B & B - combination of half Benedictine and half brandy, bottled by the distillery

B'steeya - classic Moroccan sweet and savory pastry containing phyllo dough crust with shredded chicken, ground almonds, sugar and cinnamon

Baamieh - Middle Eastern - okra

Baba - [BAH-bah] - (also called baba au rhum) - yeast cake with currants or raisins, soaked in rum or cherry brandy syrup; traditionally baked in a tall, cylindrical mold, but can be made in a variety of shapes, including individual round cakes; when baked in a large ring mold, often without raisins or currants, called a savarin; also - Macedonian for grandmother

Baba ganoush - traditional Middle Eastern aubergine puree, made with garlic and tahini

Babáco Melons - large distinctively shaped sub-tropical fruit, about 10” long, originally from Ecuador; an edible skin; green, turns yellow when ripe, with pinkish-orange flesh; taste and texture slightly tart, a cross between strawberry, melon and pineapple; juicy; gives attractive star-shaped slices when sliced crossways; usually eaten sliced and sprinkled with sugar, sometimes used in drinks and fruit salads

Babka - [BAHB-kah] - Polish - rum-scented sweet yeast bread with raisins, almonds, and orange peel

Baboy damo (Phil.) - wild boar; wild pig

Babooti, Baboti - South African curry, usually with lamb or beef

Baby Back Ribs - pork ribs cut from the lower back rib section; very meaty

Baby corn - immature corn (maize); 2-3” long; entire ear can be eaten raw, cooked, or pickled

Bacalao - dried salt codfish

Bacalao a la Vizcaina (Sp., Sp. Phil.) - "Codfish Fricassee" - above cod and onion,tomato and pimiento sauce

Bacalhau (Port.) - salt codfish; very popular throughout Brazil

Baccala - dried salt codfish

Back bacon - much leaner than American bacon; (Canadian bacon also sometimes called back bacon)

Backfin Crabmeat - white body meat including lump and large flakes; Used for crab cakes and crab imperial

Backribs aka country style ribs - ribs cut from the anterior end

Bacon - thinly sliced cured and smoked pork with or without the rind

Badiane French - anise, aniseed

Baekenhofe - baked Alsacienne stew made of marinated (in wine) pork, lamb, and beef layered with potatoes and onions; baked, then top-browned, with bacon and fried leeks as a garnish

Bagel - chewy bread with a hole in the middle; round, 3-4 “ diameter, Russian-Jewish origin; sometimes baked with onion, garlic, poppy seeds etc.

Bagna Cauda - [BAHN-yah KOW-dah] from bagno caldo, Italian for "hot bath" - sauce or dip consisting of olive oil, butter, garlic, anchovies, and sometimes cream, parsley, chili flakes, and/or black pepper; served warm as an appetizer with raw vegetables and a crusty bread for dipping

Bag-o (Phil. - Waray) - tuba (the sweet, freshly-gathered coconut sap) newly taken from the coconut

Bagoong [bah-GOONG] - Philippine - condiment made from salted, cured and fermented shrimp or small fish (salty liquid patis drawn off and used separately as a sauce or condiment as well; also used as a flavoring; popular in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific

Baguette - long, narrow cylindrical loaf of French bread with a crisp crust

Bahal, Bahalina (Phil.) - fermented tuba (the sweet, freshly-gathered coconut sap) weeks, months, or years old

Baharat (bjar) - mixed spices used in Arabic cooking

baigai (Jap.) - small water snails

Baileys Irish Cream - creamy, sweet blend of Irish whiskey and cream

Baked Alaska - sponge cake dessert, covered with ice cream, a layer of stiffly beaten egg whites, then put in a hot oven to be browned

Bakewell Pudding - puff pastry shell with a layer of jam, covered with a filling of eggs, sugar, butter and almonds

Bakewell Tart - tart or shortcrust pastry shell of pastry, raspberry jam and ground almonds or peanuts; topping; blackcurrant, strawberry and apple jams also used

