Food and Cooking
Glossary
Z
Zabaglione
A rich, foamy Italian dessert made by whisking egg yolks, Marsala
wine and sugar together over a gentle heat. It's usually served
barely warm. Some versions might have the addition of fresh
fruit or fruit coulis. Zabaglione is quite similar to the French
sabayon.
Zahtar
A spice blend found in Middle Eastern and North African cooking.
To make it, sesame seeds, powdered sumac, and dried thyme are
ground together. Zahtar is used to flavor meats and vegetables,
or mixed with oil and used as a spread for bread.
Zampone
An Italian pork sausage that has a creamy texture and a very
spicy flavor. The sausage is usually made from minced pork shoulder,
other pork meat and pork skin, and then is encased in the skin
of a pig's foot. When served, it may already be partially cooked
and require only to be heated before eating. This sausage can
be eaten as an appetizer or cut into round slices and served
as a main ingredient to a meal.
Zander
A large freshwater game fish found in the rivers and lakes of
continental Europe. If you happen to find some fresh zander
(it isn't readily available in the UK) then you can cook it
whole, stuffed and either poached or baked. It has firm flesh
that has a tendency to dry out.
Zarzuela
A soup that is Spanish in origin and is much like French bouillabaisse.
It is usually prepared with several types of fish and shellfish
along with onions, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, spices, wine, and
stock. It is generally believed that the more types of seafood
thrown into the pot, the better the result will be.
Zest
The outer rind of citrus fruit containing aromatic essential
oils. Remove the zest carefully using a grater, potato peeler
or zester, depending on the intended use. Take care not to remove
any of the white pith with the zest, because it can be very
bitter.
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is a grape variety that has been important almost
exclusively in California. The Zinfandel grape can make solid
red wines with good fruit and structure. And white Zinfandel
is a Zinfandel rose that is left slightly sweet with an acid
balance.
Ziti Pasta
A type of pasta that is shaped like thin tubular pieces of pasta
that are approximately 1/4-inch in diameter and available in
long or cut lengths. If ziti is unavailable, other types of
tubular pasta, such as penne, mostaccioli or rigatoni may be
substituted.
Zucchini
The Italian and American word for courgette. Zucchini are very
versatile to cook with, but buy the younger, smaller ones, because
older vegetables tend to have large, tough seeds and can be
very watery.
