wine and cream sauce thickened with egg yolks

moudre France To grind moufflon See mouflon

mouflon England, France A wild sheep originally from Corsica but now the name applies to all large horned wild sheep. Also called moufflon, muflon

mouhalabiah North Africa Sweetened milk thickened with rice flour or puréed soft rice and flavoured with orange flower water. Served as a cold sweet.

mould 1. A hollow container of metal, ceramic, glass or plastic in which liquids are placed so as to set and take up the shape of the mould. Used for jellies, blanc-mange and a variety of solid foods set in aspic. 2. The fungi which grow on the surface of food left exposed to ambient conditions. Often moulds are not noticed until the fruiting bodies appear. These are usually either a white coating or a furry white, grey or green growth, both of which grow outwards from the original inoculating spore. Some moulds are deliberately encouraged as on the surface of Camembert and in blue cheeses where they are deliberately introduced into the centre by needling. Mould growth is also important in many fermented foods such as soya sauce and tempeh. Very few moulds are toxic and many have antibiotic (antibacterial) properties.

mould, to To form into a desired shape either by hand or in a mould

moule France 1. Mould for jellies, etc. 2. Mussel

moule à gateaux France Cake tin

moule à manqué France A deep cake tin with outward sloping sides. This facilitates icing or coating the sides of cakes baked in it.

moule à tarte France 1. Pie plate 2. Flan dish moules à la marinière France Moules

marinière

moules à l’escargot Belgium Mussels, stuffed and prepared to look like snails

moules marinière England, France Cleaned and debearded mussels cooked in a deep closed pan with dry white wine, chopped onion, chopped parsley and seasoning. When the mussels open they are served with the cooking liquor. Any which do not open

must be discarded. Also called moules à la marinière

moules poulettes France Mussels presented in timbales with creamed mushrooms, parsley and lemon sauce

mouli 1. France A hand-operated food mill for puréeing soft food or slicing raw vegetables consisting of various perforated discs over and through which food is forced by rotating blades operated via a cranked handle 2. See mooli

mountain ash 1. Rowanberry 2. United States Various trees, Sorbus americana and S. scopulina, with larger fruit similar to the rowan, with berries used in the same way.

mountain cheese Bergkäse

mountain chicken Caribbean 1. Crapaud 2.

Frog’s legs

mountain cranberry Cowberry mountain grouse Ptarmigan mountain ham See jamón serrano mountain hollyhock Wasabi mountain oysters Prairie oysters

mountain pepper Australia The commonest Australian pepper grows on a small bush,

Tasmania lanceolata, in Tasmania and Victoria. The leaves and the berry have an aromatic taste followed a few seconds later by the heat of the pepper. The leaves are usually dried and ground and used in the same way as pepper.

mountain pepper bread Australia Bread flavoured with mountain pepper added to the flour at the rate of 1 teaspoon (6 ml) per kg of flour. Also called high country bread

mountain spinach Orach

mountain yam A temperate climate variety of yam, Dioscorea japonica, which grows in Japan. It has a gluey texture and is often grated and used as a binder.

mousaka Greece Moussaka

mousetrap cheese United Kingdom Various types of bland tasteless Cheddar-type cheese imported from different countries and occasionally from British commercial cheese makers. Only suitable for baiting mousetraps. (colloquial)

mousquetaire, sauce France Mayonnaise flavoured with chopped onion or shallot which has been simmered in dry white wine. Served cold. (NOTE: Literally ‘musketeer’s sauce’)

moussaka England, Greece Alternating layers of partially cooked and flavoured minced lamb and fried aubergine slices in a deep dish, topped with a béchamel sauce or a yoghurt, eggs and cheese mixture, flavoured with nutmeg, gratinated with breadcrumbs and cheese and baked in the oven. Served

with salad and pitta bread. Also called mousaka

mousse England, France A flavoured egg mixture or purée of fruit, vegetables, fish or shellfish into which whisked egg whites and whipped cream are folded to make a stiff foam, this poured into a mould, set and demoulded. Gelatine may be used in the base mix as a setting agent or the mousse may be frozen. Served as a cold dessert, as a starter or sometimes used as a filling for fish paupiettes, etc.

