The following are interesting and odd food terms from the ultimate foodie reference guides--The New Food Lover's Companion (NFLC) (Baron's Educational Series, 2007) by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst, and The Science of Good Food (SGF) (Robert Rose, 2008) by David Joachim and Andrew Schloss. The idea is to guess–is the food being described healthy or not? Check out your culinary lingo skills below:
Ambrosia
[am-BROH-zhah]
According to Greek mythology, ambrosia (meaning "immortality") was the food of the gods on Mount Olympus. More recently, the word designates a dessert of chilled fruit (usually oranges and bananas) mixed with coconut. Ambrosia is also sometimes served as a salad. (NFLC)
Verdict: Healthy.
Au bleu
[oh-BLEUH]
The French term for cooking just-killed fish in vinegar and broth. Trout au bleu is the most famous preparation, made by stunning fresh trout with a sharp blow to the head, quickly gutting it without wiping off the surface mucous, then sprinkling it with vinegar and immersing it in court bouillon (basic vegetable broth). The acid in the vinegar and the mucous on the fish skin react, turning the skin a blue color. Rapidly cooking the freshly killed fish also causes it to contract into a half-moon shape, a hallmark of fish cooked au bleu. (SGF)
Verdict: Healthy.
Chicharrón
[chee-chah-RROHN]
This crispy, rich snack is made from pork skin that has been deep-fried twice, once in 325-degree oil, then again in 375-degree oil, making it balloon into a honeycombed puff. It is available in Latin American markets. (NFLC)
Verdict: Not Healthy
Crudités
[kroo-dee-TAY]
Known as a vegetable tray in catering parlance, crudités is the French term for raw vegetables served as appetizers, usually with cold dips. The vegetables are often chosen by season and thinly sliced or cut into sticks or bite-size pieces as finger food. Dips may include vinaigrettes or mayonnaise-based sauces such as aioli (garlic mayonnaise) or remoulade (mayonnaise with mustard, capers, pickles, anchovies and herbs). The term comes from the Latin word “crudus,” meaning raw. (SGF)
Verdict: Healthy, unless you use unhealthy dips.
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