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Pageot: a type of sea bream or porgy.
The finest is pageot rouge, wonderful grilled. Pageot
blanc is drier and needs to be marinated in oil before
cooking.
Paillarde (de veau): thick slice (of veal); also, piece
of meat pounded flat and sauteéed.
Pailles (pommes): fried potato sticks.
Paillette: cheese straw, usually made with puff pastry
and Parmesan cheese.
Pain: bread. Also, loaf of any kind.
aux cinq céréales: five-grain bread.
aux noix (aux noisettes): bread, most often rye or wheat,
filled with walnuts (hazelnuts).
aux raisins: bread, most often rye or wheat, filled
with raisins.
azyme: unleavened bread, matzoh.
bis: brown bread.
brié: very dense, elongated loaf of unsalted
white bread; specialty of Normandy.
complet: bread made partially or entirely from whole-wheat
flour, with bakers varying proportions according to
their personal tastes.
cordon: seldom-found regional country loaf decorated
with a strip of dough.
d'Aix: variously shaped sourdough loaves, sometimes
like a sunflower, other times a chain-like loaf of four
linked rounds.
de campagne: country loaf; can vary from a white bread
simply dusted with flour to give it a rustic look (and
fetch a higher price) to a truly hearty loaf that may
be a blend of white, whole wheat, and perhaps rye flour
with bran added. Comes in every shape.
Décoré: decorated.
de fantaisie: generally any odd or imaginatively shaped
bread. Even baguette de campagne falls into this category.
de Gênes: classic almond sponge cake.
de mie: rectangular white sandwich loaf that is nearly
all mie (interior crumb) and very little crust. It is
made for durability, its flavor and texture developed
for use in sandwiches. Unlike most French breads, it
contains milk, sugar, and butter, and may contain chemical
preservatives.
d'épices: spice bread, a specialty of Dijon.
de seigle: bread made from 60 to 70 percent rye flour
and 30 to 40 percent wheat flour.
de son: legally a dietetic bread that is quality controlled,
containing 20 percent bran mixed with white flour.
grillé: toast.
paillé: country loaf from the Basque region.
sans sel: salt-free bread.
viennois: bread shaped like a baguette, with regular
horizontal slashes, usually containing white flour,
sugar, powdered milk, water, and yeast.
Paleron: shoulder of beef.
Palette: upper shoulder of pork.
Palestine: classically a garnish of Jerusalem artichokes.
Palmier: palm leaf-shaped cookie made of sugared puff
pastry.
Palmier, coeur de: heart of palm.
Palombe: wood or wild pigeon, or dove.
Palourde: prized medium-size clam.
Pamplemousse: grapefruit.
Pan bagna: large round bread roll, split, brushed with
olive oil, and filled with a variable mixture including
anchovies, onions, black olives, green peppers, tomatoes,
and celery; cafe specialty from Nice.
Panaché: mixed; now liberally used menu term
to denote any mixture.
Panade: panada, a thick mixture used to bind forcemeats
and quenelles, usually flour and butter based, but can
also contain fresh or toasted bread crumbs, rice, or
potatoes. Also refers to soup of bread, milk, and sometimes
cheese.
Panais: parnsip.
Pané(e): breaded.
Panisse: a thick fried pancake of chickpea flour, served
as accompaniment to meat; specialty of Provence.
Pannequet: rolled crêpe, filled and/or covered
with sweet or savory mixture.
Panoufle: Generally discarded belly flap from saddle
of lamb, veal, and beef; sometimes grilled.
Pantin: small pork pastry.
Papeton: eggplant, fried, puréed, and cooked
in a ring mold; specialty of Provence.
Papillon: "butterfly"; small crinkle-shelled
creuse oyster from the Atlantic coast.
Papillote, en: cooked in parchment paper or foil wrapping.
Paquet (en): (in) a package or parcel.
Parfait: a dessert mousse; also, mousse-like mixture
of chicken, duck, or goose liver.
Parfum: flavor.
Paris-Brest, gâteau: classic, large, crown-shaped
choux pastry filled with praline butter cream and topped
with chopped almonds.
Parisienne, à la: varied vegetable garnish which
generally includes potato balls that have been fried
and tossed in a meat glaze.
Parmentier: dish with potatoes.
Passe Crassane: flavorful variety of winter pear.
Passe-Pierre: edible seaweed.
Pastèque: watermelon.
Pastis: anise-flavored alcohol that becomes cloudy when
water is added (the most famous brands are Pernod and
Ricard). Also, name for tourtière, the flaky
prune pastry from the southwest.