mousse de foie gras France As pâté de foie gras but need contain only 55% or more of goose liver, almost as good as the pâté but will melt if heated

mousseline France A small individually served sweet or savoury mousse

mousseline, sauce England, France

Hollandaise sauce mixed with whipped double cream prior to serving. Used with asparagus, broccoli and poached fish, chicken and egg dishes. Sometimes called sauce chantilly.

mousse perlée d’Irlande France Carragheen mousseron France St George’s mushroom,

meadow mushroom

mousseuse, sauce France A type of compound butter made by whisking the juice of half a lemon, 16 g of salt and 800 ml of cream into a litre of softened butter which is then chilled and sliced for use with boiled fish

moutabel A purée dip similar to hummus-bi- tahina, made with aubergine. See also mutabbal

moutarde France Mustard

moutarde, sauce France Mustard sauce moutarde de Meaux France A whole grain

mustard made from a mixture of mustard seeds with their husks

moutarde extra-forte France English mustard

moutarde forte France English mustard mouton France Sheep, mutton

mowra butter South Asia A soft yellow oil extracted from the seeds of the Indian butter tree. Used locally for cooking and exported for margarine manufacture. Also called bassia fat, illipe butter

moyashi Japan Bean sprouts

moyin-moyin West Africa Soaked and skinned black-eyed peas, partially cooked, are ground to a thick paste and oil added if preferred. Dried shrimp powder, tomatoes, onion, chilli pepper and seasoning are processed and mixed with the bean paste, which can then be steamed in banana-leaf parcels or baked in muffin tins at 200°C. All

muaba nsusu

sorts of additional ingredients are added to the mixture according to the cook’s fancy. Also called moi-moi

Mozzarella Italy A soft pale spun-curd cheese made from buffalo or cows’ milk eaten very fresh. Formed into a round or pear shape and often stored in brine. Used for pizzas, lasagne and in salads. It becomes characteristically stringy when cooked. Contains 55 to 65% water, 18 to 20% fat and 16 to 21% protein.

Mozzarella affumicata Italy A smoked Mozzarella cheese

Mozzarella di bufala Italy A Mozzarella cheese made with pure buffalo milk and given legal protection. Also called Trecce di bufala

mozzarella in carrozza Italy A fried sandwich filled with Mozzarella cheese

MRM See mechanically recovered meat

mrouziya North Africa A Moroccan tagine made from middle neck of lamb rubbed with ras el hanout, powdered saffron, cinnamon and seasoning, simmered with blanched almonds, onions, butter and a little water and finished with raisins and honey about 30 minutes before serving

mruziyya North Africa A sweet-and-sour tagine from Morocco made with mutton, raisins, lemon, almonds and spices in a thick brown sauce. Reputed to last for up to a month without refrigeration.

MSG See monosodium glutamate mtindi East Africa Buttermilk or cream

mtori 1. East Africa A thick Tanzanian soup from the Kilimanjaro region made from plantains, onions and tomatoes simmered in a strong beef stock until tender. This is then all mashed together and finished with butter. Sometimes meat that has been cooked to make the broth is removed from the bones, chopped into small pieces and added to the soup. 2. West Africa A sort of mash made from boneless meat browned and boiled to which are added plantains, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, chilli pepper and seasoning. When all is soft the mixture, less the meat, is mashed or processed, the chopped meat is returned and finally coconut milk or butter is added before service.

muaba nsusu Central Africa A chicken and peanut butter soup from Angola and the two Congos. The chicken meat is removed from the bones after cooking and mixed with the soup made from the chicken broth thickened with tomato purée and peanut butter. Usually, chopped onions sautéed in palm oil are added.

muaddas

muaddas Persian Gulf A type of risotto made with well-washed brown or green lentils, chopped onion and oil or clarified butter but with water in place of stock and wine

muamba de galinha Central Africa Chicken, marinated in lemon juice, browned in oil, cooked with onions, chilli pepper and tomatoes and towards the end with aubergine or squash. Finally moambé sauce and okra are added and all cooked until tender. From Angola.

mucca Italy Cow

Mucor A class of white moulds which grow on foods

Mucor pusillus A microorganism used for the production of a protease used in curdling milk for cheese production. Acceptable to vegetarians.

mud crab A dull green crab, Scylla serrata, growing up to 2 kg in weight and found throughout Southeast Asia in shallow muddy water. The claw meat is especially prized.

