Celtnet Glossary of Food Terms Beginning with 'Z'


Glossary of Food and Cookery Terms — 'Z'



A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Welcome to the Celtnet glossary of food terms. As this recipe site has grown and the total number of recipes range across everythign from breakfast to brewing it has become obvious that a whole slew of recipe and cooking-associated terms are spread across the various pages of this site. These pages are an attempt at bringing all these recipe- and cookery-associated terms together into one place. To use this glossary simply click on the first letter of your term above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the terms. You may well find something that surprises you!

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Example Entry

Below, you will find an example wild food entry produced randomly from our database:

Food Glossary Entry For: Cardamom

This is the description page for Cardamom and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the cookery term: Cardamom.

Green Cardamom

Caraway (also known as Persian cumin) is a biennial plant, Carum carvi native to Europe and western Asia. It is a membero of the Apiaceae (also known as Umbelliferae) plants of which carrots are also a member. The plant has divided feathery leaves and grows to between 20 and 30 cm tall. These bear flower stems that can grow to almost 60cm tall and bear white flowers in umbels (umbrella-like structures). When ripe the fruit are crescent-shaped and contain a single seed. (The fruits of the caraway plant are often, and erroneously, called seeds. If you actually open one of these fruit you will see that it bears a seed within).

The fruit are generally used whole in cooking and they have a pungent anise-like flavour. They are used especially in rye bread but are also used in casseroles and carrot cakes. Liquers are also flavoured with caraway seeds, as are a number of continental cheeses.

Cardamom Cardamom Spice Guide (Cardamom)

Spinach and Yoghurt Soup
Tandoori Chicken
Lamb Koftas

Cardamoms are members of the ginger family, the Zingiberaceae and both the entire seed pods and the seeds themselves can be used as a spice. In fact there are three related species which give us three seprate spices:

    Black Cardamom

    Black Cardamom

    Black cardamom (also known as: Kravan, Java cardamom, Bengal cardamom, Siamese cardamom, white or red cardamom) represents the seed pod of plants in the genus Amomum. This plant is distributed mainly in Asia and Australia. The seed pods are black, hence the name and they have an intense smoky and slightly earthy flavour. This is a very important spice in Indian cuisine where it is generally used in savoury dishes and pickles. Like green cardamom either the entire seed pod or just the seeds themselves can be used. In comparison with green cardamon the black cardamom pods are about five times the size.

    Grains of Paradise

    Grains of Paradise

    Grains of Paradise (also known as Guinea pepper, Melegueta pepper, alligator pepper and Guinea grains) is a West African spice obtained from the plant Aframomum melegueta which gives pungent, peppery flavor. The plant is an herbaceous perennial and native to swampy habitats along the West African coast. Its trumpet-shaped, purple flowers develop into 5 to 7 cm long pods containing numerous small, reddish-brown seeds. Grains of paradise are commonly employed in the cooking styles of West Africa and also North Africa, where they have been traditionally imported via caravan routes through the Sahara desert. In Europe, they enjoyed a short-lived popularity in the 14th century, when Portuguese sailors reached West Africa in their first steps to establish a sea route to India. Unlike the other cardamoms this spice is most readily attained in seed rather than whole pod form.

    They have a fiery, rather peppery taste and a great ‘cardamom-like’ aroma (as one might expect from the familial relationship). For seasoning use as you would black pepper. It is also one of the crucial ingredients in the classic Tunisian five-spice blend.

    Green Cardamom

    Green Cardamom

    Green Cardamom (also known as 'True Cardamom') is the seed pod of the plant Elettaria cardamomum. This is a native of southeastern Asia from India south to Sri Lanka and east to Malaysia and western Indonesia, where it grows in tropical rainforests. It is a pungent aromatic herbaceous perennial plant growing to 2–4 m in height. The leaves are alternate in two ranks, linear-lanceolate, 40-60 cm long, with a long pointed tip. The flowers are white to lilac or pale violet, produced in a loose spike 30-60 cm long. The fruit is a three-sided yellow-green pod 1-2 cm long, containing several black seeds contained in three linked ranks.

    The green seed pods of the plant are dried and the seeds inside the pod are used in Indian and other Asian cuisines either whole or in a ground form. Ground cardamom is an ingredient in many Indian curries, and is a primary contributor to the flavour of masala chai. In the Middle East and Iran, cardamom is used to flavour coffee and tea. Cardamom can also be used to flavour milk in the generation of custards and cakes.

    The seed pods are usually used for infusion and subsequently removed. The seeds can be isolated by crushing the pods and separating the seeds. In terms of flavour green cardamom is warm with slightly bitter/sweet aroma. It is used in many North Indian dishes and is suitable for both sweet and savory dishes


Internal Cross-reference

Spice Guide (Cardamom)
Recipes Utilizing Cardamom

Fish in Orange and Caraway Sauce
Knotts — Plaited Cakes
Braised Red Cabbage

Spinach and Yoghurt Soup
Tandoori Chicken
Lamb Koftas





The Guide to Spices and their Uses PDF file — It takes time and money to keep The Celtnet Recipe Site on the world wide web. You can help via the PayPal donation system:



you remain anonymous as all eMail details are destroyed once your gift has been verified and a 'thank you' email has been sent. I need your trust and do not keep or sell eMail addresses. Once your donation has been made you will receive a copy of my The Guide to Spices and their Uses PDF file which contains a description of 57 spices along with recipes showing you how to use them. In addition the book contains recipes and techniques to create restaurant-style curries at home (recipes that are not on this website). Any gift you make goes towards the One Million People campaign that seeks to make a range of old and ancient recipe texts (with translations) freely available on the web. For more information see the Frequently Asked Questions. Also, if you purchase a book through any of the Amazon links below then a portion of the price will go to the maintenance of this site. Thank you for your help in keeping 'Celtnet Recipes' running.




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