English-French-English food dictionary

Below is a small word list of some food, baking and cooking terms you may find useful. It also contains some words that may help you out in the butchers, especially with what you want to buy and what you may want to avoid.

English	French
A savoury, open tart made with cheese and butter	Tarte al djote
A soft white cheese like a thick yogurt	Fromage blanc
A thick piece of prime grilled steak	Steak pavé
A thin layer of pastry	Abaisse
a type of chicken, and not cukoo	Coucou de Malines
Aluminum foil	Papier aluminium
Baker's or confectioner's cream	Crème pâtissière
Baker's yeast	Levure de boulanger
Baking paper	Papier cuisson
Baking powder	Levure chimique
Baking soda	Bicarbonate de sodium
Barley	Ogre
Beef ribsteak; cut from the front ribs and wing-end ribs	Steak entrecôte
Beef stew	Daube
Bitter	Amer
Bitter or tart to the taste	Acerbe
Boiling	ébullition
Bone marrow	Moelle
Bran bread	Pain de son
Breadcrumbs	Chapelure
Broad beans	Fève
Buckwheat	Blé noir; sarrasin
Buckwheat bread	Pain de sarrasin
Buckwheat flour	Farine de sarrasin
Buttermilk	Babeurre
Capon	Chapon: a young castrated and fattened rooster
Cheeks	Joues
Chop	Côtelette
Chunks	En dés
Cockerel	Coq
Colander	Passoire
Cooked medium	à point: for reference, from least cooked to most cooked its: bleu, saignant, à point, bien cuit
Cooked rare	Saignant
Cooked very rare	Bleu
Cooked well done	Bien cuit
Corn bread	Pain de mais
Country bread	Pain de campagne
Covered pie	Tourte
Cranberry	Airelle rouge
Crawfish, crayfish, Dublin Bay prawn, scampi	Langouste, écrevisse
Cream, full-fat	Crème fraîche
Crushed	écrasé
Crust rubbed with garlic
Cuttle-fish	Seiche
Deer, venison (female)	Biche
Deer, venison (male)	Cerf
Diced vegetables	Macédoine
Dogfish	Emissole
Dorado	Daurade royale
Doughnut	Beignet
Drain	égoutter
Dribbling, runny	Baveux
Drumstick	Pilon
Eel	Anguille
Filet mignon (the small choice end of tenderloin)	Steak filet mignon
Filled or stuffed; creamed	Fourré
Fish scale	écaille
Flat muscle just in front of the filet	Onglet
Flavoured with garlic	Aillé
Fowl/poultry	Volaille
French toast	Pain perdu
Fresh codfish	Cabillaud
Full to the brim	Rasade
Game	Gibier
Giblets	Abattis
Grey mullet	Mulet
Ground	Moulé
Grouper	Mérou
Guinea fowl (young)	Pintadeau
Guinea hen	Pintade
Haddock	Aiglefin
Jar	Bocal
Kneading	Pétrissage
Knuckle of ham	Jambonneau
Leg of lamb	Gigot
Light cream	Crème maigre
Marbled	Marbré: for cheese this is called persillée)
Melted	Fondu
Mild	Doux
Minced meat	Haché
Minute steak; the top or skirt of beef	Steak bavette
Monkfish	Lotte de mer; also called baudroie
Mortar, as in pestle and mortar	Mortier
Oats	Avoine
Offal (other than poultry giblets)	Abats
Old, aged	Vieux
Open pie	Tarte
Parboil	Faire cuire a demi
Pestle (as in a pestle and mortar)	Pilon
Porridge, oatmeal	Gruau d'avoine
Pumpkin	Citrouille
Pumpkin	Potiron
Quince	Coing
Ray, skate	Raie
Red currant	Groseille
Red mullet	Rouget
Red tuna	Thon rouge
Ribs or chops	Côtes
Ribsteak	Steak entrecôte
Rind	Ecorce
Rind, skin	Counne
Roast	Rôti
Rock salt	Gros sel
Rolled	Roulé
Rolled oats	Flocon d'avoine
Rump, thick flank, topside	Rumpsteck
Rye bread	Pain de seigle
Saddle	Selle
Salt cod	Morue
Sandwich bread	Pain de mie
Savory (the herb)	Sarriette
Scallop	Noix de coquilles Saint-Jacques
Sea bass	Loup
Sea bream	Dorade
Shank or shin	Jarret
Shoulder, includes the blade bone and spare ribs	Echine
Shrimp	Crevette
Sieve	Tamis
Sirloin steak	Steak faux-filet
Skate, ray	Raie
Snipe	Becassine
Sour	Aigre
Sour cream	Crème aigre
Spicy	Relevé
Squid	Calmar
Steam	Vapeur
Stew	Ragoût