mudgeon Mesentery

mudjemeri Turkey Very similar to kadin budu köfte, but mutton finely minced and made into small balls fried in mutton fat

mu er China Cloud ear fungus

muesli A mixture of raw or semi-processed and dry cereals with dried vine fruits, chopped nuts, bran, sugar and chopped dried fruit, used as a breakfast cereal and eaten uncooked. Typical cereals used are wheat, rye, barley and oat flakes as well as others less common.

muffin 1. England A yeast-raised dough made with strong flour, milk, a little semolina and salt, rolled out and cut in 8 cm rounds, proven and cooked on a griddle or hot plate for about 7 minutes each side until golden brown 2. United States A baking powder raised sweet sponge mix baked in deep patty tins to a soft doughy consistency. Sometimes flavoured with fresh or dried fruit, glacé cherries, honey or maple syrup.

muflon England Mouflon

mugicha Japan Roasted barley made into a tea which is very popular as an iced drink in summer

mugwort A wild perennial herb, Artemesia vulgaris, originally used in place of hops. The crushed dried leaves may be sprinkled on fatty meats and poultry prior to roasting. See also white mugwort

muhamara Middle East Red chilli pepper blended with a little water, olive oil, ground walnuts and a few stale breadcrumbs, allspice, ground cumin, salt and pomegranate (or lemon) juice until a smooth paste. Chilled and garnished with chopped

parsley and served as a mezze dish. Also called garmerong

muhammar Persian Gulf Parboiled long-grain rice drained and mixed with sugar or honey (1:6 on uncooked rice) and poured over molten butter in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. A mixture of rose water infused with saffron and cardamom seeds is poured over and the pot sealed and cooked over a low heat for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is cooked and has absorbed all the liquid. Served with meat or fish.

muhennettu Finland Stewed muhennos Finland Stew muik Korea Kombu

muikku Finland A tiny white fish similar to whitebait

mui kwai cheung China A sausage from Hong Kong made from a mixture of lean and fat pork, soya sauce, rosé wine, salt and sugar

mújol Spain Grey mullet

muk bampound Cambodia Squid

muki goma Japan Hulled sesame seeds muktuk Canada The tough outer flesh of

whales used by the Inuit people of Canada as food

mulard France A modern crossbred duck bred for the table and its liver. It is fleshier and leaner than the standard French breeds. mulato Mexico A large brown chilli pepper,

usually dried

mulberry The soft very perishable blackberrylike fruit of a tree, Morus nigra, which grows to about 10 m. Treat as blackberries.

mulet doré France Golden grey mullet mulet farci West Africa Mulet farci à la Saint-

Louisienne

mulet farci à la Saint-Louisienne West Africa A Senegalese dish of stuffed fish in the French style. A large 2 kg mullet is cleaned and skinned from the dorsal ridge without tearing the skin. The fish flesh is removed from the bones and mixed with soft breadcrumbs and a processed paste made from coriander, parsley, garlic, green onions and salt plus chopped tomatoes and tomato purée. This mixture is sewn back into the fish skin which is baked in the oven on a mirepoix of onions, tomatoes and chilli peppers sprinkled with thyme and oil. After baking for 25 minutes the covering is removed and fish stock poured over the vegetables and all cooked until the vegetables are soft and the fish browned. Also called dem à la Saint Louisienne, dem farci, mulet farci

mulet gris France Grey mullet muli Mooli

mülk Denmark Milk

mull, to To heat wine or beer with or without spices and sugar

mulled wine Red wine heated with a sugar syrup flavoured with cinnamon stick, bruised dried ginger, cloves and orange zest. Traditionally heated by immersing a red hot poker in the mixture.

mullet See grey mullet, red mullet, yellow eye mullet, sea mullet

mulligan stew United States Burgoo mulligatawny soup England A Victorian soup

made from pre-browned chopped onions fried in oil with curry powder and flour, stock; tomato purée, chopped apple, chutney and desiccated coconut added; simmered and skimmed for 1 hour; liquidized, strained, seasoned and consistency corrected and served with a garnish of boiled rice. An alternative uses only chicken stock, fried curry powder (mixed Indian spices) and yoghurt. (NOTE: Adapted from the Tamil milakutanni (‘pepper water’) during the British occupation of India.)