Pastiza: see gâteau basque.
Pata Négra (jambon): Prized ham from Spain, literally
"black feet."
Patagos: clam.
Pâte: pastry or dough.
brisée: pie pastry
d'amande: almond paste.
sablée: sweeter, richer, and more crumbly pie
dough than pâte sucrée, sometimes leavened.
sucrée: sweet pie pastry.
Pâté: minced meat that is molded, spiced,
baked, and served hot or cold.
Pâtes (fraîches): pasta (fresh).
Patte blanche: small crayfish no larger than 2 1/2 ounces
(75 g).
Patte rouge: large crayfish.
Pauchouse, pochouse: stew of river fish that generally
includes tanche (tench), perche (perch), brochet (pike),
and anguille (eel); specialty of Burgundy
Paupiette: slice of meat or fish, filled, rolled, then
wrapped; served warm.
Pavé: "paving stone"; usually a thick
slice of boned beef or calf's liver. Also, a kind of
pastry.
Pavé d'Auge: thick, ochre colored square of cow's-milk
cheese that comes from the Auge area of Normandy.
Pavot (graine de): poppy (seed).
Paysan(ne) (à la): country style; (garnish of
carrots, turnips, onions, celery and bacon).
Peau: skin.
Pèbre d'ail: see Poivre d'âne.
Pêche: peach. Also, fishing.
Pêche Alexandra: cold dessert of poached peaches
with ice cream and puréed strawberries.
Pêche Melba: poached peach with vanilla ice cream
and raspberry sauce.
Pêcheur: "fisherman"; usually refers
to fish preparations.
Pélandron: see haricot gris.
Pélardon: small flat, dried, pungent disc of
goat's milk cheese; specialty of the Languedoc.
Pèlerine: another name for scallop or coquille
Saint-Jacques.
Péptie (au chocolat): nugget; (chocolate chip).
Pequillo: small red Spanish pepper, usually stuffed
with salt cod purée.
Perce-pierre: samphire, edible seaweed.
Perche: perch.
Perdreau: young partridge.
Perdrix: partridge.
Périgourdine, à la, or Périgueux:
sauce, usually with truffles and foie gras, named for
the Périgord in southwestern France.
Persil (simple): parsley (flatleaf).
Persillade: blend of chopped parsley and garlic.
Persillé: "parsleyed"; describes certain
blue-veined cheeses. See also Jambon persillé.
Pet de nonne: "nun's fart"; small, dainty
beignets, or fried pastry.
Pétale: "petal"; very thin slice.
Petit-beurre: popular tea cookie made with butter.
Petit déjeuner: breakfast.
Petit-four (sucré or salée): tiny cake
or pastry (sweet or savory); in elegant restaurants,
served with cocktails before dinner or with coffee afterward;
also called mignardise.
Petit-gris: small land snail.
Petit-pois: small green pea.
Petit salé: salt-cured portions of lean pork
belly, often served with lentils.
Petite marmite: earthenware casserole; the broth served
from it.
Pétoncle: tiny scallop, similar to American bay
scallop.
Pibale: tiny eel, also called civelle.
Picholine, pitchouline: a variety of green olive, generally
used to prepare olives casseés; specialty of
Provence.
Picodon (méthode Dieulefit): small disc of goat's-milk
cheese, the best of which (qualified as méthode
Dieulefit) is hard, piquant, and pungent from having
soaked in brandy and aged a month in earthenware jars;
specialty of northern Provence.
Pièce: portion, piece.
Piech: poached veal brisket stuffed with vegetables,
herbs, and sometimes rice, ham, eggs, or cheese; specialty
of the Mediterranean.
Pied de cheval: "horse's foot"; giant Atlantic
coast oyster.
Pied de mouton: meaty cream-colored wild mushroom. Also,
sheep's foot.
Pieds et paquets: "feet and packages"; mutton
tripe rolled and cooked with sheep's feet, white wine,
and tomatoes; specialty of Provence and the Mediterranean.
Pierre-Qui-Vire: "stone that moves"; a supple,
tangy, flat disc of cow's-milk cheese with a reddish
rind, made by the Benedictine monks at the Abbaye de
la Pierre-Qui Vire in Burgundy.
Pigeon (neau): pigeon or squab (young pigeon or squab).
Pignons: pine nuts, found in the cones of pine trees
growing in Provence and along the southwestern Atlantic
coast.
Pilau, pilaf: rice sautéed with onion and simmered
in broth.
Pilchard: name for sardines on the Atlantic coast.
Piment: red pepper or pimento.
Piment (or poivre) de Jamaïque: allspice.
