nondairy A
term applied to foods that have
somehow been rendered white in color
without the addition of milk.
parsley
A leafy plant, rich green in color,
whose flavor bears no relation to that of
any other plant, since it has almost no flavor
at all, except that of a leafy plant, rich green
in color. The most common forms of parsley
are the flat-leaved Italian type
and the curly
type; many cooks prefer the latter for its
combination of lack of character and
difficulty in chopping and mincing.
per
se
A Latin phrase meaning "as such,"
which is frequently used in culinary contexts.
For example, although baking soda is, strictly
speaking, a powder for baking, it is not baking
powder per se. Although it is
a soda, it is not a
soft drink per se. And
although it is sold in a
box, it is not a box lunch--at least not per se.
poisson
The French word for fish. Its
resemblance to the
English word poison is not
mere coincidence:
Due to a congenital enzyme deficiency common
in France, even a single bite of fish could prove
fatal to most citizens of that country.