mulloway Australia A fish, Argyrosomus hololopidotus, generally from the northern waters of Australia, although it is found in all states with the exception of Tasmania. They can grow to 50 kg but average 2 to 8 kg. The flesh is white and the smaller fish make excellent eating. They are normally grey-blue above shading to a silver belly. Also called jewfish, butterfish,

multer Norway Cloudberry

mum bar Middle East A highly spiced sausage from Iraq containing lamb and rice

muna Finland Egg

muna ja pekoni Finland Eggs and bacon munakas Finland Omelette munakokkeli Finland Scrambled eggs muna kova Finland Hard-boiled eggs muna pehmeä Finland Soft-boiled eggs

Münchener Weisswurst Germany A Brühwurst made from veal and possibly beef with parsley, filled into a light coloured casing. Served steamed or grilled with sauerkraut, puréed potatoes and sweet Bavarian mustard.

munchies United Kingdom, United States 1.

Snack foods 2. The state of being peckish, hungry, e.g. to have the munchies

mung bean A small spherical green bean, Phaseolus aureus, with a white hilum, used as a source of bean sprouts, but may be eaten as a vegetable when the pod is young. Its principal use is as a pulse which is also made into a flour used in Indian cooking. If used as a pulse, it requires 8 hours soaking and long cooking. It may also be candied as

murex

a snack food or used to make a type of bean curd. Also called golden gram, moong dal, green gram, green lentil

mung bean flour Flour made from mung beans, sold natural colour or pink or green for use in making Southeast Asian sweetmeats

mung dal South Asia Dehusked and split mung beans

mungerela South Asia Nigella munk Sweden Doughnut munkar Sweden Dumplings

munna juusto Finland A delicately flavoured golden-coloured cheese made from cows’ milk mixed with eggs

Münster France, Germany A soft yellow, surface-ripened cows’ milk cheese with an orange-red rind from Alsace. It uses a lactic starter and has an open textured delicately flavoured paste with some cracks. It has a recorded history going back to the 7th century. The German variety is milder than the French. Traditionally served with Gewürztraminer and a bowl of cumin seeds. The French version has appellation d’origine status.

mun sum palung Thailand Cassava munthari berry Australia Muntries

muntries Australia A pea-sized fruit from a low growing plant, Kunzia pomifera, that tastes like a cross between Granny Smith apples and sultanas. Their reddish green colour changes to a dull brown on cooking. They are used like dried vine fruits in pies, cakes and biscuits. Also called munthari berry

muòi Vietnam Salt

murag Middle East A meat and vegetable sauce from Iraq (NOTE: Literally ‘sauce’.)

Murazzano Italy A soft cheese made from a mixture of 60% ewes’ milk and 40% cows’ milk. It is formed into small cylinders (up to 400 g), dry-salted, and then washed daily for 7 days. It has no rind and a dense texture.

Mürbeteig Germany Short pastry Murbodner Austria A large (up to 15 kg) hard,

cooked-curd cows’ milk cheese resembling Emmental which is ripened for 2 months. It contains 39% water, 28% fat and 26% protein.

Murcott tangerine Honey tangerine mûre France Mulberry

mûre de ronce France Blackberry murena Italy Moray eel

murène France Moray eel

mûre sauvage France Blackberry

murex A small gastropod mollusc from the Mediterranean, the original source of the Roman imperial purple dye

murgh

murgh South Asia Chicken

murgh musallam South Asia A Pakistani dish of chicken roasted with spices

muriche Italy Murex, the shellfish murlins Alaria

Murol France A semi-hard washed-rind pressed cows’ milk cheese from the Auvergne made in 500 g discs with a hole in the centre. It has a red rind and the flavour of the paste starts off mild but gradually becomes strongly aromatic over the 7 week ripening period.

murraba tamar Middle East An Iraqi method of preparing dates. They are pitted, stuffed with halved walnuts, boiled and then left to soak in a heavy sugar syrup flavoured with lemon rind, cloves and cinnamon.

murraba tringe Middle East An Iraqi sweetmeat made from small triangles of citrus peel which are boiled in water repeatedly to remove bitterness then boiled in a heavy sugar syrup, left overnight, reboiled to 110°C, cooled and served with the syrup as a sweet

