PCA Food & Beverage Encyclopedia
 
 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z  
 
    
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  • Sabayon Sauce - The French word for "Zabaglione," an ethereal dessert made by whisking egg yolks, Marsala wine, and sugar over simmering water to convert the eggs into a foamy custard.
  • Sabayon: A sauce resembling custard, mainly used for puddings or vanilla ice cream. Sabayon is made of wine, sugar, and egg yolks.
  • Sablefish - This saltwater fish has a soft-textured flesh and a mild flavor. Its high fat content makes it a good fish for smoking. Called "Alaskan cod," "Black Cod," "Butterfish," and "Skil," although it is neither a cod nor a butterfish.
  • Saccharin: A product made from coal tar, used as a substitute for sugar. Saccharin has no food value.
  • Saccharine - This sugar substitute contains 1/8 calorie per teaspoon and is said to be about 400 times sweeter than sugar. Some feel that saccharine has a bitter aftertaste. There is also controversy as to whether or not it is a carcinogen.
  • Sachet bag: Cloth bag filled with select herbs used to season soups or stocks.
  • Sack is a dry sherry, which first found favour with the nobles in England during the Tudour period.
  • Safflower Oil - A light, odorless, flavorless and colorless cold-pressed oil made from white seeds of the safflower plant. It contains more polyunsaturates than any other vegetable oil, and it has a high smoke point.
  • Safflower Seed - The seeds of the safflower plant, used to yield a low-cholesterol oil used in cooking oils and margarines.
  • Safflower Seed Meal - A meal made from the seed of the safflower plant. The seeds are rich in polyunsaturated fats. Also called "Mexican saffron" because the flower's stigmas can produce a lower quality substitute for the expensive "saffron."
  • Saffron - The dried stigmas from the tiny blossom of the small crocus, Corcus satirus. Also called "vegetable gold," saffron is the world's most expensive herb because it takes 4,000 to 5,000 hand-picked stigmas to produce an ounce of the herb.
  • Sage - There are over 500 varieties of this herb that are prized for their aromatic bitter flavor. Used to season pork, cheese, beans, stuffings, and sausages.
  • Sahti is the traditional style of beer brewed in Finland. It is a strong (around 8%) unfiltered, hazy, reddish-amber brew, quite flat with a spicy, bitter-sweet flavour. It is brewed with rye rather than barley and juniper rather than hops.
  • Sake - Japanese rice wine. Used as an alcoholic beverage and in oriental cookery. The alcohol content is typically between 12 and 15 percent by volume.
  • Saki (Sake) is a Japanese beer made from unmalted rice and Koji cake.
  • Salamander: A small broiler used to brown or gratin foods.
  • Salami - Any of a family of boldly seasoned sausages similar to "cervelats," except that they tend to contain more garlic and are coarser and drier than cervelats. Salamis are rarely smoked. "Pepperoni" is a popular type of salami.
  • Salem Porter is a deep, dark porter with a nutty, dry taste from the Bateman family brewery in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire.
  • Salisbury best is a sweetish bitter from the Gibbs Mews brewery in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
  • Salisbury Steak - A ground beef patty seasoned with onions and seasonings before it is broiled or fried and served with gravy. Named after Dr. J. H. Salisbury who recommended eating a lot of beef for a wide variety of ailments.
  • Salmagundi is a mixture of pickled herrings, cold dressed chicken or turkey, salt beef, radishes, endive and olives arranged artistically with regard to a contrast of colour and flavour, served with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Sometimes pickled cabbage and anchovies are added.
  • Salmi is a game and vegetable stew in a rich sauce.
  • Salmon - Perhaps the best-known of all fish, pictures of salmon from 12,000 B.C. have been found. Salmon migrate from the seas into freshwater to spawn. Over the years, some varieties have become landlocked in lakes.
  • Salopian bitter is a fruity, hoppy cask bitter from the Salopian brewery, Shrewsbury.
  • Salsa - The Mexican word for "sauce." There are many varieties: cooked and uncooked, chunky to smooth, green to red, hot to mild.
  • Salsify - Also known as the "oyster plant," this biennial herb is cultivated for its root which is used as a vegetable. Its taste hints of a delicately flavored oyster. Can be found in the U.S. in Spanish, Italian, and Greek markets.
  • Salt - The mineral "sodium chloride." Most of today's salt comes from mines left by dried salt lakes. Used as a flavoring agent in many foods. Because of its value as a preservative, salt was a vital commodity to early civilization.
  • Salt Pork - The salt-cured layer of fat taken from the pig's belly and sides. Salt pork is sometimes confused with fatback, which is unsalted. It is similar to bacon except that it is much fattier an has not been smoked.
  • Salt Substitute - A substitute for salt that contains little or no sodium. Used by persons on a salt restricted diet.
  • Samshoo is a Chinese liquor distilled from rice or sorghum.
  • Samuel Smith's imperial stout is a rich, heavy, bottled stout from the famous North Yorkshire brewery in Tadcaster, which is best served and enjoyed as a liqueur.
  • Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout is a distinctive stout with a thick, dark texture and chocolatey, fruity flavor.
  • Sancocho is a South American and Caribbean rich soup or stew of fish, meat and vegetables.