Piment d'Espelette: slender, mildly hot chile pepper
from Espelette, a village in the Basque region.
Piment doux: sweet pepper.
Pimenté: hot, peppery, spicy.
Pimpernelle: salad burnet, a salad green with a somewhat
bitter taste.
Pince: claw. Also, tongs used when eating snails or
seafood.
Pineau des Charentes: sweet fortified wine from the
Cognac region on the Atlantic coast, served as an aperitif.
Pintade(au): (young) guinea fowl.
Pipérade: a dish of pepper; onions, tomatoes,
and often ham and scrambled eggs; specialty of the Basque
region.
Piquant(e): sharp or spicy tasting.
Piqué: larded; studded.
Piquenchagne, picanchagne: a pear tart with walnut or
brioche crust; specialty of the Bourbonnais, a province
in Auvergne.
Pissaladière: a flat open-face tart like a pizza,
garnished with onions, olives, and anchovies; specialty
of Nice.
Pissenlit: dandelion green.
Pistache: pistachio nut.
Pistil de safran: thread of saffron.
Pistou: sauce of basil, garlic, and olive oil; specialty
of Provence. Also a rich vegetable, bean, and pasta
soup flavored with pistou sauce.
Pithiviers: a town in the Loire valley that gives its
name to a classic large puff pastry found filled with
almond cream. Also, lark pâté.
Plaice: a small, orange-spotted flounder or fluke, a
flat ocean fish; also known as plie franch or carrelet.
Found in the English Channel.
Plat cuisiné: dish containing ingredients that
have cooked together, usually in a sauce.
Plat du jour: today's special.
Plat principal: main dish.
Plate: flat-shelled oyster.
Plateau: platter.
Plateau de fruits de mer: seafood platter combining
raw and cooked shell-fish; usually includes oysters,
clams, mussels, langoustines, periwinkles, whelks, crabs,
and tiny shrimp.
Plates côtes: part of beef ribs usually used in
pot-au feu.
Pleurote: very soft-fleshed, feather-edged wild mushrooms;
also now being cultivated commercially in several regions
of France.
Plie: see Plaice.
Plombière: classic dessert of vanilla ice cream,
candied fruit, kirsch, and apricot jam.
Pluche: small sprig of herbs or plants, generally used
for garnish.
Poché: poached.
Pochouse: see Pauchouse.
Poêlé: pan-fried.
Pogne: brioche flavored with orange-flower water and
filled with fruits; specialty of Romans-sur-Isère,
in the Rhône-Alpes.
Point(e) (d'asperge): tip (of asparagus).
Point (à): ripe or ready to eat, the perfect
moment for eating a cheese or fruit. Also, cooked medium
rare.
Poire: pear.
Poire William's: variety of pear; colorless fruit brandy,
or eau-de-vie, often made from this variety of pear.
Poireau: leek.
Pois (chiche): pea (chickpea).
Poisson: fish.
d'eau douce: freshwater fish.
de lac: lake fish.
de mer: ocean fish.
de rivière: river fish.
de roche: rock fish.
fumé: smoked fish.
noble: refers to prized, thus expensive, variety of
fish.
Poitrine: breast (of meat or poultry).
Poitrine demi-sel: unsmoked slab bacon.
Poitrine fumée: smoked slab bacon.
Poivrade: a peppery brown sauce made with wine, vinegar,
and cooked vegetables and strained before serving.
Poivre: pepper.
d'ain: Provençal name for wild savory. Also,
small goat cheese covered with sprigs of savory. Also
known as pèbre d'ail and pèbre d'ase.
en grain: peppercorn.
frais de Madagascar: green peppercorn.
gris: black peppercorn.
moulu: ground pepper.
noir: black peppercorn.
rose: pink peppercorn.
vert: green peppercorn.
Poivron (doux): (sweet bell) pepper.
Pojarski: finely chopped meat or fish shaped like a
cutlet and fried.
Polenta: cooked dish of cornmeal and water, usually
with added butter and cheese; also, cornmeal.
Pommade (beurre en): usually refers to a thick, smooth
paste; (creamed butter).
Pomme: apple.
Pommes de terre: potatoes.
