French Cuisine Terms


french cuisine
just the words I find I need -- do let me know if I've made a mistake, I won't mind and would love to correct it!

·      abricot   apricot
·      acras  maybe deep-fried appetizers
·      agneau lamb
·      agrumes citrus fruit
·      aigre sour
·      aiguillette  breast eg of chicken
·      ail garlic
·      ailes de raie  ray fish
·      airelles  cranberries
·      algues  seaweed
·      aligot  white wine
·      allumette cheese straw
·      aloyau  sirloin
·      amande almond
·      amer/amère bitter
·      ananas pineapple
·      anchois   anchovies
·      aneth dill
·      anis anise
·      antillaises  West Indian flavored
·      arachide peanut
·      araignee crab
·      Ariane a type of apple
·      Arlequin  Harlequin
·      asperges   asparagus
·      assaisonnements seasonings
·      assiette plate
·      aumônière pouch, purse (like when you stuff something)
·      autocuiseur pressure cooker
·      avoine  oats
·      babeurre   buttermilk
·      badiane star anise
·      baies berries
·      ballon  ball
·      banane   banana
·      basilic basil
·      batavia a type of soft lettuce
·      bâtonnets sticks
·      bavarois a layered cold dessert w sponge cake, fruit mousse, cream, custard
·      bavette d'aloyau  a cut of sirloin
·      beignet fritter
·      betterave beet
·      beurre d'arachides peanut butter
·      bière beer
·      bifteck (bleu/saignant/ à point/bien cuit)  steak (nearly raw/very rare/medium rare/well cooked)
·      blanquette white meat in a white sauce
·      blé wheat
·      blé d'inde corn
·      blé dur hard wheat
·      blette  swiss chard
·      bleuet blueberry
·      blezoto  a type of risotto
·      bocal jar
·      boisson drink
·      boîte (de conserve) tin, can
·      bol bowl
·      botte bunch
·      bouchée mouthful
·      boudin roll, sausage
·      bouillir to boil
·      boum get-together
·      brasser to stir
·      brebis ewe
·      brin strand
·      briser to break
·      brochette kabob
·      brosser to brush
·      brousse fraîche a cheese used the same day it is made
·      cabillaud cod
·      c a s abbrev = tablespoon
·      cacahuète peanut
·      caille quail
·      cake fruit cake
·      cancoillotte   a brie-ish cheese
·      canelle same as cannelle, cinnamon; also seems to be a type of sweet roll
·      canette little bottle
·      canette de barbarie a duck dish
·      canneberge cranberry
·      cannelle cinnamon
·      capres capers
·      cardons  cardoons ie similar to artichoke
·      carré square
·      casse-croûte snack
·      casserole (sauce)pan
·      cassis blackcurrant
·      cassonade raw sugar
·      céleri-ravi/rave celeriac = celery root
·      cèpes a type of dark mushroom with a rich flavor
·      cerfeuil chervil
·      cerise   cherry
·      cerneaux walnut halves
·      cervelle  brains
·      ceviche a Spanish seafood dish that varies but can be raw fish with lime
·      chair flesh, meat
·      châtaigne chestnut
·      champignon mushroom
·      chapelure bread crumbs
·      charcuterie  cold meats
·      chataigne chestnut
·      chaud(e) warm, hot
·      chauffer to heat
·      chausson turnover
·      chou, choux cabbage
·      choucroute  sauerkraut with sausage and other prepared meats
·      chou-fleur cauliflower
·      ciboulette chives
·      cigarette russe those rolled-up thin cookies
·      citron lemon
·      civet stew
·      clafoutis a fruit flan eg with cherries
·      coing  quince
·      courge  marrow, a squash
·      crème fleurette heavy/whipping cream
·      crevette shrimp
·      cuisson cooking
·      cylindrical sweet wafer
·      citron lemon
·      citron vert   lime
·      cl abbrev = teaspoon
·      clafoutis flan
·      clous de girofle cloves (like allspice flavor type)
·      cocotte casserole dish
·      coing quince
·      colin hake fish
·      collation snack
·      colza, huile de canola oil
·      Comté a type of Gruyere cheese
·      concassé crushed
·      concombre cucumber
·      confiture jam