  • Sangaree is an alcoholic beverage made from wine diluted with water and mixed with spices and sugar and drunk iced.
  • Sanoche is a Trinidadian pork and beef and yam and dasheen and cassava stew.
  • Sapodilla - A large evergreen tree of tropical America that bears an edible fruit. The sapodilla is the source of "chicle," the key ingredient in the manufacture of chewing gum.
  • Sapote - This tree, native to Mexico and Central America, is also called the "marmalade tree" or "sapota." It offers a sweet, edible fruit. "Sapote" is also used to refer to the "sapadilla tree."
  • Sardine - The name describing several varieties of weak-boned fish including the Alewife, French Sardine, Herring, and Sprat. Named after the French island of Sardina. Often salted, smoked, or canned and packed in oil, tomato, or mustard sauce.
  • Sarsaparilla - This flavor was originally derived from the dried roots of tropical smilax vines. Today, products featuring sarsaparilla use artificial flavors.
  • SAS - Strong Anglian Special - is a dry, well-balanced cask bitter produced by the Crouch Vale brewery, Essex.
  • Satsuma Orange - A small Japanese orange that belongs to the Mandarin family. It contains relatively few seeds.
  • Sauce - A thickened and flavored liquid that is created to enhance the flavor of the food that it accompanies. In the days before refrigeration, sauces were used to disguise the taste of foods that were going bad.
  • Sauerkraut - German for "sour cabbage." Made by combining cabbage, salt, and occasionally other spices and permitting the mixture to ferment. Though thought of as a German invention, this pickled food was eaten in China over 2,000 years ago.
  • Saumur are varieties of good quality French wine, both still and sparkling.
  • Sausage - Basically, sausage is ground meat with fat, salt, seasonings, preservatives, and sometimes fillers. They may be smoked, fresh, dry or semi-dry, uncooked, partially cooked, or fully cooked. There are thousands of variations of sausage.
  • Sauterne - A sweet wine from the Sauternes region of France. It is made from Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon grapes that have been infected with a special mold that causes them to shrivel and leave a sugary fruit with highly concentrated flavors.
  • Sauvignon Blanc - An excellent white-wine grape that rivals Chardonnay and the Reisling. This grape imparts a grassy, herbaceous flavor to the wines produced from them.
  • Savory - A strongly flavored herb of the mint family. There are two varieties: winter and summer. The summer savory is slightly milder, but both should be used carefully. Savory has a flavor reminiscent of a cross between thyme and mint.
  • Savoy Cabbage - A loose, full headed, and mellow-flavored cabbage that is considered by many to be the finest cabbage for cooking.
  • Scallion - Also called "spring onions," these are very young ordinary onions (such as "shallots") picked when beds of onions need to be thinned.
  • Scallop - A bivalve mollusk with a ribbed, fan-shaped shell. In U.S. markets, only the adductor muscle, which opens and closes the shell is available. The Bay scallop is smaller, sweeter and a bit more succulent that their deep sea counterparts.
  • Scallop - To prepare food by layering slices with cream or cream sauce in a casserole. These foods are often topped with bread or cracker crumbs before being baked. "Scallop" also refers to forming a decorative edge in the rim of pie dough.
  • Scallop Squash - A flat, whitish variety of squash that features a scalloped edge. Also known as "cymling" and "pattypan squash."
  • Scampi - The Italian name for the tail portion of any of several varieties of miniature lobsters. In the U.S., the term refers to large shrimp that are split and brushed in a garlic oil or butter, then broiled. "Scampo" is the singular form.
  • Scorzonera - Also called "black salsify," this is a black-skinned variety of salsify. Most varieties of this vegetable are grayish or pale golden in color.
  • Scotch - This distinctive liquor, made only in Scotland, uses barley for flavoring instead of corn (which is used in American whiskeys). The sprouted malted barley is dried over peat fires to impart a characteristic smoky flavor to the scotch.
  • Scotch Woodcock is a jocular name for a preparaton of toast and finnan haddock.
  • Screwdriver - An alcoholic beverage made with orange juice and vodka. It is said to have been named by American oil-rig workers in the Middle East who opened and stirred cans of this beverage with their screwdrivers.
  • Scrod - Scrod is the name for young cod (and haddock) that weight less that 2.5 pounds. It is a popular fish from the Pacific and the North Atlantic with a lean, firm, white flesh. "Haddock," "hake," and "pollock" are close relatives of the cod.
  • Scup - Also know as "porgie" or "sea bream." These fish are generally lean, and coarse-grained. Scup is often grilled, poached, and pan-fried.
  • Sea Bass - A term used to describe a number of lean to moderately fat marine fish, most of which aren't actually members of the bass family. "Striped bass" and "Black Sea bass" are true bass. The "white sea bass" is a member of the drum family.
  • Sea Bream - Also know as "scup." These marine fish are generally lean, and coarse-grained. Sea bream is often grilled, poached, and pan-fried.
  • Sea Devil - This large low-fat, firm-textured salt-water fish has a mild, sweet flavor that compares with lobster. Also called "angler fish" "monkfish," and "goosefish."
  • SEA is a malty bitter from the Donnington brewery, Stowon-the-Weld.
  • Sea Perch - This important commercial fish is a member of the rockfish group. Also known as "ocean perch," although it is not a true perch.
