# Foreign Terms



## Hungry (Dec 29, 2006)

How about a forum of cooking and food items in French, Italian, Greek and other counties.
I was on a cruise ovet the holidays and a lot of the menu items were in French.
I felt like a big "dummy" having to ask what every thing was. 
There may be a transaltaion site on the web that will have the information.

TIA,
Charlie


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## Candocook (Dec 29, 2006)

Go to Patricia Wells' site and download her food glossary. We have taken it to France with us every trip. Ordinary dictionaries just do not work for food terms. Hers is particularly good because it is totally alphabetical (which might seem logical and intuitive) and NOT broken up into "entree", "plat", "desert" as the much recommended but worthless Marling MenuMaster book is. 
 On a Francophile board I visit, several posters have also done an excellent food glossary, building somewhat on PW's glossary but also their own extensive experience in France.
PW's book, A Foodlover's Guide to Paris is an excellent guide book also, and contains the glossary along with recommendations of restaurants (in all their Parisian classifications), cheese, markets, and recipes. It is a little out of date for current eateries, but still a good book.


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## urmaniac13 (Dec 29, 2006)

I have no clue about French but for Italian terms, however I would be more than happy to help you any time...   There are couple of long time Greece residents here in this forum as well, I am sure they can help you with "speaking greek" as well!!


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## shpj4 (Dec 29, 2006)

Hello Charlie and I would have to say that a few of our member are Greek, some Italian etc.

As far as a Forum for all the groups I really don't think that it is necessary.


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## daisy (Dec 29, 2006)

I did a quick google search for 'food terms in foreign languages' and came up with this site. You will probably find more on your own searches, but it's a start.

Language Software


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## Hungry (Dec 30, 2006)

*Food Names*



			
				daisy said:
			
		

> I did a quick google search for 'food terms in foreign languages' and came up with this site. You will probably find more on your own searches, but it's a start.
> 
> Language Software



Thanks ALL for the response!

 Daisy, I too GOOGLED Foreign food terms and found a couple interesting.
a search for "Steak Tartare" -- procduced this:
Steak tartare - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I didn't look further but I believe the "WIKIPEDIA SITE"  would be a good reference for any thing.

Then I found:
Babylon - Add Glossaries

It seems like a good translator for quite a few foreign languages
I went ahesd and D/L it but I don't think I will keep it.

Candocook -- I'll take a look at the PW site.

I'm really interested in getting a list of food and food terms with the foreign language words.
I would keep this list on my PDA as a ready refereence.

Thanks agsin,
Charlie


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## Hungry (Dec 30, 2006)

*PW Glossary*



			
				Candocook said:
			
		

> Go to Patricia Wells' site and download her food glossary. We have taken it to France with us every trip. Ordinary dictionaries just do not work for food terms. Hers is particularly good because it is totally alphabetical (which might seem logical and intuitive) and NOT broken up into "entree", "plat", "desert" as the much recommended but worthless Marling MenuMaster book is.
> On a Francophile board I visit, several posters have also done an excellent food glossary, building somewhat on PW's glossary but also their own extensive experience in France.
> PW's book, A Foodlover's Guide to Paris is an excellent guide book also, and contains the glossary along with recommendations of restaurants (in all their Parisian classifications), cheese, markets, and recipes. It is a little out of date for current eateries, but still a good book.



EUREKA!
This glossary from Patrica Wells web page is just what I am looking for:
At Home With Patricia Wells - Glossary - Dictionary of French Cooking Terms

This list D/L's to MS Word and can be edited as you desire.
I will "massage it" and put it on my PDA.  It will be very easy to find the term in question.

I hesitate to publish it here because of copyright concerns.

Thanks again,
Charlie


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## Candocook (Dec 30, 2006)

It is the real winner of French food glossaries, we have found. "Publishing it" here would be MANY pages--it is comprehensive!! I believe it can be downloaded in a PDF format for use.


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## Hungry (Dec 31, 2006)

*French Glossary*



			
				Candocook said:
			
		

> It is the real winner of French food glossaries, we have found. "Publishing it" here would be MANY pages--it is comprehensive!! I believe it can be downloaded in a PDF format for use.



GRRRR! I just lost a response to this message. Clicked on the "Submit Reply" and got a "can not find server" or words to that effect! Had to start from the top.
This has happened in the past to my E-mail service. I got in the habit of copying the message to the clipboard before I sent it.
Then if it "BOMBED"  I did not have to retype the message.

That said, I opted to D/L the Glossary in the MS Word format insted of the PDF with the idea I could edit out things I didn't want.
Needless to say,  I could not determine what to edit out. Any and all of it may be needed.  I loaded the whole document, all 40 pages, (148K) on to my PDA.

Thanks again,
Charlie


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## skilletlicker (Dec 31, 2006)

Hungry said:
			
		

> GRRRR! I just lost a response to this message. Clicked on the "Submit Reply" and got a "can not find server" or words to that effect! Had to start from the top.
> This has happened in the past to my E-mail service. I got in the habit of copying the message to the clipboard before I sent it.
> Then if it "BOMBED"  I did not have to retype the message.
> 
> ...


When you get the "can't find the server" after a Submit Reply, you can usually click the "back" button and return to the Reply to Thread page that still shows your post.

