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F

Flaky pastry

A pastry made in layers that become flakier towards the outside when cooked. It's a heavier pastry than puff pastry, but easier to make. Usually used for savoury pies.

Falafel

Middle Eastern street food of spiced chickpea fritters, often served in warm pitta bread

Farfalle

Pasta shaped like bow-ties or butterflies.

Fava beans

Fresh or dried broad beans.

Fennel

There are two main types of this aromatic plant, both with pale green, celery-like stems and bright green, feathery foliage. Florence fennel, also called finocchio, has a broad, bulbous base with a mild aniseed flavour and is treated like a vegetable. Both the base and stems can be eaten raw in salads or cooked by braising or roasting. Common fennel is a herb. Its greenish-brown seeds and leaves both have a strong aniseed flavour that complements fish, especially oily varieties such as mackerel or herring.

Fenugreek

An aromatic Mediterranean plant that produces long pods containing oblong, brownish seeds. These have a slightly bitter taste and are roasted and ground and used as a flavouring in curries.

Feta cheese

A creamy white Greek cheese traditionally made from ewes' milk or ewes' and goats' milk mixed (but now sometimes made using cows' milk), and preserved in brine or oil. In Greek cooking, feta is used mostly for gratins and pastries. It is also crumbled over the top of mixed salads and can be cut into cubes and served as a snack with olives and crusty bread.

Fettuccine

Long flat pasta, similar to tagliatelle.

Fillet

A boneless, lean cut of meat, fish or poultry.

Filo pastry

Thin sheets of pastry commonly used in Greek, eastern European and Middle Eastern cuisines. As the sheets are very thin, working quickly to prevent drying out is essential and fillings, sweet or savoury, should be almost cooked before use as the pastry only requires a short cooking time

Fines herbes

A mixture of chopped aromatic herbs used in French cooking, particularly in egg dishes, sauces, salads and soups. A classic combination is chopped chervil, tarragon, parsley and chives.

Five spice powder

A pungent mixture of five spices commonly used in Chinese cookery; it is made up of star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon and Szechuan peppercorns.

Flan

Open pie containing sweet or savoury filling in a custard of eggs and cream.

Fleurs de sel

Fleurs de sel is a moist salt from France

Florentine

a. Dish containing spinach, eg eggs Florentine.
b. Small biscuit of nuts and dried fruit covered with chocolate on one side.

Florets

Florets are the small, individual flower stems that make up the heads of vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower.

Flour

Finely ground cereal, such as wheat, barley, oats, rye, rice and maize (corn). In Britain, the word 'flour' usually refers to flour produced from wheat. Wheat flour contains gluten, a protein that forms an elastic network that helps contain the gases that make mixtures (such as doughs and batters) rise as they bake. Different types of flour are needed for different products. Bread flour, or strong flour, for example, has a high protein content and good gluten strength. Plain household flour is usually a soft flour and is best for cakes and pastries. Self-raising flour has a standard amount of raising agent already added to it. Varying degrees of processing in the milling of the grain give wholewheat, brown and white types of flour. Spelt flour is made from an ancestor of our wheat and, although it does contain a small amount of gluten, some people who are intolerant to wheat flour can cope with it.

Focaccia

Italian olive-oil bread, large and flat, often flavoured with herbs, sometimes with a filling of ham or cheese.

Foie gras

Literally French for 'fat liver', but usually used to refer to the rich p

Fond

The French word for stock - the flavoured liquid base used for making a sauce, stew or braised dish.

Fondant

a. Soft-textured sweet made of flavoured icing.
b. Fondant potatoes are saut

Fondue

A Swiss dish of melted cheese served at the table in a pan; each person dips pieces of bread into it and then eats them. Other varieties of fondue include fondue bourguignonne in which cubes of beef are dipped in hot oil at the table until cooked, and then eaten with dips and sauces; and chocolate fondue served with fruit and biscuits.

Fontina

Semi-soft Italian cow's-milk cheese, which is easily melted. When matured, fontina can be grated and used like Parmesan.

Fragrant rice

An aromatic long-grain rice favoured in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. For more information about rice, visit our store cupboard.

Frangipane

A pastry cream used when preparing various desserts, sweets, cakes and pancakes. It is made with milk, sugar, flour, eggs and butter mixed with either crushed macaroons or with ground almonds.

French dressing

Also known as vinaigrette. A cold sauce used for dressing salads, made from a mixture of olive oil, wine vinegar, pepper and salt to which various flavourings can be added.

Fricassee

A white stew made from poultry and other white meat. The meat is just turned in fat but not browned before being cooked in a white sauce. A fricassee is usally cooked with cream and garnished with small glazed onions and lightly cooked mushrooms.

Frittata

An Italian omelette with a variety of fillings, eg potatoes, mushrooms, pumpkin, ham, cheese. Unlike a French omelette, the ingredients are mixed with the eggs rather than being folded inside them. The frittata is cut into wedges and eaten hot or cold. Similar to a Spanish omelette.

Fritter

Piece of raw or cooked meat, fish, fruit or vegetable coated in batter and deep-fried until crisp, golden and cooked through.

Fritto misto

An Italian dish (meaning literally 'fried mixture') of a variety of deep-fried meats and vegetables including lamb, rabbit, veal, sausage, liver, courgettes, carrots, aubergine, fennel and tomatoes. Fruit, such as apples and peaches, may be added too. Fritto misto di mare is a selection of deep-fried fish and seafood.

Fromage frais

A fresh, low-fat curd cheese made from pasteurised cow

Fumet

A strong-flavoured cooking liquor used for flavouring sauces; fumet usually refers to concentrated mushroom and fish stocks. For meat, poultry and game stocks, the word fond is used.

Fusilli

Spiral-shaped pasta.