Essential French food dictionary: Vocabulary & cuisine

There is nothing scarier than looking at a French recipe book where you don’t understand anything. Or worse, walking into a French restaurant and looking at the menu in bafflement. French cuisine may be much-vaunted but are you accidentally going to be ordering frog legs or pig guts?

Not that there is anything wrong with those who wish to order a yummy plate of escargot, but I presume that everyone prefers to know what they are ordering before they order it.

Hence, a glossary. We will look at the top French food words, terms, and phrases to make it all clear, along with example recipes so that you can follow it in action. So here goes, the ABC of French food. Allons-y!

A

À emporter	meal to go, takeaway food (opposite of “sur place” – eat in)
Addition	bill, receipt
Agneau	lamb
Aïoli	a Mediterranean sauce made of garlic, salt, and olive oil. (Get aioli recipe here.)
Aligot	mashed potatoes combined with Tomme d’Auvergne cheese (Get the aligot recipe here.)
Andouillette	sausage made from pork intestines. Often smelly.
Apéritif	pre-meal drinks before sitting down for dinner (see list of top French apéritifs here).
Apéro	an informal get-together over drinks and finger foods. Usually held in the early evening with family and friends.
Assiette	plate

B

Baba au rhum	spongy cake soaked in rum. Usually topped with whipped cream and berries. (Recipe for Baba au Rhum.)
Baguette	long traditional French bread
Beignet	fried dough, fritter
Bien cuit	well-cooked meat, usually steak. (Other options are “saignant” – rare or “à point” – medium)
Boeuf bourgionion	a traditional beef stew cooked in red wine from Burgundy. (See Boeuf Bourgionion recipe here)
Bonbon	candy
Boudin Blanc	“white sausages” filled with of cream, breadcrumbs, fat, starch, and boiled pork or chicken.
Boudin Noir	“black sausages” filled with cooked or dried blood of pigs, cows, etc.
Bouillabaisse	a fish stew from Marseille
Brioche	a type of French pastry bread that is slightly sweet.

☞ READ MORE: 38 French Food Facts that will have you saying “hmmm”

C

Cabillaud	codfish
Cacahuète	peanut
Café	a cup of espresso. (See here for ordering other types of coffee in France.)
Cake	a savory cake, usually filled with bacon and olives. (A normal english cake is called a gâteau in French.)
Calisson	a traditional French candy from Aix-en-Provence. Made out of fruit topped off with a thin layer of marzipan.
Canard	duck (eg. “confit de canard“, a dish you will regularly see on Parisian brasserie menus.)
Carte	the menu. (Carte de vin is the wine menu.)
Cassoulet	a traditional dish from Southern France consisting of white beans, sausages, and meats. (See cassoulet recipe here.)
Cèpe	porcini mushroom
Champignon	mushroom
Charcuterie	a variety of dried sausage, ham and meat products served at an apéro get-together. (Get the Guide to composing a charcuterie board here.)
Charlotte	a type of dessert where the tin mold is lined with ladyfinger biscuits and filled with layers of custard and fruit.
Chèvre	goat. (“fromage de chèvre” is goat cheese.)
Chou	cabbage
Chou à la crème	a small pastry ball filled with cream or custard
Choucroute	sauerkraut
Cochon	pig
Compote	a pureed fruit that is usually served to children as an after-school snack or dessert
Comptoir	the counter at a bar or restaurant. (In France, unless you are at a fancy restaurant, it is acceptable to go up to the counter to pay. Sometimes, it is even expected.)
Confiture	jam
Coq au vin	a traditional stew with chicken cooked in wine. (See coq au vin recipe here.)
Coquille St. Jacques	scallops dish that is usually served as an appetizer in France. (See Coquille St. Jacques recipe here.)
Couteau	knife
Crème fraîche	heavy cream
Crêpe	thin flat pancakes, originating in Normandy and Bretagne (Brittany). (See Crêpe Suzette and Crêpe Galette Bretonne recipes.)
Crevette	shrimp
Croque Monsieur/Madame	a traditional sandwich served at lunch in France, that is smothered with cheese. (See here for a Croque Monsieur recipe.)
Cru	raw
Cuillère	spoon
Cuit	cooked

D

Dégustation	tasting. (eg. “Dégustation de champagne” – Champagne tasting)
Déjeuner	lunch. “Pétit déjeuner” however means breakfast (small lunch).
Dessert	Dessert (get list of top French desserts here)
Digestif	a strong alcoholic after-dinner drink. (See popular digestifs in France.)
Dîner	dinner. Usually served after 8pm.

E

Eau	water. (“Eau de robinet” – tap water; “Eau Gazeuse” – sparkling water; “Eau plate” – still water)
Entrée	starter
Épicé	spicy
Épinard	spinach
Escargot	snails (See how to eat escargot here.)

F

Faire moitie moitie	splitting in half (eg. spliting the receipt, or splitting a dessert)
Farci	stuffed or stuffing (eg. stuffed mushrooms)
Fermier	Farmer (referring to produce directly from the farm).
Flan	type of custard in a crust (see French flan recipe here)
Foie	liver. (“Foie gras” is the goose liver delicacy.)
Fondue	a traditional recipe from the Alps mountains that involves dipping bread in hot melted cheese dish served in a large pot. (See Cheese fondue recipe here.)
Fourchette	fork
Frit	fried. (“Frites” is french fries.)
Fromage	cheese (See here for more on different types of French cheeses.)
Fruits de mer	seafood
Fumé	smoked. (“Saumon fumé” is smoked salmon)

G

Galette	a savory crêpe made with buckwheat flour.
Galette des rois	a special cake eaten in France on 3 Kings Day
Gâteau	cake
Gaufre	waffle
Glace	ice cream
Goûter	after-school snack for children
Gratin	a French culinary technique in the dish is topped with a browned crust of breadcrumbs or grated cheese. (See Recipe for Gratin Dauphinois.)
Grenouille	frog (eg. “cuisse de grenouille” meaning frog legs)

H

Haricot	beans (eg “haricots verts” is green beans)
Harissa	a spicy chili red paste from North Africa that is popular in France
Homard	lobster
Huitres	oyster

I

île flottant

a French dessert consisting of meringue floating on crème anglaise.

