Food Lover's Glossary of Culinary Terms Copyright© 1998-2006 by Culinary Software Services, Inc.®

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Paella - A Spanish rice dish originating in the town of Valencia. There are hundreds of recipes for paella, all claiming to be authentic. The only ingredients that are necessary for paella are rice, tomatoes, and saffron. Other ingredients are chicken, chorizo, mussels, squid, peppers, and beans. More elaborate preparations include shrimp, lobster, and duck.
Paillard - A piece of meat or fish that has been pounded very thinly and grilled or sauteed.
Palmier - A cookie made of sheets of puff pastry that are rolled in sugar and folded to resemble palm leaves. These cookies are baked until the sugar becomes caramelized.
Pan-bagnat - A sandwich from southern France, consisting of small round loaves of bread which have been hollowed out and filled with onions, anchovies, black olives, and tuna, then drenched in extra virgin olive oil.
Panada - A thick paste used as a binding agent for forcemeats. Flour panadas are made in a style similar to choux paste. Other types use bread crumbs or potato puree.
Pancetta - Cured pork belly that is rolled and tied. Unlike American bacon, this is not smoked.
Panforte - A rich dense torte made of candied fruit and nuts.
Panino - The Italian word for sandwich.
Pannetone - An Italian cake made with a dough rich in egg yolks, traditionally served around Christmas time. The dough is studded with raisins, candied fruits, and occasionally pistachios.
Panzanella - A salad consisting of toasted cubes of bread tossed with vegetables and vinaigrette. The salad is then marinated for at least one hour. The bread should be very firm so that it will endure the soaking of dressing. Vegetables can include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onions. Lots of garlic, capers, black olives, and anchovies are added to the salad.
Pappardelle - Wide flat pasta noodles served with rich, hearty sauces.
Pasilla Chili Pepper - Called a chilaca in its fresh form. The mature chilaca turns from dark green to dark brown. After drying (when it becomes a pasilla) it changes to a blackish-brown. It has a rich hot flavor and is generally ground and used for sauces.
Pasta e Fagioli - A rich bean soup with pasta, in which a large sausage(such as cotechino) has been cooked. The soup is eaten first, followed by the sausage served with mustard and bread.
Pastilla (Bistella) - A Moroccan pie made with chicken wrapped in phyllo dough. When finished cooking, the pastilla is dusted with sugar and cinnamon.
Pastry Cream - A cooked custard thickened with flour. Some versions may use cornstarch or a mixture of the two starches.
Pâté - A French term referring to pastes or pastry.
Pâté - A term referring to many different preparations of meat, fish and vegetable pies. The definitions of which have been altered through the years. Originally pat‚ referred to a filled pastry much like American or English pies. Now the term pâté en croute is used to describe these preparations. Pâté en terrine has been shortened to either pâté or terrine. A terrine is generally a finer forcemeat than that used for pâté, and is always served cold. Pâtés are coarser forcemeats and, as stated before, are often prepared in a pastry crust. We now use these terms interchangeably and inclusive of all styles of forcemeat. Look for definitions under ballottine and galantine.
Pâté Choux - A paste used to make cream puffs, eclairs, and other more elaborate pastries. It is made by adding flour to boiling water or milk, which has been enriched with butter. Eggs are then added into the paste to leaven it. Savory pastries such as gougere may also be made with this paste.
Pâté a Foncer - A shortcrust pastry dough made with butter and strengthened with water. Used as a lining for meat or fish pies.
Pâté Brisée - A short crust pastry dough made with butter and eggs.
Pâté Feuilletae - A dough comprised of many alternating layers of butter and pastry. This is an extremely versatile dough though preparation of it is labor intensive and very difficult.
Pâté Sablée - Another type of sweet, short crust dough.
Pâté Sucrée - A sweet, short crust dough for tarts and tartlets.
Paupiette - A thin slice of meat, like a scallopine, which is stuffed and rolled. These may also be made of fish or vegetables.
Penne - Quill-shaped pasta tubes with smooth sides. Those with ridges are called penne rigati. These are also called mostaciolli. Large quill-shaped tubes are called manicotti.
Perilla - A Japanese herb that has a dark, russet-purple dentate leaf. It has a complex sweetness, and is wonderful in meat sauces and to make vinegar with. (this definition courtesy of Joanna Sheldon)
Persillade - A mixture of chopped parsley and garlic, added to recipes at the end of cooking.
Pesto - A delicious sauce used for pastas, grilled meats, and poultry. This is made of fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Some versions will also add parsley and walnuts or pine nuts. The ingredients are ground into a paste and moistened with the olive oil. Pesto is also used to describe similar sauces that contain other herbs or nuts.
Petit Four - A small cookie or cake served on elaborate buffets or at the end of a multi-course meal.
Pico de Gallo - Literally meaning "rooster's beak", this is a very hot, raw salsa made of fresh chiles, onions, and tomatoes.
Piroshki - Small Russian meat pies, like empanadas, eaten for lunch or snacks.
Pissaladiere - A southern French pizza consisting of a thick bread crust covered with cooked onions flavored with garlic. The pizza is then topped with black olives and anchovies.
Pita Bread - Flat round bread made with or without a pocket.
Poblano Chili Pepper - A dark, sometimes almost black green chili pepper with a mild flavor. Best known for its use in "Chili Rellenos", a Mexican stuffed pepper.
Polenta - The Italian version of cornmeal. Coarsely ground yellow cornmeal is cooked with stock or water and flavored with onions, garlic, and cheese. Polenta may be eaten fresh out of the pot, as a perfect accompaniment to stews. Polenta may also be poured into a greased pan and allowed to set. It is then sliced, saut‚ed, and topped with cheese or tomato sauce. When cooked properly, polenta is a simple treasure.
Posole - Pozole - A Mexican soup containing hominy served with various ingredients to be added by each diner. The base of the soup is water flavored with onions, tomatoes(or tomatillos), and herbs. Hominy is cooked into this broth and condiments include minced onion, avocado, lime wedges, oregano, queso fresco, and fried pork skin. A similar soup to this is menudo. Without the pork skin, this makes a perfect vegetarian soup.
Praline - In French cookery this is a powder or paste made of caramelized almonds and/or hazelnuts. American cookery refers to a candy consisting of caramel and pecans.
Profiterole - A small puff made with pate choux usually filled an served as an appetizer.
Prosciutto - The Italian word for ham, usually referring to the raw cured hams of Parma. Though once impossible to obtain in the United States due to USDA regulations, fine prosciuttos from Italy and Switzerland are now being imported. These hams are called prosciutto crudo. Cooked hams are called prosciutto cotto. Prosciutto is best when sliced paper thin served with ripe figs or wrapped around grissini.
Pumate - Italian for sun-dried tomatoes.
Puttanesca - A piquant pasta sauce made of tomatoes, onions, black olives, capers, anchovies, and chile flakes. The hot pasta is tossed in this sauce prior to serving. Some recipes leave the ingredients raw, allowing the heat of the pasta to bring out the flavors.
Pyramide Cheese - A truncated pyramid is the shape of this small French chevre that is often coated with dark gray edible ash. The texture can range from soft to slightly crumbly and depending upon it’s age, in flavor from mild to sharp. It is wonderful served with crackers or bread and fruit.