Food and Cooking
Glossary
V
Vacherin
A crisp, sweet meringue shell used as a serving vessel for fruit
and ice cream. A dessert of ice cream and raspberry sherbet.
A chestnut dessert.
Vanilla
The Vanilla plant is a rapidly growing vine, indigenous to Central
and South America that bears long, brown, waxy pods, which contain
tiny Vanilla seeds. The fragrance of Vanilla is soothing, sensual,
and warm.
Vanilla Pod
The sweetly fragrant dried, cured pods of the vanilla orchid
(Vanilla planifolia), which is native to Central America and
Mexico. (There are other varieties from Tahiti and Hawaii.).
Vegetable Oils
Vegetable oil or vegoil is fat extracted from plant sources,
known as oil plants. Although in principle other parts of plants
may yield oil, in practice seeds form the almost exclusive source.
Vegetable oils are used as cooking oils and for industrial uses.
Some types, such as cottonseed oil, castor oil and some types
of rapeseed oil, are not fit for human consumption without further
processing. Like all fats, vegetable oils are esters of glycerin
and a varying blend of fatty acids, and are insoluble in water
but soluble in organic solvents.
Vegetable Shortening
A vegetarian alternative to lard, this is a solid fat made from
hydrogenated vegetable oils. It can be substituted for other
fats in cooking and is often used in baking.
Verjuice
Literally 'green juice', this is a sour juice made from sour
grapes, crab apples or other unripe fruit. It was used a great
deal in medieval European cookery and is undergoing a revival.
It's used as a flavouring in certain condiments, and in cooking
can be used in place of lemon juice. It's easier to find now
and can be found in the speciality food section of most major
supermarkets, or in specialist food shops.
Vermicelli
Vermicelli is very fine, long strands of pasta - like a skinny
spaghetti - often used in soups. The name means 'little worms'
in Italian. It's available fresh or dried.
Vichy Carrots
A well known French carrot dish. Where the carrots are thinly
sliced carrots added to water (to be authentic it should be
vichy water), butter and sugar, then covered and cooked over
low heat until tender, and finally garnished with parsley. Vichy
carrots are also called carrots a la Vichy.
Vinaigrette
An emulsion of vinegar (or sometimes lemon juice) and vegetable
oil, often flavored with herbs, spices, and other ingredients.
Vinaigrettes are used as sauces in many cuisines, and as salad
dressings. This is the most common use of the word.
Vintage
A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all grown in
a single specified year. In certain wines it can denote quality,
as in Port, where Port houses make and declare "vintage"
Port in their best years. From this tradition a common, though
incorrect, usage applies the term to any wine that is perceived
to be particularly old or of a particularly high quality.
Vodka
An Eastern European spirit distilled from grain and traditionally
produced in Russia and Poland (although it's now made in many
other countries as well). It has neither taste nor smell, although
some vodkas are flavoured with spices, plants, leaves or fruits.
Vol-au-vent
A light, round bite-sized shell of puff pastry, sometimes with
a pastry lid, with a delicate filling, served as a hot or cold
starter or hors d'oeuvre. The filling is made of meat, seafood
or vegetables, usually bound with a sauce. You can buy ready-made
vol-au-vents from delis and larger supermarkets.
