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Cabécou(s): small, round goat's-milk
cheese from the southwest, sometimes made with a mix
of goat's and cow's milk.
Cabillaud: fresh codfish, also currently called morue:
known as doguette in the North, bakalua in the Basque
region, eglefin in Provence.
Cabri: young goat.
Cacahouète, cacahouette, cacachuète: prepared
peanut--roasted, dry roasted, or salted. A raw peanut
is arachide
Cacao: cocoa; powdered cocoa.
Cachat: a very strong goat cheese; generally a blend
of various ends of leftover cheese, mixed with seasonings
that might include salt, pepper, brandy and garlic,
and aged in a crock; specialty of Provence.
Caen, à la mode de: in the style of Caen, a town
in Normandy; a dish cooked in Calvados and white wine
and/or cider.
Café: coffee, as well as a type of eating place
where coffee is served.
allongé: weakened espresso, often served with
a small pitcher of hot water so clients may thin the
coffee themselves.
au lait or crème: espresso with warmed or steamed
milk.
déca or décaféiné: decaffeinated
coffee.
express: plain black espresso.
faux: decaffeinated coffee.
filtre: filtered American-style coffee (not available
at all cafés).
glacé: iced coffee.
liègeois: iced coffee served with ice cream (optional)
and whipped cream; also coffee ice cream with whipped
cream.
noir: plain black espresso.
noisette: espresso with tiny amount of milk.
serré: extra-strong espresso, made with half
the normal amount of water.
Caféine: caffeine.
Cagouille: on the Atlantic coast, name for small petit
gris land snail, or escargot.
Caille: quail.
Caillé: clotted or curdled; curds of milk.
Caillette: round pork sausage including chopped spinach
or Swiss chard, garlic, onions, parsley, bread, and
egg and wrapped in crépine (caul fat); served
hot or cold; specialty of northern Provence.
Caisse: cash register; or cash desk.
Caissette: literally, "small box"; bread,
brioche, or chocolate shaped like a small box.
Cajasse: a sort of clafoutis from the Dordogne, made
with black cherries.
Cajou: cashew nut.
Calisson d'Aix: Delicate, diamond-shaped Provençal
sweet prepared with almonds, candied oranges, melon
or abricots, egg white, sugar, and confiture of oranges
or apricots.
Calmar: small squid, similar to encornet; with interior
transparent cartilage instead of a bone. Also called
chipiron in the southwest.
Calvados: a département in Normandy known for
the famed apple brandy.
Camembert (de Normandie): village in Normandy that gives
its name to a supple, fragrant cheese made of cow's
milk.
Camomille: camomile, herb tea.
Campagnard(e) (assiette): country-style, rustic; (an
informal buffet of cold meats, terrines, etc.).
Campagne, à la: country-style.
Canada: cooking apple.
Canapé: originally a slice of crustless bread;
now also used to refer to a variety of hors d'oeuvre
consisting of toasted or fried bread, spread with forcemeat,
cheese, and other flavorings.
Canard: duck.
Canard à la presse: roast duck served with a
sauce of juices obtained from pressing the carcass,
combined with red wine and Cognac.
Canard sauvage: wild duck, usually mallard.
Cancoillotte: spreadable cheese from the Jura; usually
blended with milk, spices, or white wine when served.
Caneton: young male duck.
Canette: young female duck.
Cannelle: cinnamon.
Cannois, à la: in the style of Cannes.
Canon: the marrow bone
Cantal: large cylindrical cheese made in the Auvergne
from shredded and pressed curds of cow's milk.
Cantalon: smaller version of Cantal.
Cantaloup: cantaloupe melon.
Capilotade: basically any leftover meat or poultry cooked
to tenderness in a well-reduced sauce.
Capre: caper.
Capucine: nasturtium; the leaves and flowers are used
in salads.
Carafe (d'eau): pitcher (of tap water). House wine is
often offered in a carafe. A full carafe contains one
liter; a demi-carafe contains half a liter; a quart
contains one-fourth of a liter.
Caraïbes: Caribbean, usually denotes chocolate
from the Caribbean.
Caramelisé: cooked with high heat to brown the
sugar and heighten flavor.
Carbonnade: braised beef stew prepared with beer and
onions; specialty of the North; also refers to a cut
of beef.
Cardamome: cardamon.
Carde: white rib, or stalk, portion of Swiss chard.
Cardon: cardoon; large celery-like vegetable in the
artichoke family, popular in Lyon, Provence, and the
Mediterranean area.
Cargolade: a copious mixed grill of snails, lamb, pork
sausage, and sometimes blood sausage, cooked over vine
clippings; specialty of Catalan, an area of southern
Languedoc.