  • Sea Salt - Salt produced by evaporating sea water. Salt produced in this manner is more expensive than salt that has been mined.
  • Sea Trout - An anadromous (spawns in fresh water) brown trout that spends part to its life cycle in the sea. Sea trout have meat that is pink to red in color and is very comparable to salmon. May be prepared any way appropriate for salmon.
  • Seafood Sauce - A combination of catsup or chili sauce with prepared horseradish, lemon juice, and hot red pepper seasoning. Used with seafood and as a condiment for hors d'oeuvres.
  • Seaweed - Any of a multitude of sea plants from the algae family. Used in soups, as vegetables, in teas, in shushi, and as a seasoning. Seaweed is a rich source of iodine. A seaweed called "carrageen," is used in McDonald's McLean hamburger.
  • Seltzer - A flavorless, naturally effervescent water that takes its name from the town of Nieder Selters in Germany. Soda water is man-made by injecting carbon dioxide into water.
  • Semolina - The purified middlings (medium-sized particles) of wheat. The best semolina, the type used to make macaroni, spaghetti, and other pastas, comes from the milling of Durum wheat, a very hard variety of wheat.
  • Serenata is a salt codfish and vegetable salad eaten in the Dominican Republic.
  • Sesame Oil - This oil is high in polyunsaturated fast (4th behind safflower, soybean, and corn). There are two basic forms: light and dark. The light form is lighter in color and flavor and has a hint of nuttiness. The dark from is much stronger.
  • Sesame Seed - A tiny, flat seed with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor used in breads, cakes, confections, cookies, pastries, and salads. This seed was used at least as far back as 3,000 B.C. in Assyria.
  • Sesbania Flower - The edible flower of a tree native to the South Pacific and pasts of Asia. Especially popular as a food in the Philippines. Also called "Katuray."
  • Shad - Small, delicate saltwater fish related to the alewife, herring, and sardine. They are larger than herrings and spawn in fresh water. Some species of shad have been landlocked and live in freshwater lakes.
  • Shakemantle Ginger is a cloudy, ginger wheat beer produced by the Freeminer brewery, Gloucestershire.
  • Shallot - The mild-flavored cousin to the onion, chive, leek, and garlic. The bulb is edible and is used like onions or garlic. The green tops are harvested and marketed as "scallions."
  • Shark - A flavorful, low-fat fish that includes varieties such as Leopard, Mako, Spiny Dogfish, Soupfin and Thresher. Shark meat tends to have an ammonia-like smell that can be eliminated by soaking the flesh in milk or acidulated water.
  • Sheanut Oil - Oil from the seed of the shea tree, an African tree from the sapodilla family. "Shea butter" (also called "galam butter") is the solid green, yellow, or white fat derived from the seeds of the shea tree.
  • Sheepshead - A saltwater fish belonging to the wrasse family. Also called "California Sheephead," "Fathead," and "Redhead." Its meat is white, tender, and lean.
  • Shefford Bitter is a good, well-balanced, real ale from B&T, Bedfordshire.
  • Sherry - This famous Spanish fortified wine is also made in the U.S. Sherries range in color, flavor, and sweetness. They are drunk as an apértif (appetizer) or after dinner. Cry sherries are usually served cold; sweet sherries unchilled.
  • Shortening - Any fat, liquid, or solid used in pastry, dough, or batter for making the resulting product flakier, richer, or more tender. In common use are hydrogenated shortenings like butter, lard, margarine, and the edible oils.
  • Shoyu - A dark, salty sauce made from fermenting boiled soybeans and roasted wheat or barley. Extremely popular in the Orient; used to flavor fish, meat, marinades, sauces, soups, and vegetables. Better known in U.S. as "soy sauce."
  • Shrimp - American's most valuable and popular shellfish. This ten-legged crustacean got its name from English word "shrimpe," which means "puny person."
  • Shropshire lad is a flavoursome bitter produced by the Wood Brewery, Wistanstow.
  • Shropshire stout is a deep-red, rich, dry cask beer from the Hanby brewery, Shropshire.
  • Sicama - Large bulbous root vegetable with a thin brown skin and a white crunchy flesh with a texture similar to water chestnut. It has a sweet, nutty flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. Also called "Jicama."
  • Silver Hake - A small gray and white saltwater fish that is also called the "whiting." This low-fat fish, which is related to both the "cod" and the "hake," has a tender white fine-textured flesh and a flaky, delicate flavor.
  • Silver Salmon - This high-fat variety of salmon provides a firm-textured, pink to orange-red flesh. Also called the "coho salmon."
  • Sim Sim - A tiny, flat seed with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor used in breads, cakes, confections, cookies, pastries, and salads. This seed was used at least as far back as 3,000 B.C. in Assyria. Better known in U.S. markets as "sesame seed."
  • Singapore Sling - A cocktail of gin, cherry brandy, and lemon juice. This mixture is shaken in ice, strained into a tall glass, and topped off with soda water. Said to have originated in Singapore's Raffles Hotel.
  • Single malt is a powerful, seasonal ale which uses whisky malt in the brewing process, from Mitchell' s brewery in Lancaster.
  • Sirloin - A cut of beef that lies between the Short Loin (very tender) and the Round (much tougher).
  • Skate - This kite-shaped fish features edible fins. The flesh is firm, white, and sweet, similar to the texture and taste of scallop. Also called "Skate."
