Confusing Menu Items Deciphered

Recently I have been devouring this fantastic Phaidon publication, Coco, “an unrivalled snapshot of what is happening in current gastronomy”. Essentially ten world-renown master chefs have selected 100 of the best contemporary chefs from around the world to highlight in one text. The book contains a menu from each chef’s restaurant as well as photos and a couple recipes for their dishes. The experience of reading the book was exciting (like they are actually going to give us normal people their recipes), but also a little daunting.

Do you know when you’re learning a new language and you have a dictionary at hand for when you inevitably get stuck on a word you don’t recognize? I have been doing the same thing reading Coco, but with the Oxford Companion to Food (Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press) by my side, because I have never heard of half of the ingredients. I’m a little ashamed to say this, but there have been times when I have been too embarrassed to inquire about a dish because I assume everyone knows what it is. In order that I, and maybe you as well, never risk missing out on a delicious dish at a restaurant ever again, I want to share a little bit of my research below. If you have a desire to travel the world leaving a wake of devoured meals behind you (doesn’t everyone?) then check out Coco from the Scottsdale Public Library – if I ever return it.

• Foie gras: I always assumed this was the same as a pate - wrong! Foie gras is goose or duck liver that is enlarged as a result of force-feeding the birds, a method first practiced in classical Rome. France is the largest consumer of foie gras, although most of it is produced in Israel and E. Europe.
• Sweetbreads: Nothing to do with carbs, sweetbreads is the term butchers use for the pancreas and thymus gland of a young animal. If you watch Iron Chef, they are always cooking with these.
• Cloudberry: Initially I thought this was made-up, turns out there have been 'cloudberry wars' in Northern Scandinavia over this most delicious and expensive berry grows. Apparently, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a cloudberry diplomacy department. They also grow in northern regions of North America, but as far as I know no wars have ensued.
• Consomme: as opposed to a broth or stock this is a 'finished' clear soup served at the beginning of a meal.
• Salsify: not a verb, but a root vegetable native to the lands surrounding the Mediterranean, was eaten in classical times before those in France and Italy began to grow and consume it in the 16th century. The root resembles a long, white carrot, and the young leaves are used in salads.
• Fricassee: usually this indicates small pieces of chicken or veal that have been fried before being coated in a creamy sauce - no relation to frisee of the salad variety.
• Teal: not just a beautiful color, but also a small wild duck, and yes some kinds have green-tipped wings.