Murraya koenigii Botanical name Curry leaf

Murray river crayfish Australia A crayfish,

Euastacus armatus, with a spiny blue shell and weighing up to 2 kg

murseddu Italy A flat bread from Calabria filled with a mixture of tripe, offal, tomatoes and spices

mursiellu alla cantanzarese Italy Pork stewed in wine

murtabah South Asia A southern dish consisting of a very large pancake filled with curried meat and onions

murtabak Southeast Asia Pasties with a savoury meat and vegetable filling, fried and eaten as a snack

mus Italy Polenta, wheat flour and milk boiled to a gruel with poppy seeds and sweetened. See also farinata alla contadina

musaca Romania Moussaka topped with soured cream instead of the customary cheese sauce

musakka Turkey A type of moussaka made with layers of fried sliced aubergine, fried onions, minced lamb or beef, sliced tomatoes and halved green peppers, baked or simmered very slowly

musaman curry A heavily spiced beef curry with coconut and peanuts. See also gaeng mussaman

Musa paradisica Botanical name The plantain

musaria South Asia A brass or cast iron pestle used with a matching mortar (khalia). Used for hard grains and spices.

Musa sapientum Botanical name The banana

muscade France Nutmeg

muscadine United States A white grape used for the table and for making raisins

muscatel raisins Dried muscat grapes, sometimes still in the original bunch

muscat grape Dessert grape Muscheln Germany Shellfish muscle Spain Mussels musclos Catalonia Mussels muscoletti Italy Muscolo muscoli Italy Mussels

muscolo Italy Beef or veal shank. Also called muscoletti

muscovado sugar A soft and sticky partially refined cane sugar with fine crystals. Both light and dark varieties are available. Also called Barbados sugar, moist sugar

muscovy duck Barbary duck musgo de Irlanda Spain Carragheen

mush United States A cooked porridge made from maize meal similar to polenta

mushi See mushimono

mushi-ki Japan A steamer, usually 2 or 3 tiered dishes with a topmost lid which fit over a pan of boiling water. The steamer dishes may be in metal or bamboo. Also called seiro mushimono Japan Steamed or steaming as applied to cooking methods (NOTE:

Abbreviated in recipes to ‘mushi’.)

mushizakana to daikon to tamago tsuke awase Japan Pieces of white fish placed in individual bowls, moistened with sake, covered with a mixture of egg, sake, sugar and grated mooli, garnished with a spinach leaf, steamed until set, sprinkled with grated ginger and served immediately

mushkaki East Africa A Kenyan kebab of marinated meat

mushroom A general name given to various edible fungi but in the UK the name is generally applied to the common mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, which is widely cultivated and the field mushroom, Agaricus campestris. Common mushrooms are sold as buttons (completely closed caps to 2 cm diameter), closed cup (skin still closed below cup to 4 cm diameter), open cup (pink gills visible) and flat (fully open with dark brown gills). Other common types of cultivated mushroom in the UK are oyster, chestnut and shiitake. See also fungi

mushroom essence The juices extracted from mushrooms. This is best done by freezing them, thawing them and squeezing out the liquid. The tissue remaining may be

chopped and added to duxelles before preparation.

mushroom ketchup A dark brown salty cold condiment sauce made with mushrooms mushroom sauce 1. A suprême sauce but with sliced and sweated button mushrooms added after the velouté sauce has been strained. Used for boiled chicken, sweetbreads, etc. 2. Fish velouté, consistency adjusted with fish stock or cream, seasoned, strained and finished with sliced button mushrooms sweated in butter and lemon juice. Served with boiled or poached fish. Also called champignons,

sauce aux

mushroom sausage England A link sausage containing about 5% chopped fresh mushrooms in the usual rusk/meat mixture mushroom soup A mirepoix of onions, leek and celery sweated in butter, flour added and cooked out without colour, white stock, a bouquet garni and chopped mushrooms added, simmered and skimmed for 1 hour, bouquet garni removed, liquidized, strained, seasoned and consistency adjusted. Finished with cream. Also called crème de

champignons

mushroom soya sauce Soya sauce flavoured with an extract of straw mushrooms

mushy peas Marrowfat peas, cooked until soft and mashed. May be forced through a sieve to remove the skins. Served as an accompaniment.