Baking Potatoes - Russet or Idaho potatoes - oval-shaped with thick brown skins and white flesh; dry, mealy texture when cooked; can be used for baking, mashing, or frying

Baking Powder - dry chemical leavening agent used in baking to form the gas which enables baked products to rise; most common form of baking powder is the double acting variety, which produces gas upon mixing and again at high temperatures. always store tightly covered

Baking Soda Sodium bicarbonate - leavening agent which is used as an essential ingredient in baking powder; when used alone as a leavener, recipes must include some type of acid (buttermilk, yogurt, cream of tartar, sour cream, and citrus juice) to neutralize the resulting sodium carbonate in the finished product; also used to help neutralize the acid in recipes that call for large amounts of fruit; other uses:
as a meat tenderizer, common in Chinese cuisine
to neutralize the acidity in tomato sauce
added to water used to soak beansto prevent flatulence
extinguishing grease fires
to prevent yellowing in freshly cut fruit (by soaking the fruit briefly in a sodium bicarbonate solution

Baklava - a Greek and middle-Eastern dessert made from phyllo, chopped nuts and spices, baked and then soaked with a honey syrup

Bakuli (Phil.) - ophicephalus striatus; murrel fingerling; a small fish

Balachan - very pungent Southeast Asian flavoring made from shrimp, sardines and other small salted fish that have been allowed to ferment in the sun; comes in paste, powder, or cake

Balbakwa (Phil.) - in Luzon, salted fish; in Mindanao, a meat stew

Balimbing (Phil.) - averrhoa carmbola, star fruit, carambola

Ballotine/ballottine [bal-loh-TEEN] French - boned, stuffed, rolled, tied and roasted meat served hot; usually poached or braised

Balsamic Vinegar - aged in wood barrels, made from the white Trebbianno grape; pungently sweet; only made in Modena, Italy; used to dress salads and enrich stews, soups and sauces

Balti - Indian/Pakistani dish, named after the pot it's cooked in; a type of meat curry, cooked quickly (similar to stir-fry; spices used are coriander, cardamom, cumin, black mustard, fennel, wild onion, and fenugreek; usually spicy hot; ingredients and heat of the dish can vary considerably; served immediately in the balti itself; scooped up with naan bread

Balut/Balut "sa puti" (Phil.) - a fertilized duck's egg 16-19 days old, balut sa puti is still wrapped in white membrane and thus literally "wrapped in white"

Bamboo shoots - young edible shoots of different varieties of tropical bamboo plants, cone-shaped, light-coloured and usually sold canned in Chinese or oriental provision stores

Bamia (Isr.) - okra; also baby okra and lamb in tomato stew

Banak (Phil.) - family magulidae; mullet; silver mullet

Banana - largest herb in the world; harvested green, improves and ripens off the stalk; eaten raw, fried

Bananas Foster - dessert; bananas and rum, flamed and served over vanilla ice cream

Banana Split - dessert made of a banana cut in half lengthwise and placed in an individual-size oblong bowl, topped with three scoops of ice cream (traditionally chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, although all vanilla often used ), with syrup (usually chocolate and sometimes butterscotch) poured over it, topped with whipped cream and a Maraschino cherry

Banana squash - large, long (20-22”) winter squash; usually baked in portions, or cooked like pumpkins

Banadoura Middle Eastern - tomatoes

Banane - French - banana

Banbury cake - puff pastry with a filling of mixed fruit, raisins, and/or currants

Bangers - British colloquial term for sausages, usually lower quality; made of ground pork and bread crumbs; "Bangers and mash" ~ sausages and mashed potatoes

Bangus (Phil.) - chanos chanos, milk fish

Bannock - traditional Scottish scone-sized griddle cake usually made from barley, oatmeal or wheat flour; may also refer to a nineteenth century New England cornmeal cake

Banon - French; usually goat's (sometimes cow, sheep, or any mix) milk cheese, traditionally made as a small cylinder; often sold wrapped in chestnut leaves that have been soaked first in brandy; soft, almost runny cheese that matures without a rind; any blue mould under the leaves edible; aged for a few weeks to a few months; taste depends on aging, described as something between bacon and hay; taste generally sharp, pungent, sometimes acrid

