Callaloo
Callaloo is a Caribbean dish, the main ingredient of which is a leaf vegetable. It is widely known throughout the Caribbean and has a distinctively Caribbean origin, created by African slaves using ideas of the indigenous people along with both African (okra) and indigenous (Xanthosoma) plants.

Callaloo comes in as many styles as there are islands and cooks, and now refers to a complex mixture with a "confusion" of ingredients because the leaf vegetable used in some regions may be locally called "callaloo" or "callaloo bush". Strictly viewed, if that's possible, callaloo exhibits one constant - a spinach-like, tender green leaf, traditionally either amaranth (known by many local names including callaloo or bhaji), or taro or Xanthosoma species (both known by many local names including callaloo, coco, tannia, or dasheen bush).

Often thickened with okra and well-seasoned with chile peppers, this irresistible West Indian soup may include coconut milk, crab, Caribbean lobster, meats, and other seasonings. The ingredients are added and simmered down to a soup or stew consistency. When done, callaloo is dark green in color and is served as a soup or a side dish which may be used as a gravy for other food. Outside of the Caribbean, spinach is occasionally used.

Caper
the bud of a Mediterranean and Asian shrub, having a piquant, peppery taste. Capers are pickled in brine and used to flavour numerous dishes and sauces.

Caramel
sugar cooked until it reaches a colour ranging from light amber to dark brown, used to flavour and colour various preparations.

Carbonnade (à la flamande)
a Belgian beef stew, containing beer and onions, often flavoured with bacon or mustard.

Cassava (also: manioc)
the root of the cassava is a staple African food found in two varieties: sweet and bitter. Bitter cassava is poisonous unless cooked. The starchy extract of the cassava root is used to make tapioca.

Cassis (Crème de cassis)
a black currant liqueur; it is added to white wine to make the apéritif "kir."

Caviar
salted fish roe, traditionally from sturgeon, usually served as an appetizer with toast points and lemon.

Celeriac (celery root)
a knobby brown root vegetable with white flesh having a strong celery flavour. Celeriac is peeled before using, and may be eaten raw (as in "celeriac en rémoulade"), or cooked.

Celsius
a temperature scale in which 0° represents the freezing point of water and 100° the boiling point; to convert a Celsius reading to Fahrenheit degrees, multiply by 9, divide by 5, and add 32; also called "centigrade."

Cèpe (English: cep)
the French name for the Boletus edulis (porcino in Italian), a brown meaty mushroom that may weigh up to 1 lb. Ceps are often sold dried: they must be soaked in hot water for 20 minutes before using.

Ceviche
a South American appetizer in which fresh raw fish is marinated in lime juice to "cook" it, along with onions, peppers and tomatoes.

Chanterelle
a trumpet-shaped wild mushroom with a nutty flavour and chewy texture, ranging in colour from yellow to orange; often available dried.

Charcuterie
a French term referring to cooked meat products (usually pork), that can include pâté, sausages, ham, cured meats, etc.; also a shop where such products are sold.

Chayote (also: christophine or mirliton)
a gourdlike fruit with pale green ridged skin and mild white flesh that can be prepared like summer squash.

Cheesecloth
a cotton cloth used to strain liquids, enclose herbs to form a bouquet garni, etc.

Chèvre
(French for "goat")
a tangy white goat's milk cheese, usually eaten young.

Chorizo
a highly seasoned Spanish or Mexican pork sausage.

Choux paste
a dough of flour, water, butter and eggs. When cooked, the choux paste puffs up to form a crisp hollow shell which can be filled with either savoury or sweet fillings (e.g., eclairs and cream puffs).

Chow chow
A condiment that may be a Chinese inspired pickled relish.

Chutney
Chutney is a product traditionally associated with curries and Indian food… and for good reason. The Hindi word "catni" means spicy, and refers to fruits and/or vegetables that have been slowly cooked into a jam-like condiment.

Clafouti
a rustic French dessert, in which a batter is poured over fresh fruit (especially cherries) and baked.

Clarify
to melt butter so that the clear butterfat can be separated from the milky whey and sediment. Clarified butter has a higher smoking point than regular butter.

Clotted cream
a specialty of southwestern England, prepared by heating rich unpasteurized milk until a thick spreadable cream forms on the surface; traditionally served at tea time with scones and jam.

Confit
meat (particularly duck, goose or pork) which is preserved by cooking and storing it in its own fat; confit may also refer to other types of preserved food.

Coriander
an herb used since ancient times both for its seeds and its leaves (also called cilantro); widely used in Asian, Latin American and Indian cooking.

Cornichon
a sour crisp pickle made from tiny gherkin cucumbers, which often accompanies pâtés and cold meats in French cuisine.

Court-bouillon
a liquid used to poach fish or seafood, usually consisting of water flavoured with onion, celery, herbs and white wine or lemon juice.

Couscous
an important food in North African cooking, consisting of steamed semolina granules. Couscous is either served on its own, or as an accompaniment to spicy stews, etc.

Crayfish
a freshwater crustacean resembling a small lobster; a staple of the cuisine of Louisiana, where they are called crawfish or crawdads.

Cream
light cream contains approximately 20% butterfat, while whipping (or heavy) cream ranges from 30-40%. Half-and-half refers to a blend of milk and cream with a butterfat content of 10-12%.

Crème Chantilly
the French name for whipped cream sweetened and flavoured with vanilla.

Crème fraîche
a tangy thickened cream, served with desserts or added to savoury preparations, sauces, etc.; it can heated without danger of curdling.

Crème pâtissière
see "pastry cream."

Crêpe
a pancake, especially the thin French variety, used to enclose a sweet or savoury filling, or served spread with jam, flambéed with liqueur, etc.

Croûte
French for "crust"; "en croûte" refers to a food that is baked in pastry.