musillo Italy The thick central cut of salt cod muska börek Turkey A deep-fried puff pastry pasty (börek) filled with feta cheese and

chopped parsley

Muskatblüte Germany Mace

Muskatnuss Germany Nutmeg muskatnyi orekh Russia Nutmeg

musk mallow A bushy perennial, Malva moschata, growing to 60 cm. The leaves can be boiled and eaten as a vegetable.

musk melon A variety of sweet melon, Cucumis melo, smaller than the cantaloupe or winter melon but variable in size and with fine reticulate markings (a raised network) on smooth or ribbed yellowish or green skins. The aromatic flesh is green to salmon orange. It was the common variety grown in UK hothouses. When ripe the skin at the stalk end will give slightly when pressed. Also called netted melon, nutmeg melon, cantaloupe

Muslim curry A heavily spiced beef curry with coconut and peanuts. See also gaeng mussaman

muslin A relatively open simple woven cotton used for straining liquids or to wrap up a

mustard

bouquet garni, dried herbs, spices, etc. from which the flavour is to be extracted in a simmering liquid

muslinger Denmark Mussels muslo Spain Leg (of meat) muso Italy Beef muzzle and nose

musola Spain Smooth hound, the fish mussel A very common bivalve mollusc

(various species) found worldwide usually attached to rocks near the water line, but some bury themselves in the sand. Most have dark blue to black shells up to 8 cm long, but some from New Zealand have blue and green shells. Generally sold live in their shells or removed, cooked and preserved in brine, sauce or by canning. Sometimes sold smoked. Cooked as any other mollusc. The mussel is a highly productive shellfish producing up to 10000 kg of meat per hectare per year. Varieties include the common mussel, green-lipped mussel, horse mussel and fan mussel.

mussel brose Scotland A soup made with cleaned and selected mussels covered with water and heated until they open, the liquor strained off and an equal amount of milk added. Lightly toasted oatmeal added, seasoning adjusted, all warmed and the reserved mussels added just before service.

Musselburgh pie Scotland Beef olives made with rump steak beaten out thin, each piece stuffed with a few mussels and some suet. After tying, the olives are dipped in seasoned flour and packed upright in a pie dish with chopped onions and water, then covered with foil and braised until cooked (1 to 2 hours). The dish is then allowed to cool, the strings removed and the olives covered with pastry, which is glazed with egg and baked at 220°C for 30 minutes until golden brown. Originally oysters were used.

mussel pâté Wales A pâté from the north of Wales made with mussels, egg yolk, soft herring roe, chopped celery, chopped carrots and breadcrumbs (5:4:3:2:2:2) processed with garlic and fresh herbs, consistency adjusted with double cream and brandy and cooked in a bain-marie in the oven at 180°C for 30 to 40 minutes

mustard 1. The name of a range of seeds with a generally hot taste native to Europe and India. None have any smell. Varieties include black mustard, brown mustard, white mustard and oriental mustard. 2. A mixture of various ground or whole mustard seeds and other spices, etc. often moistened with vinegar, wine, verjuice or water, used as a condiment or for flavouring other dishes 3. A fast growing brassica, Brassica hirta, usually grown as sprouted seed for the sharply

mustard and cream sauce

flavoured seedling leaves and stems which are used in salads or as a garnish. If allowed to grow on, the young leaves may also be used in salads. See also mustard and cress mustard and cream sauce Double cream whipped into English mustard let down with lemon juice as when making mayonnaise.

Used on hors d’oeuvres and canapés. mustard and cress Seeds of mustard and

cress laid thickly on a water saturated substrate and root support, allowed to grow to the two-leaf stage and a height of 5 to 7 cm and sold in this form for cutting to use as a garnish. The mustard is sown 2 days after the cress so that both are of equal height.

mustard butter A compound butter made with 120 g of French mustard per kg of softened butter. It is shaped into a 2.5 cm roll, refrigerated and cut in 6 mm slices for use as a garnish on grilled meats, mackerel and herrings.

mustard greens Oriental mustard

mustard oil A deep yellow highly flavoured oil extracted from mustard seeds. Used in Indian cooking and in pickles and chutneys. Usually diluted with a blander oil.