Baon (Phil.) - food package from home taken to work or school

Bap - oval-shaped white bread roll; often a larger soft roll of 5-6” in diameter

Bara Brith Welsh, bara-speckled brith-bread aka Speckled Bread - traditional Welsh currant bread or fruitcake; made with raisins, currants, sultanas (a type of white, seedless grape of Turkish origin; also the name given to the raisin made from it), and candied peel; also a traditional bread in Argentina (was brought to the country by the Welsh settlers arriving in 1865) known as torta negra ("black cake"); many different recipes

Bara sushi (Jap.) - sushi rice and other ingredients mixed together, like a rice salad

Barbabietole - Italian - beet, beetroot

Barbary duck - bred in large quantities in France, less fatty than the common duck; requires careful basting when cooking so that it doesn’t dry out

Barbe-papa French, “Grandfather’s beard” - cotton candy (candy floss in the UK)

Barbecue - meat or vegetables cooked over coals or lava rocks

Barbeque sauce (BBQ) - liquid flavoring sauce or condiment ranging from watery to quite thick may be sour, sweet, spicy, and/or tangy; ingredients vary, but usual ingredients are tomato paste, vinegar, spices, and sweeteners

Barbouillade - stuffed eggplant or eggplant stew from Provence

Barbue - brill, a species of flatfish in the turbot family (a flat fish); also - sometimes used to refer to a type of catfish in the US

Bardolino - [bar-doh-LEE-noh] - light, fruity red wine from northern Italy, best drunk young; similar to Valpolicella

Barilis ( Phil. - Cebuano, Tagalog) - yellowfin tuna, and other similar fish

Bar-le-Duc - preserve made from seeded red and white currants

Barley - often called pearled barley - traditionally used in soups and stews, now in summer salads, casseroles, and side dishes; also used as a commercial ingredient in breakfast cereals, soups, pilaf mixes, breads, cookies, crackers, and snack bars

Barquette French - boat-shaped pastry shell, used in hors d'oeurvres and desserts, with either sweet or savory fillings

Basashi (Jap.) "sliced horse" - horse sashimi

Basil/Basilic (Fr.) - also sweet basil - herb used in Mediterranean cookery; Different varieties of basil have different tastes; cloves, lemon, lime, cinnamon, tarragon, citronella, and coriander may all be present in the scent, and thus the taste, of different basils

Basmati Rice (Hindi, “The Fragrant One" also "Soft Rice") - long grain rice (much longer than wide, and get longer when cooked) with a slightly nutlike, fragrant, very distinctive flavor; used extensively in Indian cooking; firm, not sticky after cooking; comes both as white rice and brown rice (Brown rice takes longer to cook.)

Basquaise - prepared in the Basque style; usually includes tomatoes and red peppers

Bass - white sea fish with three varieties - silver, sea and striped - sold as steaks and fillets; can be barbecued, grilled, steamed, poached or baked; strong flavor

Bastegh Armenian - candy

Basterma Armenian - a garlicy type of beef jerky

Bata (Jap.) - butter

Bâtarde - [bah-TAHRD] - traditional white loaf of (French) bread, slightly shorter, but wider than a Baguette; -Yes, it means what you think it does.

Battera-sushi (Jap.) - Osaka-style pressed and molded mackerel sushi

Baton/Batonnet French, stick, little stick - refers to pieces (usually vegetables) cut somewhat larger than allumette or julienne; standard size is ¼” x ¼” x 2 to 2 ½”

Batsoy (Phil. - Tagalog, although the word itself is Chinese) - a dish of chopped and sauteed entrails of pig in broth

Batter - rather thin, creamy mixture consisting mainly of eggs, plain flour and milk; used in making pancakes, cakes, crepes, coating food to be deep-fried, etc.

Batuan (Phil. - Pinoy) - garcinia morella, a small sour green fruit with a large seed; often used to add sourness to soups

Baudroie French aka Lotte de Mer, monkfish, frog-fish, sea-devil - angler-fish

Bavarian Cream - cream made with pastry cream lightened with whipped cream, stabilized with gelatin; may be poured into molds, or used as a filling for cakes or pastries; often flavored with fruit purees or alcohol

Bavarian Rye - heavy bread with rich, dark brown color, dense interior, and full-bodied rye, often with caraway seeds

Bavarian Sauerkraut - sauerkraut made with some or all of the following: caraway seeds, apple juice, apple sauce, apples, juniper berries, sugar, brown sugar, bacon, bacon grease, onions, garlic, potatoes

Bavarois - Bavarian cream

Bavette French - minute steak; the top or skirt of beef; flank steak; thinly cut steak; Italian - thin flat strands of pasta, like tagliatelle, but without eggs

Baveux (Fr.) - moist, wet, runny

Baya (Phil.) - high-grade rice wine (tapuy) from the Cordillera

Bayabas (Phil.) - Guava

Bay boletes or boletus - wild mushroom often found in areas where conifers grow; robust and meaty, dries well; often used in risottos or omelettes or simply fried with a little garlic

Bay leaves - leaves of a southern European evergreen shrub Lauracea Laurus nobilis; strong flavor when used properly (bruise slightly before adding to liquid to get best flavor); oregano and thyme scents are strong, with a slight nutmeg scent; important component of a bouquet garni, used alone in soups, ragus, and stews

Baye-baye (Phil. - Ilonggo) - a snack made of pinipig (young rice, pounded) and young coconut

Bayawak (Phil.) - monitor lizard (Note: I have no idea if these are edible, but I thought it would be good to know the word in case someone yells, "Look out for the bayawak behind you!")

Beans - members of the legume family (plants that carry seeds in a pod); major varieties include black, garbanzo, kidney, pinto and white beans. (See also Black Bean, Soy Bean, Pinto Bean, Anasazi Bean, Garbanzo Bean, Azuki Bean, Cannelini Bean)

Bean broth - broth or liquor remaining after cooking dried beans in water

Bean curd aka Tofu - fermented soya beans, usually pressed into soft brick

Bean sprouts - usually, young sprouts of the mung bean; edible sprouts of a germinated seed pod such as alfalfa, broccoli or lentils; crisp texture

Bear Claw - large, sweet, almond-flavored pastry, shaped in a large, irregular semi-circle with slices around the outside; looks (somewhat) like a bear‘s paw; often contain almond paste or raisins; usually has icing drizzled on top, and often almond slivers

Bearnaise sauce - classic French sauce made with a reduction of vinegar and white wine, flavored with tarragon, black peppercorns and shallot, finished with egg yolks and butter; good served with any grilled meat or fish; variation of Hollandaise sauce

Beaufort - French; semi-hard cow’s milk cheese; smooth texture; similar to Comté, Gruyère and Emmenthal cheeses, but with no holes; aged for 5 to 12 months (extra-old aged 18 months); rind turns brownish-red during aging; nutty flavor; best served cut into very thin slices

Beaujolais [BOE-zjoh-lay]- very fruity red wine; Beaujolais Nouveau drinkable weeks after harvest; only red wine that actually benefits from being served slightly chilled; very inexpensive

Bécasse French - woodcock

Becassine French - snipe

Béchamel - classic white sauce made from milk, roux and various flavorings (e.g., bay leaf or onion); used most often as a base for other sauces; can be used as a binder or moisturizer

Beche-de-mer (Phil. - Fr.) aka trepang - sea slug, sea cucumber

Beef - meat from domestic cattle

Beef dripping - fat that drips from a roast (joint) during roasting; when clarified and formed, a solid fat that is sold in blocks

Beef marrow - the soft, fatty tissue found in the hollow center of animal leg bones

Beef olives - meat cut into thin slices, rolled up with a filling

Beefsteak tomatoes - large, bright red, globe-shaped tomatoes; dense flesh used both raw and cooked

Beef Stroganoff - Russian - today, a dish of sautéed pieces of beef in a sour cream sauce with mushrooms and sometimes onion, served over or with noodles (less often, rice); first known recipe for Govjadina po-strogonovski, s gorchitseju ("Beef Stroganov with mustard") involved lightly floured beef cubes (not strips) sautéed, sauced with prepared mustard and bouillon, and finished with a small amount of sour cream: no onions, no mushrooms (Wikipedia)

Beefalo - meat (and the offspring itself) of fertile hybrid offspring of domestic cattle, Bos taurus, and the American Bison, Bison bison (generally called buffalo)

Beer - world's oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage; produced by the fermentation of sugars derived from starch-based material, most commonly malted barley; however, wheat, corn, and rice are also widely used, usually in conjunction with barley, and millet, sorghum and cassava root (Africa), potato (Brazil), agave (Mexico); usually flavored (in US) with hops; generally, not more than about 5% alcohol

Beer Cheese - originated in Germany; milky white inside and out, usually with small holes; smell more pungent than taste

Beet/Beetroot - red, succulent root plant (Beta vulgaris); usually served sliced, cold, with vinegar; also hot; basis of the most well-known borscht

Beignet - (ben yay') - lighter than a doughnut, and square (no holes), sprinkled with powdered sugar

Bell Pepper aka sweet pepper (do not confuse with other non-bell shaped peppers also called sweet), sweet bell pepper, green pepper - large (bigger than a baseball, with some the size of softballs), bell-shaped, fresh sweet pepper; thick juicy flesh; slightly bitter when green, but mildly sweet when allowed to ripen; assume various colors as they ripen, starting with green (the most common), to red; white, brown, purple, yellow and orange also seen; eaten raw, cooked in stews and soups, stir fried, roasted

Belle Helene - a dessert with poached pears, ice cream, and chocolate sauce; also - in French cookery, name for a garnish to grilled meat dishes

Benedictine - distilled cognac-based liquor flavored with 27 plants and spices (including angelica, hyssop, juniper, myrrh, saffron, aloe, arnica, and cinnamon) and aged in oak casks, first developed by Dom Bernardo Vincelli in 1510, at the Benedictine Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy, France; slightly sweet; see B&B

Beni shoga (Jap.) “Beni” - red, “shoga” - ginger - shredded red ginger pickled in plum vinegar; used for garnishes

Benne Seed Nigerian, sesame seed

Bento (Jap.) - traditional boxed lunch; usually includes rice and various dishes which can be eaten cold

Berbere - Ethiopian spice blend; similar to Indian masala; used in traditional Ethiopian stews, called wats, and in coatings for foods to be fried

Bercy butter French - sauce made by reducing white wine with shallots, butter, bone marrow, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper, served with broiled or grilled meat or fish

Bercy sauce - French - fish stock-based velouté made with shallots, served with fish

Bergamot - highly scented herb whose leaves can be made into a tea; (Bergamot or Oswego tea introduced to the early colonists by the Oswego Indians; Oswego tea s made by colonists during the time of the Boston Tea Party; not the same Berggamot as below

Bergamot orange - small, not-quite-round, sour citrus fruit; a cross of the pear lemon and the Seville orange or grapefruit; an essential oil from the peel used to flavor Earl Grey tea; preserve made with bergamot peel boiled in sugar syrup popular in Greece; marmalade made from the orange sold in Italy

Berlingot/Bberlingot de Carpentras - a hard French sugar candy, sometimes flavoured with peppermint or fruit, consisting of alternating stripes (like the British "humbug"), often made in a pyramid shape

Bermuda Onion aka Spanish onion, sweet onion - large sweet onion

Besciamella (Ital.) - white sauce made of flour, butter, and milk (Béchamel)

Bette French - beet (also betterave, beetroot; betterave rouge de Gardanne, a regional red beet; blette, white beet)

Betute (Phil. - Pampango) - a dish of stuffed frog

Beurre (Fr.) - butter

Beurre blanc - emulsified sauce made with butter and a white wine and shallot reduction

Beurre manié - paste of equal parts flour and softened butter, used to thicken sauces

