By Geneviève de Temmerman
This application is the reference French-English gastronomic dictionary for anyone looking up perplexing culinary terms, whether encountered in a cookbook, in a gourmet food store, or on a menu.
The app is a revised and augmented version of the eponymous paper book. The New York Times called it “the most complete French menu translator available”. David Leibowitz, pastry chef, author, and a 13 year veteran at Chez Panisse says: “It’s the book that I inevitably reach for first when I have any questions about French dishes, ingredients, or cooking terms, from the normal, to the obscure.” New exotic ingredients that are used by French chefs nowadays, the cooking verbs, along with wine vocabulary have been included.
The author, Genevieve de Temmerman, founded Scribo Editions in 1980 to publish specialized bilingual dictionaries. Her Gastronomy collection has become the standard bearer for culinary students, food professionals and gourmets.
Don’t enter a French restaurant without The A-Z of French Food! Eating out in French restaurants can be a challenge, especially if the owners have neglected to translate the menu to English. Many words – like the names of fish and shellfish and cuts of meat – are confusing. The A-Z of French Food gives accurate and concise culinary definitions. They are particularly useful for tourists who want to know the difference between a Belon oyster and a Marennes when encountered on a menu. Furthermore, lovers of words and culture will also find some historical information, anecdotes; popular and slang expressions.
What is the English for matelote d’anguille, vin madérisé or farigoule? What is a communard? Lovers of good food and culture will find the answers to all these questions and more in this practical, well documented app.
Menu decoder and guide to French gastronomy, history and culture, The A-Z of French Food invites you into the world of French “Art de Vivre”. If you are a keen story-teller or reader, take a look at the words Brioche, Epigramme, Restaurant or Yaourt. You will also learn the origin of Cordon-Bleu, the story of the homard thermidor or the use of a sauce Robert. Are you a lover of history? Turn to Brillat-Savarin, Chateaubriand, Sainte-Menehould, amongst others, for a mine of information. “Those informal café-bars covering the sidewalks of France derived their name from the rumbling stomachs of Russian Cossacks who occupied Paris in 1814. They demanded speedy service by shouting ‘bistro!’ – the Russian word for quick”. That is just one of many interesting nuggets of information in The A-Z of French Food.
The subtleties of the French and English languages. Foreign and domestic users, sensitive to the subtleties of the French and English languages, will discover a multitude of picturesque expressions, derived from the universe of the kitchen. For example, rester en carafe (to be left out in the cold); être dans la panade (to be in the soup); y aller au flan (to act on the off-chance, on impulse). Would you like to know more about the virtue of plants? See under Persil, Romarin or Laurier. Any other question? The answer is in The A-Z of French Food.