  • Skil - This saltwater fish has a soft-textured flesh and a mild flavor. Its high fat content makes it a good fish for smoking. Also "black cod" and "sablefish," although it is not a cod.
  • Skipjack Tuna - Also called the "oceanic bonito," "watermelon," and "Arctic bonito," this small tuna (6 to 8 pounds) has a light-colored meat similar to yellowfin. The Japanese call this fish "katsuo" and the Hawaiians call it "aku."
  • Skokiaan is a strong, home-brewed alcoholic liquer fermented with yeast in South Africa.
  • Skunk Cabbage - A perennial herb of the arum family. Its thick leaf stalk is used in salads after it has been boiled in two or more changes of water. Also known as "swamp cabbage."
  • Slaughter porter is a dark, roasted, malty porter produced by the Freeminer brewery, Gloucestershire.
  • Sliver - To cut foods into thin strips.
  • Sloe Gin - A liqueur made by steeping gin with crushed sloes. "Sloes" are wild European plums with an extremely tart flesh.
  • Smelt - A rich and oily mild-flavored fish. Popular varieties of smelt include "Eulachon" and "Whitebait." The eulachon is called the "candlefish" because Indians sometimes run a wick through their high-fat flesh and use them for candles.
  • Smiles best bitter is a rich, brown-coloured, clean-tasting, sweetish bitter with a dry, bitter finish from the Bristol brewery.  
  • Smuggler is a bitter-sweet, hoppy, fruity beer from the Rebellion brewery, Buckinghamshire.
  • Snail - Popular since prehistoric times, the snail was greatly favored by ancient Romans who set aside special vineyards where snails could feed and fatten.
  • Snap Bean - A small green bean that is eaten in its long green pod. The snap bean used to have a fibrous "string" down the center of the pod; this characteristic has been bred out of the species. Also called "green bean" and "string bean."
  • Snapper - There are a few hundred species of this lean, firm-textured saltwater fish, 15 or so which are available in the U.S. The most popular snapper is the "red snapper." Some species of rockfish and tilefish are called snappers, but are not.
  • Sneck lifter is a rich, dark malty premium bitter from the Jennings brewery in the Lake District. Also available in a bottle.
  • Soba - A Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. The buckwheat gives soba a dark brownish gray color.
  • Sockeye Salmon - Prized for canning, the sockeye salmon has a firm, red flesh. Also known as the "redeye salmon."
  • Soft Drink - Any drink that is non-alcoholic. Although carbonation is not required, most people think of soft drinks as being effervescent.
  • Softshell Crab - The "soft-shell crab" is actually the blue crab caught just after molting (discarding its shell). This crab is found along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. It is sold in both its soft and hard-shell stages.
  • Sole - A popular flatfish with a delicate flesh with a firm, fine texture. The best-known variety is "Dover sole" (also called "channel sole)." Much of what is sold as "sole" in the U.S. is actually a variety of flounder, which isn't a true sole.
  • Sorghum - A genus of cereal grasses with a large number of species, cultivated throughout the world for food, forage, and syrup. It is the world's third largest food grain.
  • Sorghum Syrup - The stalks of the cereal grass sorghum can be boiled down to produce a thick syrup which can be used as a table syrup and to sweeten baked goods. Also called "sorghum molasses."
  • Sorrel - Any of several varieties of the hardy perennial herb from the buckwheat family. Also known as "dock." The most strongly flavored variety is "sour dock." The mildest form is called "dock sorrel," also known as "herb patience dock."
  • SOS - Shefford Old Strong - is a malty, fruity real ale from B&T, Bedfordshire.
  • Soufflé - A light, airy mixture that is normally made by taking an egg yolk-based sauce that has been lightened by adding stiffly beaten egg whites. Souffles may be sweet or savory and served cold or hot.
  • Souffle is a dish, either sweet or savoury, the essential ingredient of which is egg white beaten to a froth.
  • Sour Cream - Also known as "dairy sour cream." This commercial product is made from homogenized pasteurized sweet cream to which a dairy culture has been added for souring.
  • Soursop - The large, dark-green, slightly acidic and pulpy flesh of the fruit of a small West Indies tree called the soursop. Also called "guanabana."
  • Souse Loaf - Well-cooked pig's head and feet that are chopped into small pieces, marinated in lime juice, chili pepper and salt, then pressed into a loaf.
  • Southern Comfort is an American liqueur based upon whisky flavoured with peaches.
  • Soy Flour - A very high-protein, low carbohydrate flour made from soybeans. Soy flour has approximately twice the protein of wheat flour.
  • Soy Milk - This milky, iron-rich liquid is the product of pressing cooked and ground soybeans. Soy milk is higher in protein than cow's milk. It is cholesterol-free and low in calcium, fat, and sodium.
  • Soy Sauce - A dark, salty sauce made from fermenting boiled soybeans and roasted wheat or barley. Extremely popular in the Orient; used to flavor fish, meat, marinades, sauces, soups, and vegetables.
  • Soybean - The world's most important bean is the low carbohydrate, high-protein soybean. This inexpensive, yet nutritious legume is used to make soybean oil, soy flour, soy sauce, miso, tamari, and tofu. Can also be used like any other bean.
  • Soybean Curd Cake - A low-calorie, high-protein, cholesterol-free food made from curdled soy milk. It is creamy white with a firmness that varies from soft to firm. Should be kept refrigerated. The water it is packed in should be changed daily.