mustard pickle See piccalilli

mustard sauce Béchamel sauce with the addition of English or French mustard and possibly vinegar. Used with pork, ham or cheese dishes, with fried or grilled herring or mackerel and with hot boiled tongue. Also called moutarde, sauce

mustard seeds Small (up to 1.5 mm diameter) seeds used extensively in Indian cooking. Usually fried before use to bring out the pungent flavour. See also mustard

mustella Italy Forkbeard, a fish similar to whiting

Musteweck Germany A bread roll with chopped pork

mustikka Finland 1. Blueberry 2. Bilberry mustikkakeito Finland A dessert made from

corn flour-thickened blueberry juice mustikkapiiras Finland Blueberry tart mutabbal Middle East A purée dip or mezze

similar to hummus-bi-tahina, but substituting the flesh of grilled aubergines for the chick peas. Also called moutabel

mutton The meat of sheep older than one year but nowadays over two years. The meat is darker and stronger-flavoured than lamb and was preferred in Victorian times. Most mutton sold today is from old breeding ewes killed at 3 to 5 years and is generally tough and only suitable for boiling. The best mutton, now difficult to find, is killed at 18 months and is more expensive than lamb.

mutton broth Blanched neck or scrag end of mutton simmered with water or stock and washed barley, skimmed, brunoise carrot, leek, turnip, celery and onion and a bouquet garni added, simmered and skimmed, meat removed, diced lean meat returned, bouquet garni removed, seasoned and served with chopped parsley

mutton fat A hard highly saturated fat from lamb and mutton used for cooking in the Middle East. Contains 50% saturated, 45% monounsaturated and 5% saturated fat.

mutton fish 1. A type of abalone, Haliotis naevosa, from Australian waters 2. Ocean pout 3. See mutton snapper

mutton ham Cured leg of mutton. Used in Muslim cooking.

mutton sausage England An English-type sausage made with lean mutton, mutton suet, breadcrumbs, chopped boiled bacon and seasoning, moistened with mutton stock mutton snapper An olive-green snapper, Lutjanus analis, fished for sport in the warm

western waters of the Atlantic

muy hecho Spain Well done. Used of meat, steak, etc.

myaso Russia Miaso

myaso po-tatarsky Russia Steak tartare made with triple minced seasoned fillet steak mixed with egg yolks, chopped spring onions and capers, horseradish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oil and pepper vodka

myata Russia Miata

mycella Denmark A semi-hard full-fat cows’ milk cheese shaped in cylinders and with a creamy yellow blue-veined paste. Milder than Danish blue.

mylta med grädde Sweden A compote of cloudberries with cream

mynce pie United Kingdom Mince pie myoban Japan Alum

myoga Japan Ginger buds

Myristica fragrans Botanical name Mace and nutmeg

myrobalans Cherry plum

myrrh Sweet cicely

Myrrhis odorata Botanical name Sweet cicely myrte France Myrtle

Myrte Germany Myrtle

myrte des marais France Bog myrtle myrtille France Bilberry, blueberry

myrtle A half-hardy evergreen shrub, Myrtus communis, growing to 3 m with small shiny leathery leaves which have a spicy orange fragrance used for stuffings and with pork or lamb. The small white flowers excluding the green calyx may be used in fruit salads and the dried black berries have a mild juniper

flavour and may be used as juniper berries. Grows in Mediterranean climates and is common in Corsican and Sardinian cooking. An oil is extracted from the ripe berries.

myrtle pepper Allspice

Myrtus communis Botanical name Myrtle myśliwska Poland An expensive smoked and

linked pork sausage in a natural casing Mysore coffee A rich full-flavoured coffee

from Mysore in Southern India

Mysost Norway A fawn, slightly sweet caramel-flavoured cheese made from the

Mysuostur

whey from a mixture of cows’ and goats’ milk in a similar manner to Ricotta. The whey is boiled and reduced to a brown sticky mass containing whey proteins, lactose and caramelized sugars. It is stirred whilst cooling to a solid to prevent crystallization of the sugars. Usually cut or shaved in very thin slices and served on crispbread, but also used in cooking. Also called Gjetöst,

Norwegian whey cheese

Mysuostur Iceland A cheese very similar to Mysost made from the whey of cows’ milk