·      congelé(e) frozen
·      Congolais coconut meringues
·      coque shell
·      corbeille  basket
·      cordon  string, cord, course
·      cornet cone
·      corsé  strong, spicy
·      côte  pork/lamb chop
·      couper to cut
·      courge squash
·      couteau knife
·      crabe  crab
·      cranachan 
·      Crème renversee  similar to crème caramel but cooked differently and without caramel
·      cresson watercress
·      crevette [rose] prawn
·      croquer to be crunchy
·      crottin  goat's cheese round
·      croustillant  crispy, crunchy
·      croute crust
·      cru(e) raw
·      cuillère spoon
·      cuillère á soupe  tablespoon
·      cuillère á table  tablespoon
·      cuillère de café teaspoon
·      cuillère à thé teaspoon
·      cuire to cook
·      curcuma turmeric
·      danois  Danish
·      darne  steak
·      dénoyauter to pit
·      dés 
·      dinde   turkey
·      diplomate à la confiture  one of those concoctions of lady fingers in a mould with pudding inside

·      dorée golden
·      doux soft, mild
·      échalote shallot
·      échauffer to warm up
·      eclats explosions
·      écorce peel
·      ecreme skimmed (as in skimmed milk lait ecreme)
·      ecrevisse crawfish
·      écumoire strainer
·      édulcorant sweetening agent
·      égoutter to drain
·      émittier to crumble
·      encornet squid
·      en croûte  in pastry
·      enlever to remove
·      entrecôte  rib steak
·      entremet  dessert
·      épaisse thick
·      epepinez  to seed
·      épicé(e) spicy
·      épinards   spinach
·      éplucher to peel
·      faire blondir to brown lightly
·      farandole a traditional dance, used of certain dishes
·      Far breton  a prune flan with vanilla custardy filling
·      farci[e] stuffed
·      farfalle  bow-tie pasta
·      farine flour
·      faux-filet sirloin steak
·      fécule starch
·      fenouil fennel
·      Feuilles de Brick phyllo dough precut into circles etc
·      feuille de laurier bayleaf
·      feulleté plate
·      fèves broad beans
·      fines herbes a mixture – traditional is chervil, parsley, tarragon, chives; now people might also add eg thyme
·      flétan halibut
·      fleurette whipping as in cream
·      Floc de Gascogne  apple brandy
·      foie liver
·      fond bottom of, heart
·      fondant aux poires melt-in-your-mouth cookies apparently flavored with pear
·      fouetter  to whip
·      fougasse  a flat loaf of bread
·      Fourme d'Ambert a blue cheese
·      forestière wild mushrooms
·      fouette to whisk
·      four oven
·      fourchette fork
·      frais/fraîche fresh; cool, chilled
·      fraise strawberry
·      framboise raspberry
·      frangipane  almond-flavored paste
·      friand stuffed puff
·      frire to fry
·      frisee  curly
·      frites  chips/french fries
·      froid(e) cold
·      fromage blanc   cream cheese
·      fruits de mer seafood(s)
·      galette  round flat cake/pancake
·      gambas large prawns
·      gaufre waffle
·      genisse fleur d'aubrac  a calf
·      gesier gizzard
·      Gewurztraminer  a type of grape
·      gigot d'agneau  leg of lamb
·      gingembre ginger
·      girofle cloves
·      girolle  chantarelle mushrooms
·      givrage icing/freezing
·      glaçe  ice cream
·      glacé frozen
·      gousse clove, pod
·      gouter afternoon snack
·      graine seed
·      graisse fat
·      granite  grained
·      grappe bunch, flower
·      grignotine crunchy snacks
·      groseilles  red currants
·      grumeau lump
·      guimauve marshmallow
·      hacher to mince, grind
·      hachis Parmentier shepherd's pie
·      hareng  herring
·      haricot bean
·      haricots verts  green beans
·      herbes des salades mixture eg parsley, chives, red and regular onions, garlic, black pepper, and dill – OR other mixtures eg one of basil, chervil, chives, parsley, thyme, and shallot OR another one said to be Provencale of parsley, basil, tarragon, chives
·      homard  lobster
·      huile oil
·      huitres  oysters
·      jarret knuckle!