  • Soybean Oil - An inexpensive oil that is nutritious and has a high smoke point. Soybean oil is approximately 58% polyunsaturated fat, 23% monounsaturated, and 15% saturated fat. Used extensively in making margarine and shortening.
  • Spaghetti - Like its cousin "macaroni," spaghetti is made from semolina and water. Sometimes eggs are added. The name comes from the italian word for "strings."
  • Spaghetti Squash - This creamy-yellow watermelon-shaped squash is so named because its flesh, when cooked, separates into yellow-gold spaghetti-like strands. Avoid greenish squash (indicating immaturity).
  • Spaghettini - A thin form of the spaghetti pasta. It is not quite as thin as vermicelli, however. Other spaghettis include "fettuccine" and "linguine," which are flat rather than round.
  • Spinach - An annual potherb from southwestern Asia grown for its leafy green leaves. Spinach can be used raw, or cooked by boiling or sautéing. Its leaves contains small amounts of oxalic acid which gives spinach a slightly bitter flavor.
  • Spinnaker bitter is a smooth, hoppy ale, one of the Brewery-on-Sea's range of cask beers. Brewed at Lancing, Sussex.
  • Spitfire is an amber-coloured, mild, smoky malt ale from the Shepherd Neame brewery, Kent.
  • Split Peas - A variety of yellow or green field pea that is grown specifically for drying. These peas are often dried and split along a natural seam, whereupon they are called "split peas" and are used in soups and other dishes.
  • Sponge Gourd - The fruit of any of several tropical vines of the gourd family. The dried insides of these gourds can be used as a sponge. Also called the "Luffah."
  • Spot - A small fish (approximately 1.5 pounds) belonging to the drum family. In 1925, these fish appeared in New York harbor in such vast numbers that they clogged the condenser pumps of the electric company and caused a blackout.
  • Spruce beer is an alcoholic beverage prepared by boiling sugar with essence of spruce, cooling and fermenting with yeast. It was popular in Canada in the timber regions during the early 20th century.
  • Squab - A young domesticated pigeon that has never flown and is therefore very tender. Squabs are normally under a pound and about 4 weeks old. May be prepared in any manner suitable for chicken.
  • Squash Seeds - The edible seeds of the pumpkin. These seeds are hulled to reveal a green seed with a delicate nutty flavor. These seeds are often roasted and salted. Also called "pepitas," these seeds are popular in Mexican cookery.
  • Squid - This ten-armed cephalopod is related to the octopus and the cuttlefish. Squid varies in size from 1 inch to 80 feet in length. The meat is firm and chewy, with a somewhat sweet flavor. Over-cooking can lead to a rubbery texture.
  • Squirrel - An abundant, largely arboreal rodent. Red and gray squirrels are commonly eaten in the U.S. The gray squirrel is fatter and has a flavor considered by many as superior to the red squirrel. Squirrels do not have a strong "gamey" taste.
  • Stabber's is a brown, strong bitter with a rich, malty navour from the Ryburn brewery, West Yorkshire.
  • Stag is a light-brown, malty, sweet bitter from the Exmoor brewery in Wiveliscombe, Somerset.
  • Star Apple - The purple, white, green, yellow, or rose-colored fruit of a West Indian tree. When cut open, the seeds are disposed into the shape of a star. Also called "caimit."
  • Steaming is the practice of cooking by indirect moist heat.
  • Steeplejack is a light-brown cask bitter with a fresh, hoppy taste, from the Lichfield brewery in the Midlands.
  • Stewing is a method of cooking somewhat similar to boiling. Less water is used, however, and the juices and food values are drawn out, whereas in boiling they are sealed in. It is an economical but slow method of cooking meat.
  • Stig swig is a golden, seasonal ale brewed by Bunces brewery, Wiltshire, using the herb Sweet Gale (bog-myrtle) , an old Viking ingredient.
  • Stilton is an English, strong cheese named after the village of Stilton, but actually first made in Leicestershire.
  • Stir-Fry - Any dish that has been prepared by stir-frying. That is, the food is chopped into small pieces and cooked very quickly over high heat in a large pan for a short period of time while briskly stirring the food.
  • Stones Bitter is a famous straw-coloured bitter with a sweet, malt and hops flavour. It was introduced by the Cannon Sheffield brewery in the 1940s.
  • Strawberry - This hardy member of the rose family is a red, juicy sweet-tart berry. The French "European Alpine" strawberries are tiny, very sweet berries and are considered the finest. Eaten out-of-hand, used in wines, liqueurs, and in desserts.
  • Strega is an Italian liqueur so called because it is supposedly based upon a witch's recipe for an aphrodisiac which will bind two lovers together for ever (Strega is Italian for Witch). It is a yellow, syrupy, citrus based drink with a complex blend of herbs.
  • String Bean - A small bean that is eaten in its long green pod. Named after the fibrous "string" that used to grow down the center of the pod; this characteristic has since been bred out of the species. Also called "green beans" and "snap beans."
  • Striped Bass - This true bass is found along the Atlantic coast. It features six to eight horizontal stripes and provides a moderately fat, firm flesh with a mild, sweet flavor.
  • Stroganoff - A dish of thinly sliced beef (usually tenderloin or top loin), onions, and mushrooms sautéed in a combination of butter and sour-cream sauce. Often served with a rice pilaf. Invented by Count Paul Stroganoff in the 19th century.