Why not just save the link to the glossary as a favorite or bookmark?


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## Claire (Dec 31, 2006)

this is funny.  I happen to have several French linguists in my life, so help for me is just a phone call away.  BUT ... about ten years ago we took a trip to Slovenia.  Just about every restaurant we went to had a "foreign language" menu, but English wasn't one of the languages, nor was French most of the time.  My husband and I know a word here and there of various languages, plus I had my guide book.  I think mostly it helps to not be a very fussy eater when travelling, period.  My dad taught me to point at a menu item and hope for the best!


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## auntdot (Dec 31, 2006)

To go to low tech, there are the Marling Menu-Master books.  These books are small dictionaries that translate a country's food names into English.  I know they have them for food from Spain, France, and Italy. Their strong point is that they list dishes, not only the names of a particular food.

They are small (just grabbed my French one, it measures about 4 by 6 inches and is 1/4 inch thick), soft covered, and are easy to toss into luggage or carry about.

Just went to Amazon and they go for ten bucks.

I still live in a very low tech world, and maybe one can find the same thing on a PDA, but still like hard copy.

Just a thought.


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## Candocook (Dec 31, 2006)

_I think mostly it helps to not be a very fussy eater when travelling, period. My dad taught me to point at a menu item and hope for the best!_

On one of our trips to France we were eating in Avignon and no English menu and no English speaking servers. I ordered chicken livers. The young man was SO cute.  He looked concerned and tried all ways he could to ask if I was *sure* that was what I wanted.  I finally realized what he was doing and told him it would be just fine--which it was!
However, we left our glossary in the car in Vernon and DH ordered andouilette in a little cafe! I "thought" I knew what it was--and was right!! He couldn't put it in his mouth!!


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## Hungry (Jan 1, 2007)

*Glossary*



			
				skilletlicker said:
			
		

> When you get the "can't find the server" after a Submit Reply, you can usually click the "back" button and return to the Reply to Thread page that still shows your post.
> 
> Why not just save the link to the glossary as a favorite or bookmark?



I posted the link on the 29th. 
Here it is again:
At Home With Patricia Wells - Glossary - Dictionary of French Cooking Terms

I am keeping a copy in my Cooking Folder and pull it up for a reference as needed. Then I minimize it to keep it handy. 
Going through the postings tonight I have looked up three French terms and found out what they were.

CanDoCook said her husband had ordered "andouilette" and then woudn't eat it.

From the Glossary:
Andouille: large smoked chitterling (tripe) sausage, usually served cold. 
Andouillette: small chitterling (tripe) sausage, usually served grilled.

I don't blame him. I don't think I woud have eaten it either!

Enjoy,
Charlie


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## auntdot (Jan 1, 2007)

French andouille and andouillette are not the same, exactly, but they are both chitterlin' based.

Americans often get confused by associating the dish with Cajun andouille which is made from the real meat of the piggy, mostly the butt I believe, (not the intestinal tract) and is similar to Polish kielbasa, Spanish chorizo, or Portuguese linguica and chourico.

My brother, many years ago, went to France and, unable to read anything on the menu, ordered some dish with moules having no idea what was to come.

When the food arrived and he realized it was mussels he just paid the bill and left.

If you knew my brother you would know that he will eat nothing more adventurous than he was exposed to after the age of five. The mere idea of allowing a mollusk on a plate within five feet of his gullet gives him the bone shaking heebie jeebies.

Am not criticizing, am just saying that it always helps to know a few culinary terms before one ventures into an area where you may find yourself at a total loss. If not, try to scope out a pizza place that you can go to on your way back, or carry a lot of beef jerky in your luggage.

And as I understand it, andouillette is an 'acquired taste' a term that to me usually translates into 'nasty tasting'. And have been told it has a flavor and odor that reminds one of its source. Don't know.

But I think I will stick with the Cajun product, it is good.


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## Claire (Jan 1, 2007)

I think one of the most fun food experiences in this regard was actually in the 'states, Arlington, Virginia to be specific.  But it does go with this line.  A co-worker of mine was Polish.  He was trying to impress me, and ordered Steak Tartare.  He had no idea that it meant raw beef (yes, he ordered it imitating me).  I wound up eating mine, plus some of his, while he sat there looking apalled.  Many of my friends would be upset to see me tuck into raw beef.  I love it.  But the look on this man's face when presented with it was worth a million dollars.


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## Candocook (Jan 1, 2007)

Moules and steak tartare--food of the gods. DH and I have been known to eat every mussel preparation on a particular restaurant in Denver!!


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## Hungry (Jan 2, 2007)

auntdot said:
			
		

> French andouille and andouillette are not the same, exactly, but they are both chitterlin' based.
> 
> Americans often get confused by associating the dish with Cajun andouille which is made from the real meat of the piggy, mostly the butt I believe, (not the intestinal tract) and is similar to Polish kielbasa, Spanish chorizo, or Portuguese linguica and chourico.



This Cajun Andouille you mentioned, is what I beleive Emeral L. uses in his Cajun dishes.

The Portuguese Linguica is a favorite of a group I belonged to that use to have meeting in the Santa Maria - Lompoc area of Central California. (Same Santa Maria of BBQ fame).

Charlie


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