J

Jambon	ham (“jambon cru” – salt-cured ham; “jambon cuit” – cooked ham)
Jus	juice

K

Kir	a French apéritif consisting of white wine or champagne mixed with crème de cassis.

L

Lait	milk
Lardons	small strip of pork bacon that is used in many French recipes.
Lapin	rabbit (a French delicacy)
Légume	vegetable

M

Macarons	a meringue-like cookie with cream in between 2 layers. Comes in a variety of flavors and colors.
Maison	Home (eg: “fait maison” meaning home-made. This is an official govt. distinction that restaurants in France are allowed to note on their menus if they meet certain requirements.)
Moules	mussels
Mousse	food that has been pureed and incorporated with small air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture. (See Strawberry mousse recipe.)

N

Navet	turnip
Noisette	hazelnut
Noix	nut; walnut

O

Oignon

onion. (See Soupe à l’oignon recipe here.)

P

Pain	bread
Panisse	a finger food appetizer made from chickpea flour. Get the panisse recipe here.
Pâté	paste made of ground meats and organ meats (see pâté examples here)
Pastis	an anise flavored apéritif
Pâtes	pasta
Pâtisserie	pastry; pastry shop
Petit pois	peas
Pichet	Pitcher or Jug (eg. “pichet de vin” meaning pitcher of wine, which is usually less expensive and less quantity than a full bottle of wine.)
Piment	spice. (“pimenté” meaning spicy)
Plat	main dish. (eg. “Plat du jour” meaning special of the day)
Poisson	fish
Poivron	bell pepper
Poivre	pepper (as in salt and pepper)
Pomme	apple
Pomme de terre	potato
Porc	pork
Pot-au-feu	a French beef stew with carrots, turnips, leeks, celery, and onions. Get the pot au feu recipe here.
Potiron	pumpkin
Poulet	chicken (see recipe for Poulet Provençale)
Poulpe	octopus
Pourboire	tip (Note: In France, the price usually includes the tip. If you wish, you can round up the bill.)

Q

Quenelle	a long oval dumpling made of fish that originated in the city of Lyon.
Quiche	a tart crust filled with pieces of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. (See recipes for spinach quiche and quiche lorraine here.)

R

Raclette	a traditional winter dish that involves pouring melted cheese on to potatoes. Served with charcuterie ham and pickles. (See Raclette recipe here.)
Ragoût	stew
Ratatouille	a vegetable stew made with zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes. (See ratatouille recipe here.)
Rillettes	meat which has been seasoned then slow-cooked and submerged in fat for several hours. The rillettes are spread on bread and eaten (usually as part of a charcuterie platter.)
Riz	rice (eg. “Riz au Lait” meaning rice pudding)
Rouleau	roll
Roux	roux is made with flour and butter of equal parts, blended and cooked together to make a paste. It is used to thicken sauces.

S

Saignant	bloody; meat that is lightly cooked or rare (Other options are “bien cuit” meaning well-cooked or “à point” meaning medium.)
Salsifis	a root vegetable called salsify that is commonly eaten in France
Saumon fumé	smoked salmon
Saussison	a dry cured sausage
Socca	a type of flatbread from Nice (see Socca recipe)
Sommelier	a member of the restaurant wait-staff who picks the wine and advises clients.
Sous vide	a French cooking technique in which food is placed in a plastic pouch (or glass jar) and cooked in a water bath for a long time.
Surgelé	frozen

T

Tartare	raw meat or fish that has been chopped or shredded into small pieces. (See Salmon tartare recipe here.)
Tarte flambée	A thin pizza that is a specialty in Alsace along the French-German border. Usually made from fromage blanc or crème fraîche, thin-sliced onions and lardons. Also sometimes called Flammkuchen or Flammekueche.
Tartiflette	a traditional scallop potatoes dish from Savoy, France, made with reblochon cheese, lardons and onions. (See tartiflette recipe here.)
Tartine	Spread (eg. chocolate tartine)
Terrine	paste made of ground meats and organ meats, similar to Pâté, that has been cooked in an earthern dish.
Tranche	slice
Tripes	animal guts (lining from the stomachs) of various farm animals
Truffe	truffle
Truite	trout

U

Un/Une

one (French joke: if you are not sure if it is “un baguette” or “une baguette“, just ask for “deux (2) baguettes“!)

V

Veau	veal
Velouté	a non-chunky soup or a sauce based on chicken stock and flour
Verre	glass. (“Verrine” meaning a dish served in a glass cup.)
Viande	meat
Vin	wine (“Vin chaud” is hot wine, or mulled spiced wine.)
Volaille	poultry

W

Welsch

a type of croque monsieur sandwich from Northern France, which is served with a savory sauce of melted cheese and various other ingredients.

X

XXL	Restaurants in France do not serve xxl-size food portions. If you are really hungry, you should order entrée-plat-dessert (starter-main-dessert)

Y

Yaourt

yogurt (see recipe for yogurt cake.)

Z

Zzzzzz

that was a lot of food, time for some zzzz’s!

If you enjoyed that article, you may enjoy reading more about the essentials in a classic French pantry. A bientôt!