Beurre noir (Fr.) “black butter” - melted butter that is cooked over low heat until the milk solids turn a very dark brown, then acid is carefully added to the hot butter, usually lemon juice or a type of vinegar

Beurre noisette - ("hazelnut butter", sometimes loosely translated as "brown butter") - unsalted butter melted over low heat and allowed to separate into butterfat and milk solids, which naturally sink to the bottom of the pan and, if left over gentle heat, will begin to brown. reaching a toasty hazelnut color; frequently used in French pastry production; used in both liquid state, or cooled to a solid form; nutty flavor

Bhindi - another name for the vegetable okra or ladies fingers

Bia/Biya (Phil.) - family gobiidae, goby

Bibb, Boston, or Butterhead Lettuce - lettuce with loose heads, buttery texture

Bibingka (Phil.) - a rice cake often garnished with salted eggs and carabao (water buffalo) milk cheese

Bicarbonate of soda aka baking soda, sodium bicarbonate - produces carbon dioxide gas which leavens dough and batter

Biche French, female deer

Bien cuit - French - cooked well done

Bier - Beer

Bière - French - beer

Bierkase cheese - semi-hard cheese that is eaten with beer

Bierwurst (Beer sausage) - made from a finely chipped mixture of pork and beef; does not contain beer; so named because it goes well with beer; pinkish red, traditionally oval; may contain garlic

Bigarade aka Sour orange, Seville orange, Bitter orange - orange with slightly bitter taste; used in making marmalade, Triple sec, Grand Marnier and Curaçao

Bigarade sauce - sweet-sour brown sauce, flavored with orange peel and juice and usually served with roast duck

Bignay (Phil.) - Chinese laurel

Bilberries - tiny dark bluish purple summer berries, similar in appearance to small blueberries

Billy bi; billi-bi - French - [BILL-ee BEE] - soup made with mussels, onions, whitewine, cream, egg yolks, and seasonings; originally, classic billy bi served without mussels, leaving a smooth and silky soup; todayoften served with unshelled mussels

Bimblim/Bilimbi - Sour, gherkin-shaped fruit used as a souring agent

Binder/ Binding - mixture of eggs, cream, melted fat or roux panada used to hold a dry mixture together

Bing Cherry - most popular cherry with red/mahogany-colored skin and flesh; small stone, large-ish fruit; crisp, firm and juicy; sweet, rich flavor “Results of a preliminary study by ARS scientists and their university colleagues suggest that some natural compounds in plump, juicy Bing cherries may reduce painful arthritic inflammation. Eating cherries may also help lessen the severity of other inflammatory conditions, such as cardiovascular disease or cancer.” - United States Department of Agriculture

Binubudan (Phil. - Ilokano) - yeast for rice wine

Binuro (Phil. - Ilokano) - fish salted in layers

Biroldo - Italian, Tuscany - fresh blood sausage, sweet (with pig’s blood, raisins, and pine nuts), or savory (with calf’s blood, cheese, and pork)

Biru (Jap.) - beer

Bisbe - Spanish, Catalonian; large blood sausage made with tongue, pork, and pig’s offal

Biscotin d'Aix French - a type of cookie

Biscotti - traditional Italian almond biscuits; usually flavored with almonds, chocolate, or anise seed; also known as Cantuccini

Biscuits - UK biscuits equivalent of US cookies (small, sweet cakes); US biscuits a type of non-yeast bread made of flour, milk, and shortening, usually served with breakfast - small, and similar to what much of the world refers to as `scones'

Biscuits and (Sausage) Gravy (Bs &Gs) - popular breakfast dish in both the Southern and northwestern regions of the United States; consists of American biscuits covered in thick "country" or "white" gravy (called sawmill gravy in some parts of the South) made from the drippings of cooked pork sausage, white flour, milk, and often bits of real sausage, bacon, ground beef, or other meat, often flavored with black pepper; best eaten soon after it is prepared; always served piping hot; (same gravy used for chicken-fried steak); sometimes red eye gravy is used

