Malbec
Malbec Pronounce it: marl-bek The Argentinian hero Malbec was once one of the regular participants in Bordeaux blends. Today it has fallen out of favour. Further south in Gascony it still has a role to…
Glossary
Moringa
Moringa Pronounce it: moor-ing-gah Promoted as one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet, the Moringa, Drumstick or Horseradish tree is credited with everything from sorting out sleep patterns to increasing libido and…
Capers
Capers Pronounce it: kay-per Capers are the small flower buds of the Capparis shrub, which grows in the Mediterranean. As they’re picked by hand they’re fairly pricey but they’re a versatile store cupboard ingredient, and…
Shallot
Shallot Pronounce it: shal-lot Related to the onion (as opposed to being a younger version of it), shallots grow in clusters at the leaf base. Most varieties are smaller than onions, have finer layers and…
Spelt
Spelt Pronounce it: spell-t Spelt is an ancient member of the wheat family and an evolutionary hybrid of emmer wheat and goat grass. Its high energy content led the Romans to dub it the ‘marching grain’. Lower yielding than modern…
Yuzu
Yuzu Pronounce it: yoo-zoo This relatively new citrus in the UK originated in Central China and Tibet but is more commonly associated with Japanese cuisine. Intensely aromatic, its major antecedent among several arcane citruses is…
Potato
Potato Pronounce it: po-tate-oh The world’s favourite root vegetable, the potato comes in innumerable varieties. A member of the nightshade family, like tomatoes and aubergines, it originated in South America and has been grown in…
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate Pronounce it: dahk chok-o-let Dark chocolate means the shiny, dark-reddish brown treat produced from the cacao bean, theobroma cacao, widely sold as pressed blocks, bars or as a coating for sweet fillings. Before…
Julienne
Julienne Pronounce it: joo-lee-en To cut vegetables into matchsticks-shaped pieces for use mainly as a garnish. To julienne, vegetables should be peeled and cut across into pieces about 5cm long. If necessary, curved sides should…
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut Pronounce it: sow-er-krowt A diet staple of Germany and much of Central Europe, this is finely sliced cabbage subjected to lactic-acid fermentation. The process begins by adding salt to prepared cabbage; this draws liquid…