Stuffed or filled; creamed	Fourré
Sweet-and-sour	Aigre-doux
Sweetbread	Ris de veau
Tenderloin steak	Steak filet
Tenderloin steak, on the continent, this is the hind loin area. The English filet is the 'jambon'. Confused? Yes…	Steak filet
The criss-cross topping on a tart (with strips of pastry)	Quadrillage
Thick cream	Crème èpaisse
Thin, round slice (such as thin slices of cucumber)	Rondelle
Thinly-sliced vegetables	Julienne
To brown	à revenir
To brown, singe	à roussir
To chop	à détailler
To cook [onions] until they are transparent, not quite brown	Blondir
To cool or chill	à réfroidir
To crumble	à émietter
To crush	à écraser
To cut up into lengths	à tronçonner
To foam or froth	à écumer
To grind or crush	à piler
To hang (as in meat)	à faisander
To hull	à équeuter
To knead	à malaxer, pétrir
To leaven bread	à levain
To melt	à fondre
To mince or finely chop	à émincer
To peel	à éplucher, à peler
To press	à fouler
To put into the oven	à enfourner
To remove the seeds	à épépiner
To roll flat	à étendre au rouleau
To scald	à échauder
To sear	à saisir
To shell	à écailler
To simmer; cook slowly	à mitonner, à mijoter
To soften	à ramollir
To spread	à étaler
To stir slowly	à remuer
To string (beans)	à éffiler
To thin (a sauce)	à délayer
To turn sour	à aigrir
Tuna	Thon
Turbot	Turbot
Turnip	Navet
Warmed or reheated	Réchauffé
Wheat	Blé
Wheatgerm	Germe de blé
Whipped cream	Crème chantilly
White beans	Haricot blanc
White meat from the testicle	Rognon blanc
Whiting	Merlan
Whole wheat bread	Pain complet
With crackling	Avec la couenne
Woodcock	Bécasse
Yeast	Levure
Young chicken	Poulette
Young, suckling goat (kid)	Chevreau de lait
French	English
à aigrir	To turn sour
à délayer	To thin (a sauce)
à détailler	To chop
à écailler	To shell
à échauder	To scald
à écraser	To crush
à écumer	To foam, to froth
à éffiler	To string (beans)
à émietter	To crumble
à émincer	To mince or finely chop
à enfourner	To put into the oven
à épépiner	To remove the seeds
à éplucher	To peel
à équeuter	To hull
à étaler	To spread
à étendre au rouleau	To roll flat
à faisander	To hang (as in meat)
à fondre	To melt
à fouler	To press
à levain	To leaven bread
à malaxer, pétrir	To knead
à mijoter, à mitonner	To simmer; cook slowly
à mitonner, à mijoter	To simmer; cook slowly
à peler, à éplucher	To peel
à piler	To grind or crush
à point: for reference, from least cooked to most cooked its: bleu, saignant, à point, bien cuit	Cooked medium
à ramollir	To soften
à réfroidir	To cool or chill
à remuer	To stir slowly
à revenir	To brown
à roussir	To brown, singe
à saisir	To sear
à tronçonner	To cut up into lengths
Abaisse	A thin layer of pastry
Abats	Offal (other than poultry giblets)
Abattis	Giblets
Acerbe	Bitter or tart to the taste
Aiglefin	Haddock
Aigre	Sour
Aigre-doux	Sweet-and-sour
Aillé	Flavoured with garlic
Airelle rouge	Cranberry
Amer	Bitter
Amertume	Bitterness
Anguille	Eel
Avec la couenne	With crackling
Avoine	Oats
Babeurre	Buttermilk
Baveux	Dribbling, runny
Bécasse	Woodcock
Becassine	Snipe
Beignet	Doughnut
Bicarbonate de sodium	Baking soda
Biche	Deer, venison (female)
Bien cuit	Cooked well done
Blé	Wheat
Blé noir	Buckwheat
Blé noir; sarrasin	Buckwheat
Bleu	Cooked very rare
Blondir	To cook [onions] until they are transparent, not quite browning
Bocal	Jar
Broyé	Cushed, ground, pounded
Cabillaud	Fresh codfish
Calmar	Squid
Cerf	Deer, venison (male)
Chapelure	Breadcrumbs
Chapon	Capon: a young castrated and fattened rooster
Chevreau de lait	Young, suckling goat (kid)
Citrouille	Pumpkin
Coing	Quince
Coq	Cockerel
Côtelette	Chop
Côtes	Ribs or chops
