Syrah / Shiraz
Syrah / Shiraz Pronounce it: sirrah / shih-raz International celebrity The northern Rhone is the traditional home of Syrah, where it is renowned in the wines of Hermitage, Cote-Rotie and Cornas. In the Southern Rhone…
Truffle
Truffle Pronounce it: truff-ill The black Perigord truffle isn’t the only truffle. Truffles lauded as Black Diamonds and as having the most heavenly of scents and tastes refer only to a single variety, the true…
Paprika
Paprika Pronounce it: pa-preek-ah A spice that’s central to Hungarian cuisine, paprika is made by drying a particular type of sweet pepper, then grinding them to a fine, rich red powder. Its flavour varies from…
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir Pronounce it: peeno-nwar Pinot is the Don Juan of grape varieties: a really seductive charmer. It’s hard to grow, but in the right circumstances produces elegant wines of exceptional quality. Pinot will never…
Lemon
Lemon Pronounce it: le-mon Oval in shape, with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile fruits around, and contain a high level of Vitamin C. Although the juicy yellow…
Gin
Gin Pronounce it: jinn Gin has enjoyed a huge revival recently. It’s usually served alongside tonic water (a carbonated water with quinine) with ice, and garnished with something to enhance the drinking experience. The juniper-led spirit…
Falafel
Falafel Pronounce it: Fill-aff–ill An age-old mainstay of fast street food in virtually every Arabic-speaking and Eastern Mediterranean country, falafel is now firmly established in the West. Traditionally, small patties based on minced ful (dried…
Merlot
Merlot Pronounce it: mer-low The crowd pleaser Merlot is the red that has come racing up the popularity stakes. It’s the variety – especially if it’s made in the New World – that you can…
Rye
Rye Pronounce it: rai The richly flavoured seed of a common and widely grown grass, rye’s robustness in difficult climates has long made it an important source of protein in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe,…
Horseradish
Horseradish Pronounce it: hors rad-ish Horseradish root is larger than an ordinary radish, and has a hot, peppery flavour. It’s more likely to be eaten as a condiment, which can be found in varying degrees of heat….