·      laitage a dairy product
·      lait ribot  buttermilk
·      laitue   lettuce
·      lamelle thin slice
·      laniere strip
·      lapin   rabbit
·      lardon  chopped bacon, normally in a salad
·      leger light
·      légume vegetable
·      levure baking powder
·      liegeois  iced coffee or cocoa topped w whipped cream
·      lier to bind
·      liliacee
·      lingot  ingot
·      lotte monk fish
·      macedoine a salad of diced vegetables
·      madère madeira, often re a sauce made with it plus mushrooms plus some minced vegetables
·      magret de canard fillet of duck breast
·      maïs   corn
·      Maïzena corn starch
·      mangue mango
·      manioc root AKA cassava
·      Marcillac a type of wine
·      marjolaine marjoram
·      marmite cooking pot
·      marron chestnut
·      Medoc a type of wine
·      Mortalle an Italian sausage
·      meler to mix
·      mendiant beggar; a mixture of dried fruit and nuts
·      merlan whiting such as the whites of green onions
·      met food, dish
·      mie soft
·      miel honey
·      mijoter to simmer
·      millas tiède  a cornmeal sweet cake
·      mimolette  a type of cheddar? cheese
·      mirabelle a type of plum
·      moelleux  thick, soft
·      Mogettes de Vendée white beans
·      moitié half
·      morille   morel mushroom
·      Morteau a type of long sausage
·      morue cod
·      mouelleux, -euse soft, moist
·      moule  mussel, mould, pan
·      moulin mill, grinder
·      moulu ground
·      moutard  mustard
·      mouton  mutton
·      mûre blackberry
·      muscade nutmeg
·      myrtille   blueberry
·      nage  cooked in court bouillon
·      napper cover, layer
·      navet turnip
·      nem Vietnamese spring roll
·      nouilles pasta, noodles
·      noisette hazelnut
·      noix de cajour cashew
·      noix de coco coconut
·      noix walnut
·      noix de beurre (NOT a nut but) a knob of butter
·      noix de cajou cashew
·      noix de Grenoble  a type of walnut
·      noix du Périgord a much respected walnut
·      nouilles noodles
·      nourriture food
·      œuf egg
·      oie goose
·      oignon onion
·      onglet  a prime cut of beef
·      orgeat, sirop d'  barley syrup
·      os bone
·      oseille sorrel
·      oter to take off
·      pain perdu French toast
·      palets  puck-shaped
·      palourde  clam
·      pamplemousse grapefruit
·      pané breaded
·      palais palate (as well as palace)
·      papillote  parcel
·      parmentier  shepherd's pie
·      parsemer to sprinkle
·      pastèque   watermelon
·      patates douces softish potatoes good for mashing; or sweet potatoes
·      pâte feuilletée puff pastry
·      pâte   pasta, pastry, dough, batter
·      patisson  squash
·      paupiette meat rolled around a filling
·      pavé piece/slice like of cake or meat
·      pêche peach
·      pelure peel
·      pepin pip of a fruit
·      sauce perigueux  some type of eggy? sauce
·      persil parsley
·      petite cuillére teaspoon
·      petite cuillère teaspoon
·      petits suisses individual cheeses or rich yogurty
·      petoncles small scallops
·      pignons de pin pinenuts
·      piment chili
·      pintade guinea fowl
·      piquant spicy-hot
·      Pissaladiere  k
·      plat dish
·      pleurote  pleurotus! ie a type of grilled mushrooms
·      poêle frying pan
·      poêler stove
·      poids weight
·      poire pear
·      poireau leek
·      pois pea
·      poisson fish
