French Cooking Terms every Culinary Student Should Know
Bonjour! French cuisine is regarded as the best. It sets the bar for everyone who aspires to be a beginner cook, a better cook, or the crème de la crème (the very best): a chef. If you’re a culinary student or prospective student who believes your passion – your art – is cooking, you’re not alone.
The History of French Cuisine
Actually, it was the Italians who began experimenting with flavorful creations and presentations. Crafting eye-pleasing and tasteful food, served on exquisitely designed dishes was becoming all the fashion in Italy. When a young Italian, Catherine de Medici, was sent to France to marry the future King Henry II, her initiation of fine dining caused a “culinary explosion.” It led to publication of Le Cuisine François in 1652 by chef La Varenne, one of the first modern cookbooks with recipes and instructions.
French Culinary Terms You Will Hear in the Kitchen
Cooking for pleasure is a rewarding hobby, but when your desire to cook for others is tantamount, it’s time to enroll in a culinary degree program. There, you will learn about the everyday terms chefs use that have their origins in French cuisine. You’ll be surprised at the number of French terms you use frequently, including:
- A la carte – One item is ordered rather than an entire meal with side
- Au Gratin (Gratiner) – Sprinkling cooked food with breadcrumbs and butter or cheese, then browning under heat
- Bisque – Smooth, creamy soup made from shellfish, often lobster
- Bouillon – Broth or stock, usually from meat
- Canapé – Small bread appetizer
- Consommé – Highly flavored, clear soup
- Compote – Dessert of stewed, mixed fruit
- Crêpes – Thin pancakes
- Croquettes – Potato and cooked ground meat formed into patties, breaded, then fried
- Croûtons – Small cubes of fried bread
- Entrée – Main course
- Flambé – To set an alcohol (usually brandy) on fire
- Frappé – Iced or in a bed of ice
- Fricassé – Stew made from meat or poultry
- Hors d’Oeuvre – The first course, usually called appetizer
- Jardiniere – Vegetables cut thicker than julienne
- Julienne – Vegetables cut to a standard size, often 1/8 x 1/8 x 2"
- Jus – The translation is “juice,” but in cooking, it is a sauce made from the pan juices of a meat diluted with water
- Noisette – The translation is “hazelnuts,” but in cooking it means any cuisine that is brown in color or it can be a boneless rack of lamb that is rolled, tied, and cut into round shapes
- Novelle Cuisine – Using lighter (healthier) foods and fresh ingredients
- Panade – The thick base (flour, butter, and milk/cream) for soufflés and fish cakes
- Paté – Paste made from liver or meat
- Ragoût – Stew
- Roux – Flour and melted butter added to sauces, soups, or stews as a thickener
- Sauté – Cook a meat or vegetable in very hot fat, quickly
Culinary Institute of Virginia’s Associate of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts can give you the edge in this exciting field! Your degree and training can lead to management roles as a culinary professional or a chef position in a fine restaurant. Other areas where a degree in culinary arts may be required include:
- Catering
- Cruise lines
- Hotels, resorts
- Retirement communities
- Schools and universities
- Bakeries
Writer and author Maya Angelou loves to cook, and she once said, “…sharing food is a form of expression.”
Are you ready to express yourself through Food?
Your passion for sharing food can lead to an exciting career as a professional chef. Call 844.334.4466 or contact the Culinary Institute of Virginia at ECPI University for more information today and begin developing your recipe for success!
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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