Bistecca (Ital.) - beef steak, steak

Bistella aka Pastilla, Bsteeya, Bastilla, B’stilla or Bstilla - Morrocan dish, a squab pie; a combination of crisp layers of phyllo dough, savory squab slow-cooked in broth and spices and shredded, and a crunchy layer of toasted and ground almonds, cinnamon, and sugar; sweet and salty flavors; in US, shredded or ground chicken usually substituted

Bisque - (bisk) - type of rich, thick, creamy soup, pureed for an even texture; traditionally includes seafood, wine or cognac, and cream, along with a mixture of spices

Bistecca - Italian - steak

BLT - bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich; usually with mayonnaise on white toast; often a double-decker, cut diagonally and skewered with toothpicks

Blachan - pungent shrimp paste used in very small amounts as seasoning in Thai soups and curries

Black Eyed Pea aka called black-eyed bean, blackeye - subspecies of the cowpea; medium-sized edible bean, pale-colored with a prominent black spot; served as a starchy side dish, cooked with or without fatback and/or diced onion, often served with a hot chili sauce or a pepper-flavored vinegar; also served in a traditional dish called "Hoppin' John" made of black-eyed peas cooked with rice, sometimes pork (such as hog jowls, neckbone, hock, or fatback), and seasonings

Blackberry aka bramble, bramble raspberry - fleshy, sweet, black or dark purple fruit, soft fruit; popular use in desserts, jams, jellies, wine, and sometimes brandy; known to contain antioxidants; member of the rose family

Blackened - crispy, spicy food (usually fish, occasionally chicken) prepared by frying in a cast-iron skillet that's been heated until almost red hot; usually rubbed with Cajun spice mixture prior to frying; method made famous by New Orleans's chef Paul Prudhomme

Blackstrap molasses - most concentrated form of molasses produced during the third and final stage of the making of raw sugar crystals; the darkest and most bitter

Black Bean (also turtle beans) - jet-black on the outside with a creamy flesh; sweet and nutty flavor with a slightly mealy texture.

Black beans, fermented - soya beans, strongly flavoured and preserved

Black Bread - Eastern European peasant bread; gets its almost black color from one or more of many of ingredients including dark rye flour, toasted dark bread crumbs, molasses, cocoa powder, dark beer and/or coffee; thick, very textured, full of flavor; sometimes sweet

Black bream - dark grey sea fish with tough scales that need to be removed before cooking; relatively inexpensive

Black butter - classic accompaniment to fish, particularly skate and plaice. Made by browning butter in a pan and adding lemon juice and parsley

Black cardamom (aka brown cardamom) - pods are used as a spice, in a manner similar to the green Indian cardamom pods, but have a drastically different flavor; strong smoky flavor and aroma; can not be substituted green cardamom; rarely used in sweet dishes

Black cumin - can refer to the seeds of either of two quite different plants, both of which are used as spices:

* Bunium persicum, similar to caraway in shape; small, rounded taproot is edible raw or cooked, tastes like sweet chestnuts; leaf can be used as a herb or garnish similar to parsley
* Nigella sativa, also called kalonji or nigella; pungent bitter taste, faint smell of strawberries; used primarily in candies and liquors; eaten by elephants to aid digestion

Black Currant - called casis in French - small edible berry, very dark purple in color, almost black, with a glossy skin, very sweet and sharp taste; berries are made into jelly, jam, juice, ice cream, cordials and liqueurs, some types of confectionery; ; common in Russia to infuse slightly sweetened vodka with blackcurrant leaves, making a deep yellowish-green beverage with a sharp flavour and an astringent taste; berries can also be used to flavour vodka; juice often mixed with cider to make a drink called Cider & Black in the UK; also in the original Ribena, a very popular soft drink in the UK

Black Forest Cake/Torte - (German - Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte - layered kirsch-flavored chocolate cake, sour cherries and kirsch-laced whipped cream, topped with whipped cream, chocolate curls, and cherries

Black pepper - comes from a climbing vine, native to India, Java and the Sunda Islands; fruits ripen from green to red and finally to brown; turns black when fully dried; can be used whole, crushed, or ground to add heat and flavor; black strongest and most common; hot with a slight touch of sweetness