·      poitrine fumée smoked ham
·      poivre pepper (spice)
·      poivrez to add pepper to
·      poivron pepper (vegetable)
·      pomme-canelle sweetsop fruit like custard apple
·      pommes d'amour a little sweet tomato
·      pommes du Limousin-Golden d'altitude DEF
·      porte port
·      potage  soup
·      pouce  thumb (like finger food I think)
·      poulet chicken
·      pousses shoots, buds
·      praire  clam
·      préchauffez preheat
·      pressée mashed eg w/ potatoes
·      presure rennet
·      prune   plum
·      quartier piece, segment (note not necesly ¼)
·      quatre-epices  pepper, cloves, nutmeg, ginger
·      Quatre-quarts pound cake
·      queue tail
·      râble saddle such as of a rabbit (like breast I guess)
·      racine root
·      radis   radish
·      raffiné refined
·      raie  parting/line
·      raisin   grape
·      raisin sec raisin
·      rajouter to add
·      ramolli softened
·      raper to grate
·      Ratte du Touquet a gourmet potato
·      ravigotte a highly seasoned sauce with herbs and shallots
·      reblochon a soft cow's cheese from the Alps
·      refroidir to cool
·      reglisse  licorice
·      reines-claudes  plums 
·      releve spicy
·      remoulade mayonnaise-like dressing
·      remplacez replace
·      repas meal
·      ricoré Bru!
·      rillettes  potted meat
·      rissolé browned
·      riz rice
·      Rocamadour a fresh goat's cheese
·      rochers à la noix de coco nut-covered chocolates
·      romarin rosemary
·      rosbif   roast beef
·      rose de Lautrec  garlic
·      rosette de Lyon  a type of pork sausage
·      rôtir to roast
·      rouleau roll
·      rumsteck  rump steak
·      sablé shortbread
·      salée salty
·      salsifi sort of like parsnips
·      sandre  perch fish
·      sarrasin buckwheat
·      sarriette summer savory (herb)
·      sauce vierge a vinaigrette with tomato and basil
·      saucisse sausage
·      sauge  sage
·      saupoudrer to sprinkle
·      sautesse frying pan
·      Savarin rum baba
·      savoyarde  a certain regional style eg w mustard and tarragon and cheese
·      Sbrinz a Swiss cheese a lot like Parmesan
·      sec dry
·      sel salt
·      semoule semolina
·      skrei  fish
·      soja soy
·      soucoupe saucer
·      souper supper
·      St Marcellin a soft cow's cheese
·      surgelé frozen
·      surimi faux seafood eg crab from fish
·      Sveltesse 
·      tailler to cut out, sharpen
·      tarama  taramasalata ie a pinkish paste made from the roe of certain fish, mixed with olive oil and seasoning
·      tarte   pie, tart
·      tartinade spread
·      tartine bread and jam
·      tasse cup
·      tatin open pie/pastry
·      tiède lukewarm
·      tige stem
·      tilleul lime/linden blossom
·      tôt-fait looks like a type of custardy pie eg w apples but not sure
·      tournesol sunflower (as in oil)
·      traité treated eg waxed fruit
·      tranche slice
·      trempête dipping sauce
·      trognon core
·      truite trout
·      vaisselle dishes
·      Valencay a goat cheese in a pyramid and with charcoal over it
·      veau   veal
·      ventreche  bacon
·      verre glass, tumbler
·      verrine  layered dish made in a glass
·      verser to pour
·      viande meat
·      vider to empty
·      vigne farcies  stuffed grape leaves
·      volaille poultry
·      yaourt   yogurt

I was inspired to put this together when I had a digital subscription to this French magazine: