Expand Your Culinary Vocabulary

We consider ourselves to be fairly knowledgeable where it comes to culinary terms. We can open up most menus and feel confident when ordering. However, we’ve occasionally run across descriptions that stumped us, and we pulled out our phones for a quick search.

For fun, we perused the dinner menus of four of Denver’s top restaurants: Acorn, Fruition Restaurant, Rioja, and Root Down. Below, you’ll find the terms that had us scratching our heads and consulting search engines. Bonus points to any readers who already knew these obscure words.

Agrodolce: Sweet and sour sauce. Italian version of a versatile condiment with a sweet (dolce) and sour (agro) taste. Made by reducing sugar and vinegar.

Aligot: Cheesy mashed potatoes. A French dish that includes riced potatoes and Tomme or Cantal cheese, along with garlic, butter, and cream.

Arepas: Corn flatbread. Originally from Colombia and Venezuela. Made from maize, water, and salt.

Chicarron: Pork rinds. Popular in Spain and countries with Spanish influence, including Central and South America.

Crescenza: Italian cheese, also known as Stracchino. A fresh, soft cheese with a creamy texture and mild flavor.

Dashi: Japanese cooking stock. Made by simmering kelp in water, or a combination of kelp, tuna flakes, anchovies, or sardines.

Fregola: Sardinian pasta. Small pieces of semolina dough, rolled into balls and toasted.

Gastrique: Also a sweet and sour sauce made from sugar and vinegar, similar to agrodolce.

Guazzetto: Sauce made from the primary ingredient in the dish. Translated from Italian to mean the main ingredient is “wading” in its own flavor.

Nuoc Cham: Yet another sweet and sour sauce, with Vietnamese origins. Includes rice vinegar and fish sauce.

Romesco: Sauce made from nuts, red peppers, garlic, and oil. Originated in Tarragona, Catalonia.

Shanklish: Levantine cheese. Often dry, with a strong odor. Formed into balls, dried and aged, and rolled in a spice mixture.

Sunchoke: Root vegetable also known as a Jerusalem artichoke. Texture is similar to potatoes, but the flavor is sweeter and slightly nutty.

Feel like brushing up on more foodie terms? We love the Culinary Dictionary at What's Cooking America. This glossary includes just about every term you'll need to know, from al forno to zabaglione.