spanish culinary terms

Note: Because there are so many regional dialects in Spain and Latin America, the term for one food product might easily have four or five variations. Aceite: oil Ajo: garlic Al ajillo: with olive oil and garlic A la marinera: fish or seafood cooked with garlic, onions and white wine All-i-oli: aïoli; garlicky mayonnaise Almendras: almonds Almejas: clams Anchoas: anchovies Arroz: rice Asado: roast Atœn or bonito: tuna Bacalao: dried, salted codfish Besugo: sea bream Boquerones: marinated anchovies Bullabesa: Catalàn fish stew similar to bouillabaisse Calamares: squid Caldo: broth Callos: tripe Camarones: shrimp Carne: meat Cebollas: onions Cerveza: beer Ceviche: raw fish marinated in citrus juice Chalupa: a small, thick corn tortilla folded into a boat shape, fried and filled with a mixture of shredded meat, cheese and/or vegetables Chilaquiles: flat tortilla layered with beans, meat, cheese and tomato sauce Chile relleno: large, mild chili pepper, stuffed with cheese and fried in an egg batter Chorizo: spicy pork sausage flavored with garlic and spices Cigallas: crayfish or langoustines Conejo: rabbit Cordero: lamb Crema catalana: custard with burnt sugar on top like a crème brûlée, but less creamy than the French dish Empanada: pie or tart filled variously with meat, seafood or vegetables Empanadita: a small empanada Enchilada: a tortilla, fried and stuffed variously with meat, cheese and/or chilies Entremeses: appetizers Escalivada or Escalibada: chargrilled or roasted peppers, onions, eggplant or other Mediterranean vegetables Flan: a baked custard with a caramel coating (also crema caramela) Frito (frita): fried Gambas: shrimp Garbanzos: chickpeas Gazpacho: Andalusian; a cold soup of fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, olive oil, vinegar and garlic (also celery, breadcrumbs) Guacamole: an avocado dip or filling, with onions, chilies and citrus juice Habas: broad beans Higado: liver Huachinango: red snapper Huevos: eggs Huevos rancheros: tortillas topped with eggs and a hot, spicy salsa Huevos revueltos: scrambled eggs Jalapeño: very common hot chili pepper, medium size Jamón: ham Jamón Ibérico: delicacy from the native Iberian breed of pig Jamón Serrano: dry-cured ham, like Parma ham Lenguado: sole Licuado: fruit milkshake Lima: lime Limón: lemon Linguiça: garlicky pork sausage Mantequilla: butter Mariscos: shellfish Masa: cornmeal dough; essential for making tortillas Menudo: a stew featuring tripe Mole: sauce; most often a thick, dark sauce made with mild chilies and chocolate Morcilla: black blood sausage Nopales: leaves of the prickly pear cactus; simmered and used in various dishes Ostras: oysters Paella: a dish of saffron-flavored rice studded with meat (chicken, ham, sausages, pork), shellfish and vegetables Papas: potatoes (also, patatas) Papas fritas: literally ‘fried potatoes’; french fries Parrillada: grilled Pechuga de pollo: chicken breast Pescado: fish Pez espada: swordfish Pimiento: red chili-pepper; can be sweet or hot Plátano: plantain; a starchy, mild-tasting variety of banana popular in Latin America; usually cooked and served as a side dish Pollo: chicken Poblano: large, mild, dark green chili pepper; used for chili rellenos Puerco: pig Pulpo: octopus Quesadilla: a soft, folded tortilla filled with cheese (and/or other savory stuffings) and toasted or fried Queso: cheese Rape: monkfish Riñónes: kidneys Salchicha: sausage Salsa: sauce; also, an uncooked condiment of fresh tomatoes, onions and chilies Salsa borracha: ‘drunken sauce;’ salsa made with tequila Sangría: Spanish drink made with red wine, soda water, chopped fresh fruits and sugar, often with a touch of brandy; served on ice Setas: wild mushrooms Sopa: soup Sope: a small cornmeal bun cooked and filled with savory stuffing Taco: a folded, warmed or fried tortilla filled with ground beef (or other meats or fish, cheese and salsa Tamale: corn dough made with lard, filled with a savory stuffing, wrapped up in a piece of corn husk, and steamed Tapas: appetizers, Spanish in origin; usually enjoyed with an apéritif such as dry sherry Tortilla: a flat, unleavened, crêpelike bread made with cornmeal flour (masa) or wheat flour Tostada: a fried tortilla topped with a saladlike mix of ground beef or chicken, beans, lettuce, tomato and guacamole Zorza: pork marinated in wine and herbs