Glossary

Harissa

Harissa Pronounce it: ha-riss-ah This hot, aromatic paste made from chilli and assorted other spices and herbs is spicy and fragrant. It’s widely used in North African and Middle Eastern cuisines as a condiment, or…


Pepper

Pepper

Pepper Pronounce it: pep-iz Also known as capsicums, bell peppers, sweet peppers or by their colours, for example red and yellow peppers. These are a non-hot member of a large family that varies enormously in size,…


Zinfandel

Zinfandel

Zinfandel Pronounce it: zin-fan-del The American hero Zin was originally thought to be or to be related to southern Italy’s Primitivo, a variety that also produces dark, plummy wines. It has now been proved that…


Kimchi

Kimchi Pronounce it: Kym-chee Kimchi is a Korean family of well over 100 different vegetable pickles eaten as a side dish, a wrap and as a condiment. It is the most famous Korean dish, made…


Tempranillo

Tempranillo

Tempranillo Pronounce it: tem-pra-nee-yo Spain’s Don Juan Tempranillo is THE red grape of Spain. Central Spain uses it to make bright, juicy reds for drinking now – great low-priced party wines. Further North the same…


Cumin

Cumin

Cumin Pronounce it: q-min An aromatic spice native to eastern Mediteranean countries and Upper Egypt. This warm, flavoursome and slightly bitter spice derives from the seed of the Cumin plant and is traditionally added to…


Goji berries

Goji berries Pronounce it: go-gee ber-reze Increasingly hailed as a superfood in the UK, goji berries have been eaten as a nutrionally rich food in China for around 2000 years. The bright red berries, sometimes…


Plum

Plum

Plum Pronounce it: pl-um The juiciest fruit in the stone fruit family, plums come in many different varieties, some sweet, some slightly more tart. All plums however have certain characteristics in common, with smooth, richly…


Aubergine

Aubergine Pronounce it: oh-ber-geen Although it’s technically a fruit (a berry, to be exact), the aubergine is used as a vegetable. It’s native to South-East Asia, but is grown all over the world, and there…


Body – light, medium, full

Body – light, medium, full Pronounce it: bo-dee One of the useful ways to distinguish between wines is to indicate the body of the wine. It’s an indicator of the way the wine feels in…