Ciabatta - moist Italian bread made with olive oil

Ciboule (Fr.) - scallion, welsh onion spring onion,

Ciboulette (Fr.) - chives

Cidre (Fr.) - bottled, mildly alcoholic cider, either apple or pear

Cigale de mer (Fr.) “sea cicada/cricket” - shellfish, specifically rock lobster

Cilantro - (sometimes called Chinese parsley, Coriander, or Mexican parsley) - pungent, leafy herb resembling flat-leaf parsley; available fresh or dried

Cinnamon - warm, sweet spice, from the bark of several tropical trees

Cinnamon Sticks - used to garnish hot beverages; can be simmered in a liquid to release their warm, spicy flavor

Cipolle (It.) - onion

Cioppino (It.) - rich fish stew made with shrimp, clams, mussels, crabs, and any available fish, and flavored with tomato, white wine, garlic, and chile flakes’ from San Francisco, and served with sourdough bread; similar to bouillabaisse, burrida, and bourride of the French Provence, and to cacciucco and brodetto from Italy

Citre (Fr.) - a vine plant related to the watermelon; used for making jam

Citron (Fr.) - lemon

Citron, orange, or pamplemousse pressé(e) (Fr.) - lemon, orange, or grapefruit juice served with a carafe of tap water and sugar; for sweetening to taste

Citron vert (Fr.) lime

Citronnelle (Fr.) - lemon grass, an oriental herb; also lemon balm (mèlisse)

Citrouille aka courge, potiron, potimarron (Fr.) - pumpkin, gourd

Cive (Fr.)- spring onion

Civelle aka pibale (Fr.) - spaghetti-like baby eel

Civet (Fr.) - a type of stew - usually containing game, often rabbit, though duck and goose are used; meat marinated in an aromatic mixture of wine, garlic and peppercorns, then stewed with pearl onions and bacon; traditionally thickened with blood

Civet de lièvre (Fr.) - hare, or wild rabbit stew

Civet de tripes d'oies (Fr.) - a stew of sautéed goose innards, shallots, and garlic, then cooked in wine vinegar, diluted with water, and thickened with goose blood; from Gascony.

Clafouti (Fr.) - custard-like French dessert of fruit, originally (black) cherries, covered with a thick pancake-like batter and baked in a baking dish until puffy; can be served hot or cold

Claire - oyster; also a designation given to certain oysters to indicate they have been put in claires, or oyster beds in salt marshes, where they are fattened up for several months before going to market

Clam - any of several types of usually burrowing marine and freshwater bivalve mollusks, many of which are edible; also the soft edible body of such a mollusk

Clam Chowder - any of several chowders containing clams and broth; usually potato chunks are common, as are onions, which are occasionally sautèed in the drippings from salt pork; small carrot strips and parsley occasionally added, primarily for color; bay leaves also sometimes used as a garnish and flavoring; leading two types; the creamy white New England Clam Chowder and the red clear broth Manhattan Clam Chowder

Clamart (Fr.) - a garnish of peas, often pureed

Clarified butter - butter cleared of its water content through heating and then straining

Clary aka Clary Sage- lavender-like odor, but tastes like sage and used in the same way

Clémentine - small tangerine, originally from Morocco or Spain

Clotted cream - thick, baked cream, traditionally from Devon and Cornwall, England; served with scones or desserts or made into ice-cream

Cloves - pungent, sweet spice used both for savory stews and roasts as well as with fruits

Clovisse (Fr.) - variety of very tiny clam, generally from the Mediterranean

Cobbler - baked dessert dish consisting of fruit filling covered with a sweet biscuit or pie crust dough

Cocherelle aka champignon à la bague, coulemelle, grisotte (Fr.) - parasol mushroom with a delicate flavor

Cochon (de lait) (Fr.) - pig (suckling)

Cochonnailles (Fr.) - pork products; usually an assortment of sausages and/or pâtés served as a first course

Cocido (co-see-do) (Sp.) aka olla, pote, guiso, guisado, estofado, escudella, cozida - a stew of mixed meats, sausages, chickpeas (always in Spain, often in Spanish-speaking countries), and vegetables; usually thick; recipes vary from region to region inside Spain, and from country to country outside Spain; Examples: Cocido Madrileño in English ~ "Madrilene Stew" and is named for the province of Madrid, where it originated; usual ingredients beef, bacon, belly pork, chicken, marrowbone, chorizo, morcilla, savoy cabbage, chickpeas, carrots, leeks, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and new potatoes; Spanish custom of eating the cocido in three stages: the soup, the chick peas and finally the meat; Portuguese cozida and the Philippine pochero a one-dish meal of soup, beans, meats, & vegetables

Cock-a-Leekie - originally a thick Scottish soup (almost a stew) made with chicken, leeks, prunes (?) and barley; many modern versions use a chicken broth garnished with leeks and barley, and sometimes potato, for a lighter soup

Coco blanc/ (Coco rouge) (Fr.) - type of small white (red) shell bean; both fresh and dried; popular in Provence, where it is a traditional ingredient of the vegetable soupe au pistou; also, coconut

Cocoa Powder - dried powder formed from chocolate liquor after the cocoa butter content has been reduced

Coco de Paimpol (Fr.) - cream-colored shell bean with purple striations

Coco rose - small white bean, with pink veins

Coconut - fruit of the coconut palm

Coconut milk, Coconut cream - not the liquid from inside the nut, but the extract of freshly grated coconut flesh

Cocum - a deep red grape-sized berry whose skin is dried and used as a souring agent in fish and vegetable dishes

Cod - popular white sea fish with flaky flesh, available fresh or frozen, whole or as steaks and fillets

Coda alla vaccinara (It.) - oxtail

Coeur (Fr.) - heart

Coeur de filet (Fr.) - thickest (and best) part of beef filet, usually cut into chateaubriand steaks

Coeur de palmier (Fr.) - hearts of palm; delicate shoots of the palm tree, generally served with a vinaigrette as an hors d'oeuvre

Coffee - widely consumed stimulant beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called beans, of the coffee plant; dark, somewhat bitter, usually sweetened with sugar, and often with milk or cream added; traditional morning and after meal drink; many varieties, sometimes comes flavored; usage linked to several health benefits, and some health aliments

Coffee bean - actually, the seeds of the coffee plant; roasted, and then ground for use in brewing coffee

Coffee cake - pastry often eaten with coffee; usually not a cake, but a flavored bread, often with nuts, fruit, and or a sugared coating; may be a loaf or a single serving

Coing de Provence (Fr.) - quince, a pome fruit, like its relatives apples or pears; bright golden yellow when mature; used for jams, jelly, and quince pudding; may be peeled, roasted, baked or stewed (flesh of the fruit turns red after long cooking); can be added in small quantities to apple pies, jam, and applesauce due to strong perfume; can also be used to make a type of wine

Collagen - the white connective tissue found in meat. Low heat, liquid and long, slow cooking process convert the connective tissue into gelatin. This process tenderizes the meat.

Collar - cut of pork from the neck which is sold as chops or diced and minced; good for casseroles and stews

Collard Greens - a variety of "greens" with a firm leaf and sharp flavor

Col vert (Fr.) ("green-collared") - mallard duck

Colbert, Fish - fish, coated with egg and bread crumbs and fried

Colère, en (Fr.) "anger" - presentation of fish in which the tail is inserted in the mouth

Colin aka hake, pollack, coalfish, merlu - ocean fish related to cod; in France, known as merluche in the North, merluchon in Brittany, bardot or merlan along the Mediterranean

Colombe (Fr.) - dove

Colombo - West Indian stew of pork, chicken, or fish, and vegetables seasoned with a spice mixture of the same name (mixture similar to curry powder and contains coriander, chiles, cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron, and garlic); rice and beans are served on the side

Colza - rapeseed, a plant related to mustard; usually pressed into vegetable (rapeseed) oil; canola oil primarily rapeseed

Commander avant le repas à (Fr.) “ordered before the meal” - desserts requiring long cooking time that should be ordered when selecting first and main courses

Comino - ground cumin seeds; see Cumin

Compote - dish of fruits, stewed or baked whole or in pieces with sugar

Concasseé (Fr.) - chopped roughly or coarsely; used most often when referring to chopped tomatoes.

Conchiglie (It.) - medium sized ridged shells, roughly the size of lentils; often stuffed and baked au gratin

Concombre (Fr.) - cucumber

Condito (Ital.) - dressed

Confiserie (Fr.) - a confectioner's shop, a candy shop; also - the contents thereof, candy, sweets, confections

Confit (Fr.) - preserved meats, preserved by being salted and slow-cooked in its own fat, then sealed under a layer of melted fat

Confiture (Fr.) - fruit jam or preserve

Confiture de genièvre (Fr.) - juniper-berry jam

Confiture de vieux garçon (Fr.) - various fresh fruits macerated in alcohol

Congre (Fr.) - conger eel

Coniglio (It.) - rabbit

Conserve - whole fruit preserved by boiling with sugar and used like jam; nuts and raisins are frequently added

Consommation(s) (Fr.) "consumption" - food, drinks, and snacks available in a cafe or bar

Consommé - clear soup made from a hearty meat stock which has been reduced and clarified; can be served cold or hot

Contorno (Ital.) - garnish

Contre-filet (Fr.) - cut of meat (sirloin) taken above the loin on either side of the backbone; can br grilled or tied and roasted; a steak cut from the contre-filet known as a striploin, wing, club, Delmonico, New York, Kansas City, Porterhouse, or strip steak (when separated from the bone) or as a T-bone or Porterhouse steak when left on the bone with the filet.

Copeau(x) (Fr.) - pastry twist; shaving(s), such as from chocolate, cheese, or vegetables (copeaux de chocolate - chocolate shavings)

Coppa (It.) - salt-cured, sweet, fragrant neck pork, served thinly sliced for antipasto or on sandwiches or pizza, from northern Italy

Coq au vin (Fr.) - chicken (best, an old rooster) braised in red wine with salt pork or bacon, morels, and pearl onions

Coq au vin jaune (Fr.) - chicken cooked in the famous vin jaune (“yellow wine”) of the Jura region, with crème, butter, and tarragon, often garnished with morels

Coq de bruyère (Fr.) - black or wood grouse

Coque (Fr.) - cockle, Venus clam, a tinyclam-like shellfish

Coque, à la (Fr.) - served in a shell

Coquelet (Fr.) - young male chicken

Coquillage (Fr.) - shellfish

Coquille St. Jacque (Fr.) - scallops gratinéed, originally served in their shells, today not so, although some have special shell-like plates for this, and other shellfish meals

Corb - a Mediterranean bluefish

Cordon bleu (Fr.) - a thin slice of chicken breat or veal, stuffed with ham and an Emmenthal-style cheese, then coated in breadcrumbs and sautéed

Coriander - see Cilantro

Coriandre (Fr.) - coriander

Corn - called maize in much of the world; a cereal grain, also eaten raw, cooked on the cob, cooked kernals, etc.; also made into various breakfast cereals

Corn flour - the starch extracted from corn (maize) which is soaked and ground to separate the germ and the bran; finely ground, used for thickening sauces, puddings, etc.

Corn meal - see Corn flour

Corn syrup - common ingredient in the US made by adding enzymes to corn starch, turning it into syrup of dextrose, maltose and/or glucose; comes in two flavors - dark and light. light corn syrup very sweet like golden syrup; dark corn syrup a molasses taste

Cornbread - bread made from cornmeal flour, product of ground, dried maize; in Italy the same golden cornmeal is known as polenta

Corned (salted) beef - any cut of beef that has been cured; brisket and silverside are the most popular choices

Cornet- horn-shaped pastry filled with whipped cream; also - a slice of ham made into a hornshaped and filled with cheese

Corne d'abondance (Fr.) - "horn of plenty" aka Trompette de la mort (Trumpet of Death) - dark brown, almost black wild mushroom, shaped like a horn; bein-likr gills, frilled edges

Cornet - shaped like a horn or a cornet; generally refers to foods rolled conically; also - an ice cream cone; also - a conical pastry filled with cream.

Cornichon (kor-nee-SHOHN) (Fr.) "gherkin," crisp, tart pickles made from tiny cucumbers

Costoletta (Itap.) - cutlets

Costmary - (Bible leaf, Sweet Mary) - long lemon-mint leaves of this herb excellent for herbed tea and in cakes, with game, and in poultry; strongly flavored

Côte d'agneau (Fr.) - lamb chop
Côte de boeuf - rib steak
Côte de veau - veal chop

Cotechino (It.) - large pork sausages

Cotto (It.) - cooked

Cou d'oie de canard (Fr.) - neck skin of duck, stuffed with meat and spices, much like sausage

Cou d'oie farci (Fr.) - neck skin of goose, stuffed with meat and spices, much like sausage

Coulant (Fr.) “runny” - usually refers to cheese ; liquidy state

Coulemelle aka champignon à la bague, cocherelle, and grisotte (Fr.) - parasol mushroom, meaty, flavorful

Coulibiac ( koo-lee-BYAHK) (Fr.) - French adaptation of the Russian original (kulebiaka) salmon pie made with layers of hard cooked eggs, rice, mushroom duxelle, shallots and dill flavored with the salmon; dough used to wrap the pie can be pate brisee, puff pastry, or brioche; crepes often layered in the bottom of the pie; creamy consistency, usually oval in shape

Coulis (Fr.) - smooth, thick fruit or vegetable puree or sauce e.g. apricot, raspberry, red pepper; can be used as a sauce or as a flavoring agent to other sauces or soups

Courge (Fr.) - green squash

Courgette (Fr.) - zucchini.

Couronne (Fr.) "crown" - ring or circle, usually of bread

Court bouillon - spiced aromatic liquor or stock used mainly for cooking fish and shellfish; wine and vinegar sometimes added; usually prepared in advance and allowed to cool

Couscous - the smallest of all pasta varieties; looks like little beads; may also refer to the famous Maghreb dish in which semolina or cracked wheat is steamed in a special pot (called a couscoussiere) while chunks of meat (usually chicken or lamb), various vegetables, chickpeas and raisins simmer in the bottom part; cooked semolina then heaped onto a large platter, with the meats and vegetables placed on top; chunks of bread used to scoop the couscous from the platter

Couteau de l’Atlantique (Fr.) "knife of the Atlantic" aka rasoir, Cannolicchio (Italian) - Atlantic razor clam; can reach 25 cm (10”) in length, usually six times longer than wide; sharp enough to cut skin; Olive green with a purple lavender triangular space

Couverture (Fr.) - bittersweet chocolate high in cocoa butter; has a wonderful shine; sets solid so it 'snaps' when broken

Cozze (It.) - mussels

Crab - an edible crustacean
.
Crabe (Fr.) - crab

Crab apple - small fruit of the wild apple tree; has more core than flesh

Crab boil - mixture of herbs and spices, used to flavor the water for seafood; also the event, as a party or get-together

Cracklings, Cracklins - crispy cooked pieces of fatty meat, such as salt pork; sometimes added to Southern cornbread

Crambe (Crambe maritima) aka chou de mer - sea kale

Cramique (Fr.) - brioche with raisins or currants; egg-rich raisin bread, aten hot with butter in Flanders and northern France

Crapaudine, a la (Fr.) - preparation of grilled poultry or game bird with backbone removed, I.e. butterflied

Craquant (Fr.) “crunchy” - used to described a candy or dessert pastry

Craquelot (Fr. )aka Bloater, hareng saur, geräucherter Hering - smoked herring; kippered herring from Picardy, rather like a bloater, eaten raw; lightly smoked over leaves of hazel and walnut; large herring lightly salted and briefly smoked

Crawfish, Crayfish, Crawdad (in France called écrevisses) - freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters; 3 to 6 inches long and weigh from 2 to 8 ounces; can be prepared in most manners appropriate for lobster and, like lobster, turn bright red when cooked; usually eaten with the fingers; sweet, succulent meat; staple in Louisiana/Cajun cooking

Cream - yellowish part of milk, rich in butterfat, that rises to the surface naturally if milk is allowed to stand; various designations are made for varying percentages of fat; See here

Crécy (Fr.) - garnished with carrots

Crémant (Fr.) - generic French name for sparkling wine made in that country outside the region of Champagne

Crème (Fr.) - cream

Crème aigre (Fr.) - sour cream

Créme anglaise - (Fr.) - custard cream, made with sugar, egg yolks and milk flavored with vanilla; used both as a sauce for desserts and as a base for mousses

Creme brulé (Fr.) - dessert made from an egg custard, which is then sprinkled with sugar; entire dessert then subjected to intense, but brief, heat to carmelize the sugar

Créme de Catalane (Fr.) - creamy anise flavored custard from the southern Languedoc

Créme caramel (Fr.) - cold molded egg custard with caramel topping

Crème Chantilly (Fr.) - sweetened whipped cream

Crème èpaisse (Fr.) - thick cream

Crème fleurette (Fr.) aka Crème liquide - light cream: a low-fat cream used in cooking, in place of crème fraîche
fouettée: whipped cream

Créme fraîche (Fr.) - heavy cream slightly soured, but not as sour or as thick as sour cream; can be made at home by adding a small amount of cultured buttermilk or sour cream to normal heavy cream, and allowing to stand for several hours at room temperature until the bacterial cultures act on the cream

Creme Patissierre (Fr.) - thick pastry cream made of milk, eggs, and flour; some versions use cornstarch

Crêpaze (Fr.) - cake made of crêpes layered with vegetables, cheese, or ham, which is then baked to blend the flavors and help set it so that it may be cut into wedges

Crépe (Fr.) - thin French pancake, served with sweet or savory fillings or toppings

Crepes suzette (Fr.) - pancakes cooked in orange sauce and flamed in liqueur

Crépine (de porc) (Fr.) - caul fat (pork);pork considered most desirable, but lamb and beef also used

Crépinette (Kray-pih-NEHT; Kray-pee-NEHT) (Fr.) - a small ground pork, veal, lamb, or poultry sausage patty wrapped in caul fat; fried or grilled; sometime flat, sometimes shaped into balls

Crespelle - (It.) - pancake, the Italian equivalent of crepes, sometimes used in place of pasta in manicotti and cannelloni

Cresson (Fr.) - watercress; Cressonade - watercress sauce

Crête de coq (Fr.) - cock's comb

Creuse (Fr.) aka Portugaises or Japonaises: some types: Belon, Bouzigues, Gravette, Marennes; - elongated, convex crinkle-shelled oyster; pale ivory lined with black and brown, though some a grayish-yellow green to turquoise green, due to their contact with a bluish-green algae; slightly salty (sea) taste, with occasional buttery, nutty aftertaste

Crevette (Fr.) - shrimp

Crevette grise (Fr.) -tiny soft-fleshed shrimp; turns gray when cooked

Crevette rose (Fr.) - small firm-fleshed shrimp; turns red when cooked; when large, called bouquet

Criste marine (Fr.) aka perce-pierre, salicot, cornichon de mer, sea bean, sea asparagus, glasswort, or marsh samphire, salicornia - a wild, succulent plant that grows along the seashore and in salt marshes; described as “Not quite a vegetable but not quite a seaweed”; can be eaten raw, cooked, or pickled; crisp, ocean and slightly ferrous (like spinach) flavor; right green, look like cross between green beans and asparagus

Croquant (Fr.) “crisp“ - brioche cake

Croque au sel, à la (Fr.) - served with a small bowl of coarse salt, often with nothing else; tiny purple artichokes and cherry tomatoes are served this way

Croque-madame (Fr.) - open-face sandwich of ham and cheese with an egg on top; often, cooked chicken instead of the ham (below); numerous variations

Croque-monsieur (Fr.) - ham and cheese (usually Gruyere) sandwich, sometimes buttered and grilled, sometimes dipped in beaten egg, then sautéed in butter; numerous variations

Croquembouche (Fr.) - elaborate dessert made up of cream puffs that are dipped in caramel and assembled into a large conical tower (a pyramid), then more caramel brushed over entire pyramid; usually decorated with threads of caramel, sugared almonds, chocolate, flowers, or ribbons

Croquette (Fr.) - ground, minced, or chopped meat, fish (chicken or salmon), or mashed potato bound with a thick white sauce (panada) and shaped into a cylinder or round shape; then dipped in beaten egg and breadcrumbs and shallow- or deep-fried

Crosne aka knot root, Chinese Artichoke, Japanese artichoke, Chorogi [CHAWR-oh-gee (“longevity“)]- small (1/10 oz ea.), strange-looking (like small, segmented whitish-yellow worms) tuber in the mint family; with a subtle artichoke-like flavor; sliced raw and used in salads, pickled, steamed or in stir-frys, dipped in tempura batter and fried, boiled, baked, or in soups; never peeled

Crottin de Chavignol (Fr.) - small flattened ball of goat's-milk cheese from the Loire valley; pale ivory to a blue-black natural rind, stong nutty taste, becomes richer with age; a bit slaty taste, balanced with sour and sweet; Note: “Crottin” means an object that was once found alongside roads before automobiles became the main method of transport. Apparently, the cheese does not look appetizing.

