There’s seemingly an endless amount of cookery programmes on British T.V. today. But do you always understand the terms they use ? Here’s a tasty sample to test your gastonomic wordpower …

Vocabulary Ratings
14-15 correct ………………….. excellent
12-13 correct ………………….. good
9-11 correct ………………….. fair

<b>(1) ceviche</b> {sirveesh} <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> hot liqueur. <b>B:</b> marinated starter. <b>C:</b> raw vegetable.

B: citrus-marinated seafood appetiser. “The shrimp in lime juice produced a fine ceviche.” Spanish escabeche (marinade).

<b>(2) aioli</b> {eye-owelee} <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> chopped potatoes. <b>B:</b> butter chicken. <b>C:</b> garlic mayonnaise.

C: garlic mayonnaise. “The chips with aioli disappeared in seconds.” Provencal French ai (garlic) and oli (oil).

<b>(3) tagine</b> {tahzheen} <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> stringy meat. <b>B:</b> north African dish. <b>C:</b> honey glaze.

B: North African stew dish. “Tagines are popular in Morocco.” Arabic tajine (clay pot).

<b>(4) flageolet</b> {flazh-eau-lay} <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> kidney bean. <b>B:</b> cold soup. <b>C:</b> beaten egg.

A: kidney bean. “Jack planted plenty of flageolets.” Latin phaseolus (bean).

<b>(5) goujon</b> <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> meat medallion. <b>B:</b> fruit chunk. <b>C:</b> deep-fried strip.

C: deep-fried strip of fish or chicken.’The halibut goujons staved off his hunger.” French gouger (to gouge).

<b>(6) eau de vie</b> <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> brandy. <b>B:</b> egg white. <b>C:</b> distilled water.

A: spirits, especially brandy. “The eau de vie stopped his hands shaking.” French eau de Vie (water of life).

<b>(7) flambé</b> <b>A:</b> dipped in sugar. <b>B:</b> covered with pie crust. <b>C:</b> heated to burn off spirits.

C: cover food with spirits and burn off. “Firsttip: never flambe with petrol.” French flamber (burn).

<b>(8) pulque </b>{pullkay} <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> spun sugar. <b>B:</b> Mexican drink. <b>C:</b> cooked lettuce.

B: Mexican drink made from fermented sap. “The pulque chaser was a bad idea.” Nahuatl puliuhki (decomposed).

<b>(9) daube</b> <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> stew. <b>B:</b> thick sauce. <b>C:</b> steak.

A: braised meat stew. “The daube was wine-based.” Latin dealbare (whitewash).

<b>(10) lachryma Christi</b> <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> salty water. <b>B:</b> peach juice. <b>C:</b> Italian wine.

C: wine grown on Mount Vesuvius. “Pliny sipped lachryma Christi as Etna erupted.” Latin lachryma Christi (Christ’s tear).

<b>(11) fricandeau</b> {frick-ohn-doh} <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> meat slice. <b>B:</b> egg whisk. <b>C:</b> water jug.

A: a slice of meat, often veal, from the leg. “The fricandeau was drenched in cider.” French.

<b>(12) coulis</b> <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> iced lemon. <b>B:</b> fruit puree. <b>C:</b> sorbet.

B: Fruit puree thin enough to pour. “The coulis lapped gently round the ice-cream dome.” French couler (flow).

<b>(13) lees</b> <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> nettle juice. <b>B:</b> wine dregs. <b>C:</b> fermented milk.

B: wine sediment. “He drank the bottle down to the lees”. Middle English lie (dregs).

<b>(14) rösti</b> <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> beehive oven. <b>B:</b> saltgarnish. <b>C:</b> fried potatoes.

C: Swiss fried potato dish. “When in training, Federer avoids rosti.” German rosti (fried potatoes).

<b>(15) tapenade</b> {tap-uhn-ard} <i>n</i> <b>A:</b> olive paste. <b>B:</b> liver pate. <b>C:</b> digestif.

A: chopped olives, anchovies and capers in olive oil. “Tapenade on bread is a simple starter.” Provencal French taperio (caper).