Coucou de Malines	a type of chicken, and not cukoo
Counne	Rind, skin
Crème aigre	Sour cream
Crème chantilly	Whipped cream
Crème èpaisse	Thick cream
Crème fraîche	Cream, full-fat
Crème maigre	Light cream
Crème pâtissière	Baker's or confectioner's cream
Crevette	Shrimp
Daube	Beef stew
Daurade royale	Dorado
Dorade	Sea bream
Doux	Mild
ébullition	Boiling
écaille	Fish scale
Echine	Shoulder, includes the blade bone and spare ribs
Ecorce	Rind
écrevisse	Crayfish, crawfish
égoutter	Drain
Emissole	Dogfish
En dés	Chunks
Faire cuire a demi	Parboil
Farine de sarrasin	Buckwheat flour
Fève	Broad beans
Flocon d'avoine	Rolled oats
Fondu	Melted
Fourré	Filled or stuffed; creamed
Fromage blanc	A soft white cheese like a thick yogurt
Germe de blé	Wheatgerm
Gibier	Game
Gigot	leg of lamb
Gros sel	Rock salt
Groseille	Red currant
Gruau d'avoine	Porridge, oatmeal
Haché	Minced meat
Haricot	Bean
Haricot blanc	White beans
Haricot rouge	Kidney beans
Haricot vert	Green beans
Jambonneau	Knuckle of ham
Jarret	Shank or shin
Joues	Cheeks
Julienne	Thinly-sliced vegetables
Langouste	Crawfish
Langoustine	Dublin Bay prawn; scampi
Levure	Yeast
Levure chemique	Baking powder
Levure de boulanger	Baker's yeast
Lotte de mer; also called baudroie	Monkfish
Loup	Sea bass
Macédoine	Diced vegetables
Marbré: for cheese this is called persillée)	Marbled
Merlan	Whiting
Mérou	Grouper
Moelle	Bone marrow
Mortier	Mortar, as in pestle and mortar
Morue	Salt cod
Moulé	Ground
Mulet	Grey Mullet
Navet	Turnip
Noix de coquilles Saint-Jacques	The white flesh of the scallop
Oeuf à cheval	Steak or hamburger topped with a fried egg
Oeuf à la neige	A dessert of beaten egg whites poached in milk and served in a caramelised valilla custard
Ogre	Barley
Onglet	Flat muscle just in front of the filet
Pain complet	Whole wheat bread
Pain de campagne	Country bread
Pain de mais	Corn bread
Pain de mie	Sandwich bread
Pain de sarrasin	Buckwheat bread
Pain de seigle	Rye bread
Pain de son	Bran bread
Pain perdu	French toast
Panais	Parsnip
Papier aluminium	Aluminum foil
Papier cuisson	Baking paper
Passoire	Colander
Persillée	Marbled or blue-veined (as in cheese)
Pétrissage	Kneading
Pilon	Drumstick
Pilon	Pestle (as in a pestle and mortar)
Pintade	Guinea hen
Pintadeau	Guinea fowl (young)
Pois chiche	Chick pea
Potiron	Pumpkin
Poulette	Young chicken
Quadrillage	The criss-cross topping on a tart (with strips of pastry)
Ragoût	Stew
Raie	Skate, ray
Rasade	Full to the brim
Réchauffé	Warmed or reheated
Relevé	Spicy
Ris de veau	Sweetbread
Rognon blanc	White meat from the testicle
Rondelle	Thin, round slice (such as thin slices of cucumber)
Rôti	Roast
Rouget	Red mullet
Roulé	Rolled
Rumsteck	Rump, thick flank, topside
Saignant	Cooked rare
Sarrasin	Buckwheat
Sarriette	Savory (the herb)
Seiche	Cuttle-fish
Selle	Saddle
Steak bavette	Minute steak; the top or skirt of beef
Steak entrecôte	Beef ribsteak; cut from the front ribs and wing-end ribs
Steak faux-filet	Sirloin steak, slices from the muscle that lies along the back, above the spine - porterhouse, sirloin
Steak filet	Tenderloin steak, on the continent, this is the hind loin area. The English filet is the 'jambon'. Confused? Yes…
Steak filet mignon	Filet mignon (the small choice end of tenderloin)
Steak pavé	A thick piece of prime grilled steak
Steak tartare	Finely ground, raw lean beef mixed with raw egg yolk and garnished with chopped onion, capers and parsley
Tamis	Sieve
Tarte	Open pie
Tête de veau	Rolled veal head, including the tongue
Thon	Tuna
Thon rouge	Red tuna
Tourte	Covered pie
Turbot	Turbot
Vapeur	Steam
Vieux	Old, aged
Volaille	Fowl/poultry