Croustade (Fr.) - usually small pastry-wrapped dish; also - pastry filled with prunes and/or apples; also - a hollowed out bread (or a “bowl” of rice, potatoes, pasta. Etc.) used as a container for other food e.g. the round rye bread filled with dill/beau Monde dip

Crostini (It.)- traditionally a festive Italian appetiser; thin slices of a baguette-style bread toasted, rubbed with garlic, then drizzled with olive oil and served warm; often served with tomatoes, pumate, cheese, chicken liver mousse, bean puree, or tapenade; also known as Bruschetta

Croustade (Fr.) - small crispy fried or baked bread or pastry shape which is filled with a savory mixture

Croûtte (en) (Fr.) - toasted or fried circle of bread on which a savory mixture is served

Croûte de sel (en) (Fr.) - (in) a salt crust

Croûtons (Fr.) - small cubes of bread that have been fried and then drained and cooled; when cool, develop a crispy texture; used as a garnish for soups or in salads. And in hors d'oeuvres

Cru (Fr.) - raw

Crudités (Fr.) - raw vegetables, thinly sliced or grated, served as a an hors d'oeuvre or, with a dip, as a snack; include carrots, celeriac, cucumber, sweet peppers, red cabbage, celery, fennel, tomatoes, mushrooms and radishes

Crudo (It.) - raw

Crushed - mashed food or bruised leaves of fresh herbs, done to release flavors

Crustacé(s) (Fr.) - crustacean(s)

Cuillière[ (à la) (Fr.) - (to be eaten with a) spoon

Cuisse (de poulet) (Fr.) - leg or thigh (chicken drumstick)

Cuissot, cuisse (Fr.) -haunch of veal, venison, or wild boar

Cuit(e) (Fr.) - cooked.

Cul (Fr.) - haunch or rear; usually of red meat

Culatello (It.) "little backside" - sometimes called the heart of the prosciutto; a special variety of prosciutto, seasoned and lightly salted, stuffed into a pig's bladder, tied to give it a pear-like shape, and then hung 8-12 months to cure; may be cured with wine

Culotte (Fr.) - rump, usually of beef.

Cultivateur (Fr.) - vegetable soup

Cumberland sauce - cold sauce made from port, orange and lemon juice and red currant jelly, traditionally served with hot or cold ham, sausages and pâté

Cumin - aka Comino small brown ridged seeds or in the ground form; characteristic pungent, warm salty-sweet flavor

Curcuma (Fr.) - turmeric

Curd - semi-solid part of milk, produced by souring

Curdled - fresh milk or a sauce caused to separate into solids and liquids by overheating or by adding acid

Cured - fish or meat preserved by drying, salting or smoking

Curry - from the southern Indian word kari, meaning 'sauce'; catch-all term, used to refer to any number of (mostly) hot, spicy, sauce-based dishes of east Indian origin

Curry Paste - curry pastes are made by pounding spices with red or green chilies; often ferociously hot; keeps for about 1 month refrigerated

Curry powder - mixture of spices used in making curries and in Indian cooking; mild, medium and hot; generally contains differing amounts of turmeric, chili powder, coriander, cumin, fennel, ginger, pepper, chiles, pepper, saffron and/or cinnamon

Custard - sweet sauce, usually quite thick, made from milk, egg yolks, sugar and corn flour; often used to accompany sweet dishes; may be flavored, or may be chilled and served semi-solid

Cutlet - ¾” to 1” thick chops cut from the pork or lamb rib after the backbone has been removed; tips of the ribs are usually Frenched

Cuttlefish - a relative of the squid; prized for its ink sac as well as its flesh; thicker than calamari, and coarser-grained; best braised, or in a soup or a curry

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