Black potatoes - varieties of potato with deep purple flesh which are known individually as Purple Congo potatoes, Blue Salad potatoes or Truffe de Chine

Black pudding - type of sausage made from blood (usually pig's), cereal (such as oatmeal) and fat (often suet) and flavored with herbs and spices

Black Russian - large, full-flavoured tomato with dark purple-black skin; good for slicing, in salads, stuffing and baking with garlic and parsley

Black Russian - mixed drink consisting of 1 part Kahlua (or another coffee liquor) and two parts vodka, served over ice, usually in a rocks glass

Black treacle - dark, thick liquid is obtained from the residual molasses which is drained from the molds used in the sugar refining process; similar to blackstrap molasses

Blanc French, white; (e.g., blanc d'blancs: white wine made from white grapes; blanc de noirs: white wine made from red; blanc d'oeuf: egg white; fromage blanc, white cheese; vin blanc, white wine)

Blanchaille - any of numerous species of tiny fish

Blanc-Mange - sweet dessert made with milk (or cream), sugar thickened with gelatin (or cornstarch), and almonds; usually set in a mold and served cold

Blanquette - stew of chicken, veal, or lamb in a white sauce

Blé French, wheat; (e.g., germe de blé, wheat germ; blé noir, buckwheat)

Bleu French - cooked rare, but not a rare as saignant.

Bleu de Bresse - French blue cheese, mild buttery flavor, creamy texture, similar to Brie; firm, edible coating, white in color; aroma of mushrooms

Bleu de Queyras - type of blue cheese made in the French Alps

Blintze - blintz, blintze or blin (plural: blintzes, Lithuanian: Blynai, blynai; Russian: blin, (pl.) bliny; - thin pancake similar to a crêpe; prepared and served in three basic ways; other ingredients in the batter; butter, bacon fat, sour cream, jam, honey or caviar spread on then rolled up; filled with jam, fruit, potato, cottage cheese, other cheese, cooked meat, mushrooms, bean sprouts, cabbage and/or onions; then lightly re-fried

Blonde de Nice -regional orange from Nice

Blondies aka Blond Brownies - brownies made using white chocolate and/or peanut butter instead of cocoa

Blood Orange - a variety of orange with crimson, blood-colored flesh; smaller than an average orange, usually with pitted skin; distinctive dark flesh color due to anthocyanin, a pigment common to many flowers and fruit, but uncommon in citrus fruits; often dark coloring on the exterior of the rind as well; unusual internal color due to red pigment, anthocyanin, an antioxidant that reduces the risks associated with many ailments, including age-related illnesses; sweet, juicy

Bloody Mary & variations - cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce or another hot sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery or celery salt, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice
Variations:
Bloody Bishop - Sherry in equal measure to vodka
Bloody Geisha - Sake replacing vodka.
Bloody Maria - Tequila replacing vodka.
Brown Mary or Whiskey Mary - Whiskey replacing the vodka.
Bloody Pirate - Dark rum replacing vodka.
Bloody Scotsman - Scotch replacing vodka.
Red Beer, Red Eye, Calgary Red Eye, or Saskatchewan Red Eye - Beer replacing vodka, usually in a 50/50 mixture with the tomato (or Clamato in Canada) juice.
Virgin Mary, Bloody Virgin - without alcohol

Bloom - pale gray film, streaks, or blotches appearing on surface of chocolate when the cocoa butter separates and forms crystals (usually as a result of storing in too warm a place); does not effect flavor or cooking properties

Blueberry - small berry reddish-purple, and finally dark purple on ripening; sweet taste with variable acidity; one of the few foods that are naturally colored blue; nutrient rich, high in antioxidants

Blue cheese (French- “bleu”) - variety of cheeses characterized by veins of blue-green mold contributing to distinctive flavor, which ranges from delicate and only slightly tangy to richly earthy and very sharp

Bluefin tuna - highest grade tuna; used in top-class restaurants for sashimi and sushi

Blue points - small oysters served raw on the half shell

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,