Carotte: carrot.
Carpe: carp.
Carpe à la juive: braised marinated carp in aspic.
Carré d'agneau: rack (ribs) or loin of lamb;
also crown roast.
Carré de port: rack (ribs) or loin of pork; also
crown roast.
Carré de veau: rack (ribs) or loin of veal; also
crown roast.
Carrelet: see Plaice.
Carte, à la: menu (dishes, which are charged
for individually, selected from a restaurant's full
list of offerings).
Carte promotionelle or conseillée: a simple and
inexpensive fixed-price meal.
Carvi (grain de): caraway (seed).
Cary: curry.
Casher: kosher.
Casse-croûte: "break bread"; slang for
snack.
Casseron: cuttlefish.
Cassis (crème de): black currant (black currant
liqueur).
Cassolette: usually a dish presented in a small casserole.
Cassonade: soft brown sugar; demerara sugar.
Cassoulet: popular southwestern casserole of white beans,
including various combinations of sausages, duck, pork,
lamb, mutton, and goose.
Cavaillon: a town in Provence, known for its small,
flavorful orange-fleshed melons.
Caviar d'aubergine: cold seasoned eggplant puree.
Caviar du Puy: green lentils from Le Puy, in the Auvergne.
Cébette: a mild, leek-like vegetable, sliced
and eaten raw, in salads; native to Provence, but seen
occasionally outside the region.
Cebiche: seviche; generally raw fish marinated in lime
juice and other seasonings.
Cédrat: a variety of Mediterranean lemon.
Céleri (en branche): celery (stalk).
Céleri-rave: celeriac, celery root.
Céleri remoulade: popular first-course bistro
dish of shredded celery root with tangy mayonnaise.
Cendre (sous la): ash (cooked by being buried in embers);
some cheeses made in wine-producing regions are aged
in the ash of burned rootstocks.
Cèpe: large, meaty wild boletus mushroom.
Cerdon: Bubbly (pétillant) wine (red or white?)
from the Bugey
Céréale: cereal.
Cerf: stag, or male deer.
Cerfeuil: chervil.
Cerise: cherry.
Cerise noire: black cherry.
Cerneau: walnut meat.
Cervelas: garlicky cured pork sausage; now also refers
to fish and seafood sausage.
Cervelle(s): brain(s), of calf or lamb.
Cervelle de canut: a soft, fresh herbed cheese known
as "silkworker's brains"; specialty of Lyon.
Céteau(x): small ocean fish, solette or baby
sole, found in the gulf of Gascony and along the Atlantic
coast.
Cévenole, à la: Cevennes style; garnished
with chestnuts or mushrooms.
Chalutier: trawler; any flat fish caught with a trawl.
Champêtre: rustic; describes a simple presentation
of a variety of ingredients.
Champignon: mushroom.
à la bague: parasol mushroom with a delicate
flavor; also called coulemelle, cocherelle, and grisotte.
de bois: wild mushroom, from the woods.
de Paris: most common cultivated mushroom.
sauvage: wild mushroom.
Champvallon, côtelette d'agneau: traditional dish
of lamb chops baked in alternating layers of potatoes
and onions; named for a village in northern Burgundy.
Chanterelle: prized pale orange wild mushroom; also
called girolle. Chantilly: sweetened whipped cream.
Chaource: soft and fruity cylindrical cow's-milk cheese,
with a 50 percent fat content; takes its name from a
village in Champagne.
Chapeau: "hat"; small round loaf, topped with
a little dough hat.
Chapelure: bread crumbs.
Chapon: capon, or castrated chicken.
Chapon de mer: Mediterranean fish, in the rascasse or
scorpion-fish family.
Charbon de bois, au: charcoal-grilled.
Charentais: variety of sweet cantaloupe, or melon, originally
from the Charentes, on the Atlantic coast.
Charlotte: classic dessert in which a dish is lined
with ladyfingers, filled with custard or other filling,
and served cold; in the hot version, the dish is lined
with crustless white bread sautéed in butter,
filled with fruit compote and baked. Also a potato variety.
Charolais: area of Burgundy; light colored cattle producing
high-quality beef; also, firm white cylinder of cheese
made with goat's or cow's milk, or a mixture of the
two.
Chartreuse: dish of braised partridge and cabbage; also
herb and spiced-based liqueur made by the Chartreuse
monks in the Savoie.
Chasseur: hunter; also, sauce with white wine, mushrooms,
shallots, tomatoes, and herbs.
Châtaigne: chestnut, smaller than marron, with
multiple nut meats.
