Culinary Dictionaries and Glossaries

This food glossary makes it easy to find information on specfic foods, dishes, cooking methods, and recipes. Information is listed by keyword. (If you are looking for Peach recipes, click on the letter P.) Extensively categorized.

Can you tell a Macintosh apple from a Macoun apple? Here you will find descriptions, photos, and information on availability.

Many recipes call for a can of this or that, but how much does that can hold? This chart gives equivalents to help you with recipe substitutions.

Caviar comes in different sizes and colors. Learn the terminology and descriptions to choose the best bargain for your purposes.

These charts give information on government-approved food color additives and exempt food colorings, along with their commercial usage.

With over 4,000 different crab varieties to choose from, which is best for your recipe? What is a soft-shell crab? This chart has photos, descriptions, flavor and general cooking information on crabs.

Many flowers are edible if grown without pesticides. This chart gives a listing of edible flowers with links to photos and taste descriptions.

Ginger comes in many forms. Photos and full descriptions help you choose the right ginger for your recipe.

There are many varieties of ham. This chart lists different types of ham and ham terminology with full descriptions.

Having trouble deciphering some of those measurements in recipes handed down by your ancestors? These descriptiions and measurements will help you make Grandma's recipes.

There are hundreds of different honey flavors available. This chart gives a description of color, flavor and usage of the most popular varieties.

The old drug store lunch counter and diner kitchens used a language all their own for ordering food. Can you decipher what "groundhog and fifty-five" is? Get the inside scoop on this amusing kitchen terminology.

Most commercial gelatins are meat by-products, but there are meatless alternatives. Find out the different types of meatless gelatins.

There are hundreds of varieties of mushroom. This chart has photographs, along with descriptions, flavor tips, and general usage information.

Find out how the most popular olive varieties are preserved and how they taste.

Pictures, history, and descriptions of sweet onions, including Vidalia, Walla Walla, Texas 1015 and others.

Although many flowers are edible when grown without pesticides, there are just as many that are poisonous. Find out which flowers to avoid eating.

Sausage comes cured, dry, fresh and cooked. This chart gives descriptions of the various sausage categories.

Find out the difference between bouillabaisse, cioppino, chowder, and other types of soups and stews with this chart of various types with linked example recipes.

Most packaged foods include some type of expiration, sell-by or use-by date imprinted on the container. Find out what they mean to ensure you have the freshest food.

A glossary of canning terms from the Michigan State Extension Service.

Godiva Chocolatier has a nice glossary of cross-referenced, hyperlinked chocolate and baking terms.

Substitutions for thousands of cooking ingredients, low-calorie and low-fat alternatives for dieters, inexpensive substitutes for budget gourmets, and hard-to-find ethnic ingredients.

Do you know what aboukir is? Or pappadums? Find out in this Cooking Dictionary which also includes some wine terms.

Cuisine's glossary includes cooking terminology and abbreviations in an easy-to-read format.

English to French and French to English glossary of food and food terminology.

This is a great online searchable dictionary of culinary terms.

This is a nice glossary covering food fish with description and alternate names, plus substitution, cooking, buying, and storing tips.

A full index of food terms, from abalone to zuppa.

A glossary of sushi terms and other oriental food terms, cross-referenced.

This chart has India food ingredients with American equivalents.

A list of food names that are widely recognized and commonly used in Indian cooking. These are mostly in "Hindi" which is India’s national language, with a few exceptions.

Need to know Pop Rocks Candy, marshmallows or root beer work? Find answers to these burning questions and more at How Stuff Works.

All the cake terminology you need to know to make that perfect cake, from CakeRecip.com.

This is a collection of italian cooking terms, many cross-referenced with recipes.

Cooking terms and prodecures used in medieval times by T. J. Ray.

A nice glossary of Mexican dishes and foods.

Food terms from the Bayou.

A collection of reference guides for vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

Recipezaar's food and cooking equipment terminology index is arranged alphabetically. Entries include nutritional information, substitutions, flavor matches, seasonal information, corresponding recipes and more.

All about seafood from the FDA.

A no frills Swedish to English glossary of food terms.

Looking for ingredients within a particular spice mix? You will find many combinations here.