  • Strong Suffolk is an intriguing, unique, complex bottled ale which comes from Greene King brewery of East Anglia. It is produced by blending an old ale that has been matured in oak vats for at least two years with a fresh brew of dark beer.
  • Strongarm is Camerons premium ruby bitter with a smooth, creamy head from Hartlepool. It was originally brewed for the steelworkers of Teesside.
  • Stronghart is a rich, dark, strong beer produced by the McMullen brewery in Hertford.
  • Strudel - This German word for "whirlpool" refers to a pastry made of layers of thin dough spread with a filling, then rolled up and baked. The extremely thin pastry resembles Phyllo.
  • Stuffing - A mixture of seasoned breadcrumbs, cornbread, rice, potatoes, or other food item used to stuff fish, meat, poultry, shellfish, and sometimes, vegetables.
  • Sturgeon - A name for various migratory species of fish know for its rich, high-fat flavor, firm texture, and excellent roe. Their average weight is 60 pounds, but one freshwater "Beluga" sturgeon was 26 feet long and weighed 3,221 pounds.
  • Succotash - A dish composed of a combination of lima beans and corn.
  • Sucker - A name popularly applied to various types of freshwater fish closely related to carp. Suckers live and feed near the bottoms of streams. They may be cooked in any way appropriate for other fish.
  • Suet is the fatty tissue surrounding the kidneys of oxen and sheep. It is used in cooking.
  • Sugar Beet - A type of beet with a very high sugar content that is cultivated primarily for making sugar. Most varieties of sugar beet are white inside and out and can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable, just like ordinary garden beets.
  • Sugar Cane - A tall grass of tropical and warm regions with tough, jointed stalks that can be processed to produce sugar.
  • Sugar is a sweet, soluble carbohydrate.
  • Sugar Substitute - Also called "non-nutritive sweeteners," sugar substitutes are used by persons with reasons for avoiding or restricting their intake of sugar. "Saccharin" and "aspartame" are two common sugar substitutes.
  • Summer Lightning is a striking, strong pale bitter which comes from the Hop Back brewery, near Salisbury, Wiltshire.
  • Summer Squash - The fruit of various members of the gourd family. Summer squash has a thin edible skin, soft seeds, high water content, and a mild flavor.
  • Summer Squash - The fruit of various members of the gourd family. Summer squash has a thin edible skin, soft seeds, high water content, and a mild flavor.
  • Summerskills best bitter is a good, brown-coloured, malt and hops bitter from the South Devon.
  • Sunchoke - This vegetable is a member of the sunflower family i s also known as a "sunchoke" and has a flesh that is nutty, sweet, and crunchy. Also called "Jerusalem artichoke," although it is not an artichoke.
  • Sundae - Ice cream topped with syrup, nuts, and whipped cream. In the 19th century, moralists decried the drinking of carbonated beverages--including ice cream sodas--on Sundays. Vendors removed the soda, added toppings, and changed the spelling.
  • Sunfish - Any of a number of North American freshwater fish closely related to the perch. Known for their bright, sunny colors and interesting shapes, popular varieties include "Bluegill," "Crappie," and "Calico Bass," commonly called "Sunnies."
  • Sunflower - These bright yellow flowers turn and track the sun throughout the day. The seeds are either roasted or dried, salted or unsalted. The seeds (excluding the shell) are 47% oil and 24% protein by weight.
  • Sunflower Oil - The pale yellow mild-flavored oil derived from sunflower seeds. This oil is high in polyunsaturated fat and low in saturated fat. Used in cooking and in salad dressings. Not well suited for frying because of its low smoke point.
  • Sura is a drink made from the fermented sap from various species of palm.
  • Surimi - Imitation crab meat processed from fish.
  • Surinam Cherry - The yellow to deep red, cherry-like fruit of a Brazilian tree of the myrtle family. These fruit, which are now grown in the U.S., are slightly acid and are eaten out-of-hand and used in jams and jellies. Also called "pitanga."
  • Sussex bitter is a light-coloured, tasty bitter from the King & Barnes brewery in Horsham, Sussex.
  • Sussex mild is a dark-brown, malty mild from Harveys brewery, Lewes, Sussex.
  • Swamp Cabbage - A perennial herb of the arum family. Its thick leaf stalk is used in salads after it has been boiled in two or more changes of water. Also known as "skunk cabbage."
  • Swedish Meatballs - A combination of ground meat (often a combination of beef, pork, or veal), sautéed onions, milk-soaked breadcrumbs, beaten eggs, and seasonings. The mixture is formed into small balls, then sautéed until brown.
  • Swedish Turnip - A root vegetable from the mustard family that resembles a large turnip. This vegetable can be prepared any way that turnips can be cooked. Also called "Swedish turnips."
  • Sweet and Sour Sauce - A sauce that has a flavor intended to balance sweet with pungent. This is usually accomplished by using sugar and vinegar. This type of sauce is often served over meat, fish, or vegetables.
  • Sweet Pepper - Any of a wide variety of mildly-flavored peppers, including "bell peppers," "pimiento," "bull's horn," "Cubanell," and the "sweet banana pepper."
  • Sweet Potato - There are many varieties of sweet potato, which are in-appropriately called (and labeled) "yams," which they are not. True yams are unrelated to sweet potatoes.
  • ·         CORN BASED SWEETENERS

