Salted caramel
Salted caramel Pronounce it: sol-tid ka-rah-mel These two words are among the most over-used, misunderstood and thus potentially most disappointing in the current world of cooking and eating. Caramel is simply sugar that has been…
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…
Marrow
Marrow A marrow is a cucurbit, which means it’s from the same family as the melon, cucumber, squash and courgette. The marrow is actually a courgette that has been left on the plant to grow a little longer; likewise, if…
Tamari
Tamari Pronounce it: tam-aree Tamari is a Japanese version of soy sauce, the main difference being that it contains little or no wheat and thus little or no gluten, something that will be apparent on…
Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn Pronounce it: sw-eet corn Also known as corn on the cob, sweetcorn is composed of rows of tightly packed golden yellow kernels, growing along a tough central core. When ripe, the kernels are sweet…
Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary Pronounce it: blud-ee meah-ree Reliably considered the best possible cure for a hangover, this long tomato juice and vodka-based drink might actually work. First, it is restoring some of the hydration that drinking…
Mushroom
Mushroom Pronounce it: mush-room The mushroom is a fungus which comes in a wide range of varieties that belong to two distinct types: cultivated and wild. In myth and folklore mushrooms have always had something…
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…
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…
Olive oil
Olive oil Pronounce it: ol-iv oyl Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It’s mainly made in the Mediterranean, primarily in Italy, Spain and Greece (though countries such…