à l'anglaise: boiled.
allumettes: "match-sticks"; fries cut into
very thin julienne.
boulangère: potatoes cooked with the meat they
accompany. Also, a gratin of sliced potatoes, baked
with milk or stock and sometimes flavored with onions,
bacon, and tomatoes.
darphin: grated potatoes shaped into a cake.
dauphine: mashed potatoes mixed with cboux pastry, shaped
into small balls and fried.
dauphinoise: a gratin of sliced potatoes, baked with
milk and/or cream, garlic, cheese, and eggs.
duchesse: mashed potatoes with butter, egg yolks, and
nutmeg, used for garnish.
en robe des champs, en robe de chambre: potatoes boiled
or baked in their skin; potatoes in their jackets.
frites: French fries.
gratinées: browned potatoes, often with cheese.
lyonnaise: potatoes sautéed with onions.
macaire: classic side dish of puréed potatoes
shaped into small balls and fried or baked in a flat
cake.
mousseline: potato purée enriched with butter,
egg yolks, and whipped cream.
paillasson: fried pancake of grated potatoes.
pailles: potatoes cut into julienne strips, then fried.
Pont-Neuf: classic fries.
sarladaise: sliced potatoes cooked with goose fat and
(optionally) truffles.
soufflées: small, thin slices of potatoes fried
twice, causing them to inflate so they resemble little
pillows.
sous la cèndre: baked under cinders in a fireplace.
vapeur: steamed or boiled potatoes.
Pommes en l'air: caramelized apple slices, usually served
with boudin noir (blood sausage).
Pompe à l'huile, pompe de Noël: see Gibassier.
Pompe aux grattons: bread containing cracklings.
Pont l'Evêque: village in Normandy that gives
its name to a very tender, fragrant square of cow's
milk cheese.
Porc (carré de): pork (loin).
Porc (côte de): pork (chop).
Porcelet: young suckling pig.
Porchetta: young pig stuffed with offal, herbs, and
garlic, and toasted; seen in charcuteries in Nice.
Porto (au): (with) port.
Portugaise: elongated, crinkle-shell oyster.
Pot-au-feu: traditional dish of beef simmered with vegetables,
often served in two or mote courses; today chefs often
use it to mean fish poached in fish stock with vegetables.
Pot bouilli: another name for pot-au-feu.
Pot-de-crème: individual classic custard dessert,
often chocolate.
Potage: soup.
Potée: traditional hearty meat soup, usually
containing pork, cabbage, and potatoes.
Potimarron: see Citrouille.
Potiron: see Citrouille.
Potjevleisch: a mixed meat terrine, usually of veal,
pork, and rabbit; specialty of the North.
Poularde: fatted hen.
Poule au pot: boiled stuffed chicken with vegetables;
specialty of the city of Béarn in the southwest.
Poule d'Inde: turkey hen.
Poule faisane: female pheasant.
Poulet (rôti): chicken (roast).
Poulet basquaise: Basque-style chicken, with tomatoes
and sweet peppers.
Poulet de Bresse: high-quality chicken raised on farms
to exacting specifications, from the Rhône-Alpes.
Poulet de grain: corn-fed chicken.
Poulet fermier: free-range chicken.
Poulette: tiny chicken.s
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre: village in the Loire valley that
gives its name to a goat's-milk cheese shaped like a
truncated pyramid with a mottled, grayish rind and a
smooth-grained, ivory-white interior.
Poulpe: octopus.
Pounti: (also spelled pounty) a pork meat loaf that
generally includes Swiss chard or spinach, eggs, milk,
herbs, onions, and prunes; specialty of the Auvergne.
Pousse-en-claire: Oysters that have been aged and fattened
in claire, or oyster beds, for four to eight months.
Pousse-pierre: edible seaweed; also called sea beans.
Poussin: baby chicken.
Poutargue, boutargue: salted, pressed, and flattened
mullet roe, generally spread on toast as an appetizer;
specialty of Provence and the Mediterranean.
Poutine: see Nonat.
Praire: small clam.
Pralin: ground caramelized almonds.
Praline: caramelized almonds.
Pré-salé (agneau de): delicately salted
lamb raised on the salt marshes of Normandy and the
Atlantic coast.
Presskoph: pork headcheese, often served with vinaigrette;
specialty of Alsace.
Primeur(r): refers to early fresh fruits and vegetables,
also to new wine.
Printanière: garnish of a variety of spring vegetables
cut into dice or balls.
Prix fixe: fixed-price menu.
Prix net: service included.
Profiterole(s): classic chou pastry dessert, usually
puffs of pastry filled with vanilla ice cream and topped
with hot chocolate sauce.
Provençale: in the style of Provence; usually
includes garlic, tomatoes, and/or olive oil.
Prune (d'ente): fresh plum; (variety of plum grown in
the famed Agen region of the southwest).
Pruneau: prune.
Puits d'amour: "wells of love"; classic small
pastry crowns filled with pastry cream.
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