    Cerelose® — see Dextrose ®Trademark of Corn Products Co.

    Clintose® — see Dextrose ®Trademark of Archer Daniels Midland Co.

    Corn Syrup — is not a sucrose product at all, but rather a purified, concentrated solution obtained from the hydrolysis of corn starch. There are many corn syrups, of varying viscosity and sweetness, although none is as sweet as a sugar solution of equal solids. Corn syrups perform many roles in foods and beverages: imparting thickness and mouthfeel, controlling ice crystallization in frozen desserts, acting as a bulking agent, and so forth.

    Corn syrups are classified according to their dextrose equivalents (D.E.), a rough measure of sweetness; and Baume’, a measure of thickness or solids. The most common corn syrup in commercial use is 42 DE, 43 Baume’, and called "regular" confectioners corn syrup.

    Corn Syrup Solids — dried corn syrup, used by food processors who need the functional characteristics of liquid corn syrup in a dry form. Available in a variety of forms.

    Fructose — a nonsucrose "sugar" which occurs naturally in most plants and fruits, and in honey. It is produced commercially from corn, and is available in crystal and powdered forms. It is a close relative of the liquid sweetener, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Fructose is the sweetest of all natural sugars, up to 1.7 times as sweet as sucrose. Also called "levulose" and "fruit sugar." It is used as a sweetener, especially in dietetic foods, because gram-for-gram, it imparts more sweetness than any other natural sweetener. Fructose also has valuable humectant properties.

    Dextrose — a nonsucrose "sugar" which occurs naturally in many plants, fruits and in honey. In animals, dextrose (also called "glucose" and "grape sugar") is a vital constituent of the blood, and is directly metabolized for immediate energy needs. Dextrose is used in food and beverages as a sweetener (it’s about 3/4 as sweet as sucrose), a browning agent, a humectant, and a fermentation substrate. It is available in liquid (bulk only) and dry forms.

    High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) — an enzymatically modified, crystal clear corn syrup with sweetness (and calories) approximately equal to that of a sugar solution. Although HFCS is not a sucrose product, it performs many of the same functions as sugar, chiefly the "clean" sweetening of beverages, pickles, ketchup, dairy products, baked goods, and a host of food and liquid products. (Nearly every full calorie soft drink produced in the U.S. is sweetened with HFCS). HFCS is usually sold at a price considerably below sugar, hence its popularity.

    Maltodextrins — similar to, but generally less sweet than, corn syrup solids, commonly used as a bulking agent.

    Staleydex® — see Dextrose ®Trademark of A.E. Staley manufacturing Co.
  • ·         INTENSE SWEETENERS

    Intense sweeteners possess these characteristics (and differ from Sugar Replacers)
    • Are nonnutritive (noncaloric)
    • Provide virtually no bulk, only sweetness
    • Are 150 to 500 times as sweet as sugar
    • Are mostly artificial/synthetic

    Aspartame — an artificial, calorie-free sweetener made by joining two naturally-occurring amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine). Aspartame is about 200 times as sweet as sucrose, and is marketed under various trade names, the best known of which is NutraSweet.® Trademark of Nutrasweet Co.

    Acesulfame-K — an artificial, calorie-free sweetener, about 150 times as sweet as sugar, marketed under the "Sunette," "Swiss Sweet" and "Sweet One" brands.

    Cyclamate — an artificial sweetener, 30 times as sweet as sugar, long banned in the US, but allowed in Canada and some other countries.

    Equal® — a consumer version of NutraSweet-brand aspartame. Equal consists of asparatme, with a small amount of dextrose added to make it useable as a table sweetener. ®Trademark of the Nutrasweet Co.

    NutraSweet® — see Aspartame ®Trademark of The NutraSweet Co.

    Saccharin — a white, crystalline artificial sweetener about 300 to 500 times as sweet as sugar. The oldest of nonnutritive sweeteners, its use is allowed in the US but banned in some countries.

    Splenda® — see Sucralose ® Trademark of Johnson & Johnson McNeil Specialty Products and Tate & Lyle PLC

    Stevia — natural, noncaloric plant extract 200 to 300 times as sweet as sugar, possessing a licorice-like flavor. In the US, FDA prohibits the use of stevia as a sweetener or food additive, but allows it to be sold as a dietary supplement.

    Sucralose — a white, crystalline powder made from sugar, and about 600 times sweeter than sugar. Marketed under the name "Splenda ®-- Presently available in several countries, sucralose received FDA approval in 1998.

    Sunette® — see Acesulfame K®Trademark of Hoechst Celanese.