Chateaubriand: thick filet steak, traditionally served
with sautéed potatoes and a sauce of white wine,
dark beef stock, butter, shallots, and herbs, or with
a béarnaise sauce.
Châtelaine, à la: elaborate garnish of
artichoke hearts and chestnut purée, braised
lettuce, and sautéed potatoes.
Chaud(e): hot or warm.
Chaud-froid: "hot-cold"; cooked poultry dish
served cold, usually covered with a cooked sauce, then
with aspic.
Chaudrée: Atlantic fish stew, often including
sole, skate, small eels, potatoes, butter, white wine,
and seasoning.
Chausson: a filled pastry turnover, sweet or savory.
Chemise, en: wrapped with pastry.
Cheval: horse, horse meat.
Cheveux d'ange: "angel's hair"; thin vermicelli
pasta.
Chèvre (fromage de): goat (goat's-milk cheese).
Chevreau: young goat.
Chevreuil: young roe buck or roe deer; venison.
Chevrier: small, pale green, dried kidney-shaped bean,
a type of flageolet.
Chichi: doughnut-like, deep-fried bread spirals sprinkled
with sugar; often sold from trucks at open-air markets;
specialty of Provence and the Mediterranean.
Chicons du Nord: Belgian endive.
Chicorée (frisée): a bitter salad green
(curly endive); also chicory, a coffee substitute.Chicorée
de Bruxelles: Belgian endive.
Chiffonnade: shredded herbs and vegetables, usually
green.
Chinchard: also called saurel, scad or horse mackerel;
Atlantic and Mediterranean fish similar to mackerel.
Chipiron (à l'encre): southwestern name for small
squid, or encornet (in its own ink).
Chipolata: small sausage.
Chips, pommes: potato chips.
Chocolat: chocolate.
amer: bittersweet chocolate, with very little sugar.
au lait: milk chocolate.
chaud: hot chocolate.
mi-amer: bittetsweet chocolate, with more sugar than
chocolat amer.
noir: used interchangeably with chocolat amer.
Choix, au: a choice; usually meaning one may choose
from several offerings.
Chorizo: highly spiced Spanish sausage.
Choron, sauce: béarnaise sauce with tomatoes.
Chou: cabbage.
Chou de Bruxelles: brussels sprout.
Chou de mer: sea kale.
Chou de Milan: Savoy cabbage.
Chou-fleur: cauliflower.
Chou frisé: kale.
Chou-navet: rutabaga.
Chou-rave: kohlrabi.
Chou rouge: red cabbage.
Chou vert: curly green Savoy cabbage.
Choucas: jackdaw; European blackbird, like a crow, but
smaller.
Choucroute (nouvelle): sauerkraut (the season's first
batch of sauerkraut, still crunchy and slightly acidic);
also main dish of sauerkraut, various sausages, bacon,
and pork, served with potatoes; specialty of Alsace
and brasseries all over France.
Choux, pâte à: cream pastry dough.
Ciboule: spring onion, or scallion.
Ciboulette: chives.
Cidre: bottled, mildly alcoholic cider, either apple
or pear.
Cigale de mer: "sea cricket"; tender, crayfish-like,
blunt-nosed rock lobster.
Cîteaux: creamy, ample disc of cow's-milk cheese
with a rust-colored rind made by the Cistercian monks
at the Abbaye de Cîteaux in Burgundy.
Citron: lemon.
Citron, orange, or pamplemousse pressé(e): lemon,
orange, or grapefruit juice served with a carafe of
tap water and sugar; for sweetening to taste.
Citron vert: lime.
Citronnelle: lemon grass, an oriental herb; also lemon
balm (mèlisse).
Citrouille: pumpkin, gourd. Also called courge, potiron,
potimarron.
Cive: spring onion.
Civelle: spaghetti-like baby eel, also called pibale.
Civet: stew, usually of game traditionally thickened
with blood.
Civet de lièvre: jugged hare, or wild rabbit
stew.
Civet de tripes d'oies: a stew of goose innards, sautéed
in fat with onions, shallots, and garlic, then cooked
in wine vinegar and diluted with water, and thickened
with goose blood; from Gascony.
Clafoutis: traditional custard tart, usually made with
black cherries; specialty of the southwest.
Claire: oyster; also a designation given to certain
oysters to indicate they have been put in claires, or
oyster beds in salt marshes, where they are fattened
up for several months before going to market.
Clamart: Paris suburb once famous for its green peas;
today a garnish of peas.
Clémentine: small tangerine, from Morocco or
Spain.
Clouté: studded with.
Clovisse: variety of very tiny clam, generally from
the Mediterranean.
