Food and Cooking
Glossary
H
Habanero Chili
Habanero chili is one of the most intensely spicy species of
chili peppers of the Capsicum genus. Unripe habaneros are green,
but the color at maturity varies. Common colors are orange and
red, but white, brown, and pink are also seen. Typically a ripe
habanero is 2–6 centimeters (1–21⁄2 in) long.
Haddock
A white sea-fish similar to cod (and subject to the same problems
of overfishing). It has flaky flesh, is available fresh or frozen,
whole or as steaks and fillets. It can be cooked just like cod
- poached, baked, fried or grilled, and served with or without
sauce.
Hake
The various fish that come under the banner 'hake' are deep-sea
members of the cod family and are popular throughout Europe
and America. Hake is quite a mild fish, having a more subtle
flavour than cod.
Halibut
By far the largest of all flatfish, halibut is available mostly
in steaks, fillets and cutlets. Its firm, meaty white flesh
has a delicious flavour but, as it can dry out quite easily,
it needs careful cooking and is probably best prepared with
plenty of liquid, such as melted butter or olive oil for basting,
and served with a sauce. Allow a 200g fillet or steak per person.
If you can't find halibut then turbot is a suitable substitute.
Cook until the flesh has turned opaque and is just starting
to flake.
Halva
There are numerous forms of halva, which is basically a ‘sweetmeat’
or dessert depending on which version you’re eating. The
Middle Eastern sweet known as halva is made from ground roasted
sesame seeds and honey. It's usually made in a slab and is often
studded with chopped dried fruit or nuts.
Harissa
North African pepper paste is orange-red in colour and usually
served with couscous. It’s a mix of dried red chillies,
garlic, caraway seeds, ground cumin and coriander, tomato purée,
salt and olive oil. It can be used as a condiment or as an ingredient
in cooking.
Hazelnut
A type of hard-shelled nut with an oval or round kernel, also
known as a filbert. Hazelnuts are high in dietary fibre. Turkey
is a major supplier of hazelnuts, along with Spain and Italy,
but they do grow wild in the hedgerows around Britain.
Heavy Cream
Heavy cream is the term for double cream.
Hoisin Sauce
A thick, reddish-brown sweet and spicy sauce, widely used in
Chinese cooking. It's a mixture of soya beans, vinegar, sugar,
garlic, chilli peppers and various spices.
Hoisin sauce is mainly used as a table condiment and for flavouring
meat, poultry and shellfish dishes. It’s sold in jars
or cans and is widely available from Chinese grocers and supermarkets.
It keeps for weeks in the fridge.
Hollandaise Sauce
Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of egg yolks, a vinegar reduction
and hot melted butter. It's the basic sauce from which other
sauces, such as béarnaise and mousseline, are made.
Honey
A naturally sweet, viscous liquid made from the nectar of flowers,
collected by honey bees. Honey comes in numerous varieties with
different colours, textures and flavours. The flavour, colour
and sweetness is dependent on which type of flower the nectar
was collected from.
Horn of Plenty
A common woodland mushroom, so named because it grows in the
shape of a long horn or funnel. It's also known as black trumpet
and trompette de la mort. It has a fluted edge and dark gills
and is very dark brown, almost black in colour. It looks and
tastes like a dark version of the chanterelle mushroom.
Horseradish
A perennial plant originating in eastern and south-eastern Europe,
horseradish is cultivated for its tough, twisted root. Horseradish
is a member of the mustard family. The root, which is similar
in appearance to a parsnip, releases a distinctive aroma when
bruised or cut and it has a very hot, peppery flavour that's
more powerful than mustard.
Hummus
A Middle Eastern chickpea purée made from cooked crushed
chickpeas flavoured with tahini (pounded sesame seeds), oil,
garlic and lemon juice. As part of Arabic mezze it's served
as a dip with hot pitta bread.
In Egypt hummus is often flavoured with cumin. If you’ve
got a blender or food processor then it’s very quick and
easy to make your own hummus - use dried, soaked chickpeas rather
than canned for a better flavour.
Hyssop
A strong-flavoured aromatic herb from the Mediterranean region,
similar to rosemary or lavender. During the Middle Ages it was
popular as a flavouring for soups and stuffings, but now its
main use is in the distillation of liqueurs, such as Chartreuse.
