Ingredient Glossary: World Cuisine Ingredients from A to Z
Many recipes from around the world call for ingredients that not every supermarket stocks. This glossary explains 60 of them, from gochujang and sumac to tahini and fish sauce: what each one is, how it tastes, what to look for when you buy it and what you can use instead. Every entry links to recipes from our collection that use it.
A
- Agave Syrup: Agave syrup, also sold as agave nectar, is the thickened sap of agave plants, which grow mainly in Mexico.
- Allspice: Allspice is the dried berry of a tree from the Caribbean.
- Amaranth: Amaranth is the tiny seed of a plant that has been grown in Central and South America for thousands of years.
- Asafoetida: Asafoetida, called hing in India, is the dried resin of a plant from the carrot family native to Central Asia.
B
- Barberries: Barberries are the small, oblong red berries of the barberry shrub.
- Bonito Flakes: Bonito flakes, katsuobushi in Japanese, are paper-thin shavings of dried and smoked bonito.
- Bulgur: Bulgur is wheat that has been boiled, dried and then cracked.
C
- Cardamom: Cardamom is the dried seed pod of a plant from the ginger family.
- Cassava: Cassava is the starchy root of a tropical shrub from South America.
- Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are the small seeds of a sage species from Mexico and Central America.
- Chipotle: Chipotle is a ripe red jalapeño that has been dried and smoked over a wood fire.
- Coconut Milk: Coconut milk is the white, creamy liquid pressed from the grated flesh of mature coconuts.
- Couscous: Couscous is made from durum wheat semolina that is rolled into tiny pellets and steamed.
E
- Edamame: Edamame are young soybeans, harvested while still green.
F
- Fenugreek: Fenugreek is a legume whose small, yellowish-brown seeds and dried leaves are used as a spice.
- Fish Sauce: Fish sauce is a clear, amber seasoning made from fermented fish and salt.
- Fonio: Fonio is a type of millet from West Africa and one of the continent’s oldest cereals.
G
- Galangal: Galangal is the rhizome of a plant in the ginger family from Southeast Asia.
- Ghee: Ghee is butter from which the water and milk solids have been removed by slow heating.
- Glass Noodles: Glass noodles are thin noodles made from starch that turn transparent once cooked.
- Gochugaru: Gochugaru is Korean chilli powder made from dried, deseeded red chillies.
- Gochujang: Gochujang is a thick, dark red chilli paste from Korea.
H
J
- Jackfruit: Jackfruit is a tropical tree fruit from South Asia that can weigh many kilograms.
K
- Kombu: Kombu is a dried brown kelp from northern Japan.
L
- Labneh: Labneh is salted yoghurt strained of its whey until it becomes thick and spreadable.
- Lemongrass: Lemongrass is a tropical grass whose stalks smell of lemon without being sour.
M
N
- Nigella Seeds: Nigella seeds are the small black seeds of the plant Nigella sativa.
- Nori: Nori is thin, dried sheets of red seaweed, black-green and crisp.
O
- Okra: Okra are the green, five-sided pods of a plant in the mallow family.
- Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce is a thick, dark brown seasoning sauce from Cantonese cooking.
P
- Palm Sugar: Palm sugar is the boiled-down sap of various palms, and in South and Southeast Asia it is as everyday as white sugar is elsewhere.
- Paneer: Paneer is an unripened fresh cheese from India and Pakistan, set with acid instead of rennet.
- Panko: Panko is a coarse, flaky breadcrumb from Japan.
- Pomegranate Molasses: Pomegranate molasses is reduced juice from sour pomegranates: almost black, thick and far more sour than sweet.
Q
- Quinoa: Quinoa is the seed of an Andean plant that has been grown in Peru and Bolivia for thousands of years.
R
- Rice Paper: Rice paper consists of wafer-thin dried sheets made from rice flour, water and salt.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is made from rice and is milder and softer than most Western vinegars.
- Rose Water: Rose water is a watery distillate of rose petals, clear and intensely fragrant.
S
- Saffron: Saffron is the dried stigmas of a crocus flower.
- Shiitake: Shiitake are East Asian mushrooms with a brown, domed cap and firm, savoury flesh.
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is a salty, dark seasoning sauce made from fermented soybeans, usually with wheat.
- Sriracha: Sriracha is a smooth, hot sauce made from red chillies, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt.
- Star Anise: Star anise is the dried, star-shaped fruit of an evergreen tree from southern China and northern Vietnam.
- Sumac: Sumac is a dark red spice powder made from the dried fruit of the tanner’s sumac.
T
- Tahini: Tahini is a paste of ground sesame seeds, in Turkey also called tahin.
- Tamarind: Tamarind is the brown, sticky pulp from the pods of the tamarind tree.
- Taro: Taro is a starchy root that has been grown in Asia, the Pacific, Africa and the Caribbean for centuries.
- Tempeh: Tempeh is a firm cake of whole soya beans held together by an edible mould.
- Tofu: Tofu is made from soya milk that is curdled and pressed into blocks.
- Tomatillo: The tomatillo is a small green fruit from Mexico that grows inside a papery husk.
- Turmeric: Turmeric is the rhizome of a plant in the ginger family.
U
- Umeboshi: Umeboshi are the fruits of the Japanese ume tree, pickled in salt and dried in the sun.
W
- Wakame: Wakame is a brown seaweed that grows off the coasts of Japan, Korea and China, where it has been eaten for centuries.