Cocherelle: parasol mushroom with a delicate flavor;
also called champignon à la bague, coulemelle,
and grisotte.
Cochon (de lait): pig (suckling).
Cochonnaille(s): pork product(s); usually an assortment
of sausages and/or pâtés served as a first
course.
Coco blanc (rouge): type of small white (red) shell
bean, both fresh and dried, popular in Provence, where
it is a traditional ingredient of the vegetable soupe
au pistou; also, coconut.
Coco de Paimpol: Cream-colored shell bean striated with
purple, from Brittany, in season from July to November;
the first bean in France to receive AOC.
Cocotte: a high-sided cooking pot (casserole) with a
lid; a small ramekin dish for baking and serving eggs
and other preparations.
Coeur: heart.
Coeur de filet: thickest (and best) part of beef filet,
usually cut into chateaubriand steaks.
Coeur de palmier: delicate shoots of the palm tree,
generally served with a vinaigrette as an hors d'oeuvre.
Coffre: "chest"; refers to the body of a lobster
or other crustacean, or of a butchered animal.
Coiffe: traditional lacy hat; sausage patty wrapped
in caul fat.
Coing: quince.
Col vert: wild ("green-collared") mallard
duck.
Colbert: method of preparing fish, coating with egg
and bread crumbs and then frying.
Colère, en: "anger"; method of presenting
fish in which the tail is inserted in the mouth, so
it appears agitated.
Colin: hake, ocean fish related to cod; known as merluche
in the North, merluchon in Brittany, bardot or merlan
along the Mediterranean.
Colombe: dove.
Colombo: A mixture of spices, like a curry powder, used
to season shellfish, meat or poultry. Like curry, the
mix may vary, but usually contains tumeric, rice powder,
coriander, pepper, cumin and fenugreek.
Colza: rape, a plant of the mustard family, colorful
yellow field crop grown throughout France, usually pressed
into vegetable (rapeseed) oil.
Commander avant le repas, à: a selection of desserts
that should be ordered when selecting first and main
courses, as they require longer cooking.
Complet: filled up, with no more room for customers.
Compote:stewed fresh or dried fruit.
Compotier: fruit bowl; also stewed ftuit.
Compris: see Service (non) compris.
Comté: large wheel of cheese of cooked and pressed
cow's milk; the best is made of raw milk and aged for
six months, still made by independent cheesemakers in
the Jura mountains.
Concassé: coarsely chopped.
Concombre: cucumber.
Conférence: a variety of pear.
Confiserie: candy, sweet, or confection; a candy shop.
Confit: a preserve, generally pieces of duck, goose,
or pork cooked and preserved in their own fat; also
fruit or vegetables preserved in sugar; alcohol, or
vinegar.
Confiture: jam.
Confiture de vieux garçon: varied fresh fruits
macerated in alcohol.
Congeler: to freeze.
Congre: conger eel; a large ocean fish resembling a
freshwater eel (anguille); often used in fish stews.
Conseillé: advised, recommended.
Consommation(s): "consumption"; drinks, meals,
and snacks available in a cafe or bar.
Consommé: clear soup.
Contre-filet: cut of sirloin taken above the loin on
either side of the backbone, tied for roasting or braising
(can also be cut for grilling).
Conversation: puff pastry tart with sugar glazing and
an almond or cream filling.
Copeau(x): shaving(s), such as from chocolate, cheese,
or vegetables.
Coq (au vin): mature male chicken (stewed in wine sauce).
Coq au vin jaune: chicken cooked in the sherry-like
vin jaune of the region, with cream, butter; and tarragon,
often garnished with morels; specialty of the Jura.
Coq de bruyère: wood grouse.
Coque: cockle, a tiny, mild-flavored, clam-like shellfish.
Coque, à la: served in a shell. See Oeuf à
la coque.
Coquelet: young male chicken.
Coquillage(s): shellfish.
Coquille: shell.
Coquille Saint-Jacques: sea scallop.
Corail: coral-colored egg sac, found in scallops, spiny
lobster, and crayfish.
Corb: a Mediterranean bluefish.
Coriandre: coriander; either the fresh herb or dried
seeds.
Corne d'abondance: "horn of plenty"; dark
brown wild mushroom, also called trompette de la mort.
Cornet: cornet-shaped; usually refers to foods rolled
conically; also an ice cream cone, and a conical pastry
filled with cream.
Cornichon: gherkin; tiny tart cucumber pickle.
Côte d'agneau: lamb chop.
Côte de boeuf: beef blade or rib steak.
Côte de veau: veal chop.
Côtelette: thin chop or cutlet.