    Sweet One® — see Acesulfame K®Trademark of Stadt Corp.
    Swiss Sweet® — see Acesulfame K®Trademark of Estee Corp.
  • ·         SUGAR REPLACERS

    Sugar Replacers — Bulk- and volume-providing sweeteners usually less sweet than, and different-tasting from sugar, commonly used on a one-for-one replacement basis for sugar in recipes. Sugar replacers have various names:

    " Polyols," "nutritive sweeteners," "sugar alcohols" and "bulk sweeteners."
    Sugar replacers are carbohydrates but they are not sugars. Sugar replacers currently approved for use in the US are:

    Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH)
    Lactitol
    MaltitoI
    Isomalt
    Sorbitol
    Xylitol
    Mannitol

    Sugar Replacers exhibit these characteristics:

    • Generally do not promote tooth decay (dental caries)
    • Energy values range from 1.6 to 3.0 calories per gram, compared to 3.8 to 4.0 calories per gram for most carbohydrates, including sugar.
    • Commonly have a cooling effect on the tongue.
    • Are slowly and incompletely absorbed from the intestine into the blood.
    • Cause only a small rise in blood glucose and insulin levels compared with sugars and other carbohydrates.
    • Are generally metabolized by biochemical mechanisms that do not depend on insulin.
    • Do not help restore blood glucose levels due to hypoglycemia.
    • Excess consumption may have a laxative effect for some people.

    D-tagatose — According to its manufacturer, "Sugaree" brand of D-tagatose is a natural, nonfattening sweetener, derived from whey, that looks, feels, tastes and performs like table sugar. It is not approved for use in the US.

    Isomalt — a white, crystalline substance made from and resembling sucrose in appearance. Isomalt does not have the cooling effect of some other sugar replacers. (See Sugar Replacers.)

    Lactitol — see Sugar Replacers

    Maltitol — see Sugar Replacers

    Mannitol — see Sugar Replacers

    Sorbitol — a widely used sugar replacer, sorbitol is technically a polyhydroxy alcohol (polyol or sugar alcohol) derived from dextrose. It is used as a sweetener in sugarless chewing gums, confections, medicines and other products, plus it possesses humectant and other functional properties. It is about 60% to 70% as sweet as table sugar. (See Sugar Replacers.)

    Sugaree® — see D-tagatose ™Trademark of Biospherics, Inc.

    Xylitol — similar to, but sweeter than, sorbitol. (See Sugar Replacers.)
  • ·         OTHER SWEETENERS

    Honey — a sweet, thick, supersaturated sugar solution manufactured by bees from floral nectar to feed their larvae and for subsistence in winter. Honey is composed of fructose, glucose, and water, in varying proportions; it also contains several enzymes and oils. The color and flavor depend on the age of the honey and on the source of the nectar.

    Lactose — "milk sugar" that occurs naturally in all mammalian milk, including human. Lactose is about 1/6 as sweet as sucrose.

    Maltose — naturally-occurring non- sucrose sugar found in many plants, principally sprouting cereal grains like barley. Maltose is a disaccharide consisting of two glucose (dextrose) molecules chemically linked. In the human digestive tract, natural enzymes split starches into, among other things, maltose. Maltose has a sweetness about 1/3 that of sucrose.

    Maple Syrup — Maple syrup, composed largely of sucrose, glucose, fructose and small amounts of vitamins and minerals, is simply the concentrated sap of 40+ year-old maple trees. This sap, which is only 2-3% sugars, is collected and concentrated, usually through boiling, until the sugar content reaches a critical 66%. It takes 40 gallons of sap — the annual output of four trees — to produce one gallon of syrup.
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  • Sweetbread is the name given to the pancreas, or thymus of the calf or lamb used as a food.
  • Sweetsop - Also known as "Sugar Apple," this is the sweet pulpy fruit of a tropical American tree. The skin of this heart-shaped fruit is sweet and custard-like. It is similar in flavor to a mild cherimoya. Eaten raw and in desserts and in ices.
  • Swiss Chard - Another name for "chard," a type of beet that doesn't develop the swollen, fleshy roots of ordinary beets. This vegetable is grown for its large leaves which are used much like other green vegetables.
  • Swiss Cheese - A term for cheeses that have a pale yellow, slightly nutty-flavored flesh and large holes. Switzerland is famous for two cheeses: "Emmentaler," and "Gruyère." Swiss cheeses are prized for their excellent melting properties.
  • Swiss roll is a sponge cake spread with jam, cream, or some other filling, and rolled up.
  • Swiss Steak - Round or chuck steak that has been tenderized by pounding, coated with flour, and browned on both sides. The meat is then smothered in chopped tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, broth, and seasonings, then baked for about two hours.
  • Swizzle stick is a small rod used to stir or agitate a fizzy drink to help release the bubbles of carbon dioxide.
  • Swordfish - A saltwater food and sport fish with mild-flavored, moderately fat flesh. The flesh is red, dense, and meat-like. Thanks to its firmness, swordfish can be prepared by baking, broiling, grilling, poaching, or sautéing.
  • Syllabub is a British cold dessert made from milk or cream beaten with sugar, wine, and lemon juice.
  • Szechuan Sauce - A sauce prepared with the Szechuan pepper. This pepper (and therefore the sauce) has a very distinctive mildly hot flavor and aroma.