Cotriade: a fish stew, usually including mackerel, whiting,
conger eel, sorrel, butter, potatoes, and vinegar; specialty
of Brittany.
Cou d'oie (de canard) farci: neck skin of goose (of
duck), stuffed with meat and spices, much like sausage.
Coulant: refers to runny cheese.
Coulemelle: parasol mushroom with a delicate flavor;
also called champignon à la bague, cocherelle,
and grisotte.
Coulibiac: classic, elaborate, hot Russian pâté,
usually layers of salmon, rice, hard-cooked eggs, mushrooms,
and onions, wrapped in brioche.
Coulis: purée of raw or cooked vegetables or
fruit.
Coulommiers: town in the Ile-de-France that gives its
name to a supple, fragrant disc of cow's-milk cheese,
slightly larger than Camembert.
Courge (muscade): generic term for squash or gourd (bright
orange pumpkin).
Courgette: zucchini.
Couronne: "crown"; ring or circle, usually
of bread.
Court-bouillon: broth, or aromatic poaching liquid.
Couscous: granules of semolina, or hard wheat flour;
also refers to a hearty North African dish that includes
the steamed grain, broth, vegetables, meats, hot sauce,
and sometimes chickpeas and raisins.
Couteau: razor clam.
Couvert: a place setting, including dishes, silver,
glassware, and linen.
Couverture: bittersweet chocolate high in cocoa butter;
used for making the shiniest chocolates.
Crabe: crab.
Crambe: sea kale, or chou de mer.
Cramique: brioche with raisins or currants; specialty
of the North.
Crapaudine: preparation of grilled poultry or game bird
with backbone removed.
Craquant: crunchy.
Craquelot: smoked herring.
Crécy: a dish garnished with carrots.
Crémant: sparkling wine.
Crème: cream.
aigre: sour cream.
anglaise: light egg-custard cream.
brulee: rich custard dessert with a top of caramelized
sugar.
caramel: vanilla custard with caramel sauce.
catalane: creamy anise flavored custard from the southern
Languedoc.
chantilly: sweetened whipped cream.
épaisse: thick cream.
fleurette: liquid heavy cream.
fouettée: whipped cream.
fraîche: thick sour; heavy cream.
pâtissière: custard filling for pastries
and cakes.
plombières: custard filled with fresh fruits
and egg whites.
Crêpe: thin pancake.
Crêpes Suzette: hot crêpe dessert flamed
with orange liqueur.
Crépine: caul fat.
Crépinette: traditionally, a small sausage patty
wrapped in caul fat; today boned poultry wrapped in
caul fat.
Cresson(ade): watercress (watercress sauce).
Crête (de coq): (cock's) comb.
Creuse: elongated, crinkle-shelled oyster.
Crevette: shrimp.
Crevette grise: tiny soft-fleshed shrimp that turns
gray when cooked.
Crevette rose: small firm-fleshed shrimp that turns
red when cooked; when large, called bouquet.
Crique: potato pancake from the Auvergne.
Criste marine: edible algae.
Croque au sel, à la: served raw, with a small
bowl of coarse salt for seasoning; tiny purple artichokes
and cherry tomatoes are served this way.
Croque-madame: open-face sandwich of ham and cheese
with an egg grilled on top.
Croque-monsieur: toasted ham and cheese sandwich.
Croquembouche: choux pastry rounds filled with cream
and coated with a sugar glaze, often served in a conical
tower at special events.
Croquette: ground meat, fish, fowl, or vegetables bound
with eggs or sauce, shaped into various forms, usually
coated in bread crumbs, and deep fried.
Crosne: small, unusual tuber; with a subtle artichoke-like
flavor; known as a Chinese or Japanese artichoke.
Crottin de Chavignol: small flattened ball of goat's-milk
cheese from the Loire valley.Croustade: usually small
pastry-wrapped dish; also regional southwestern pastry
filled with prunes and/or apples.
Croûte (en): crust; (in) pastry.
Croûte de sel (en): (in) a salt crust.
Croûtons: small cubes of toasted or fried bread.
Cru: raw.
Crudité: raw vegetable.
Crustacé(s): crustacean(s).
Cuillière (à la): (to be eaten with a)
spoon.
Cuisse (de poulet): leg or thigh (chicken drumstick).
Cuissot, cuisseau: haunch of veal, venison, or wild
boar.
Cuit(e): cooked.
Cul: haunch or rear; usually of red meat.
Culotte: rump, usually of beef.
Cultivateur: "truck farmer"; fresh vegetable
soup.
Curcuma: turmeric.
Cure-dent: toothpick.
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