R
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Rabbit - Rabbit meat is mostly white, fine textured and
mildly flavored. Domesticated rabbit is
generally plumper and less strongly
flavored that wild rabbits. Rabbit can
be prepared in any manner suitable for
chicken.
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Raccahout
is a flour prepared from the
acorn of the Barbary Oak. It
is mixed with
sugar and aromatics as a
substitute for
chocolate by the
Arabs of North Africa.
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Raccoon - A North American mammal that served as an
important food source for pioneers. The
flesh is mostly dark meat, and the fat
is strong in flavor and aroma. Young
raccoons are usually roasted; older
raccoons should be braised or stewed.
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Raclette Cheese - A cow's milk cheese from Switzerland. It is
semi-firm and dotted with holes--similar
to Gruyère.
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Raddicchio - A red-leafed Italian chicory that is most
commonly used as a salad green.
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Radish - A popular salad vegetable that is the root of
a plant from the mustard family. The
flavor of radish can vary from mild to
peppery, depending on the variety and
the age.
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Rag 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 "sponge gourd."
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Ragoût -
A thick, rich, highly-seasoned stew of
fish, poultry, or meat that can be
prepared with or without vegetables.
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Rain Dance
is a golden, fruity
wheat beer from
Lancing,
Sussex.
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Raisin - A dried grape. Raisins have a higher sugar
content and a different flavor from
grapes. Raisins are eat out-of-hand and
used in cereals, puddings, cookies,
cakes, muffins, stuffings, salads, and
rolls.
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Raki is an aromatic liquor
made from grain-spirit or
grape juice in
Greece,
Turkey and the Middle East.
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Rakshi is a liquor distilled
from
rice or
grain in
Nepal and
Tibet.
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Ramekin:
Small shallow baking dish. The foods
cooked in these are also served in them.
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Ramons - The seeds of a tree from the mulberry family
that is grown in Mexico, Central
America, and the West Indies. These
seeds are boiled, ground into flour and
made into bread. Also called "Jamaican
breadnut."
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Rapeseed Oil - An oil expressed from rapeseeds. Contains more
monounsaturated fat than any other oil
except for olive oil. Marketed in the US
as "Canola Oil."
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Rasher:
Thin slice of bacon or a portion
consisting of 3 slices of bacon.
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Rasin: Dried grape.
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Raspberry - A strongly-flavored berry made up of many
connecting drupelets (individual sacs of
fruit, each with its own seed).
Varieties include golden, black, and
red. The red type is the most common.
Attached hulls indicate immaturity.
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Ratatouille -
A dish that combines eggplant, tomatoes,
onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and a
variety of seasonings, including
garlic--all simmered in olive oil.
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Rauchbier
is a type of German smoked beer from the
Franconia region. It gets its
flavour from
malt that has been dried over
moist
beechwood fires.
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Ravioli -
An Italian dish made with small square
or round noodles stuffed with meat,
cheese, and/or vegetable mixtures. These
noodles are boiled then baked with a
cream, cheese, or tomato sauce.
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Raw Sugar - The residue left after sugar cane has been
processed to remove molasses and refine
the sugar crystals. Because raw sugar
contains contaminants such as molds and
fibers, it is (in the US) purified.
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Ray - This kite-shaped fish features edible fins. The fish is
firm, white, and sweet; similar to the
texture and taste of scallop. Also known
as a "Ray."
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Real Ale
is a term coined by CAMRA for
traditional cask-conditioned beer.
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Red Banana - Available in some markets is the short, chubby
red banana. This variety of banana is
sweeter than the extremely popular
yellow variety known as the "Cavendish."
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Red Bean - Also known as "Mexican chili beans," are a
favorite for making refried beans and
chili with beans. Popular in Mexico and
throughout the Southwest, these beans
are readily available in most markets.
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Red Pepper - A hot red pepper powder made chiefly from the
dried ripe pepper Caspsicum frutescens.
While very hot to most people, it is not
as hot as chili pepper, which is
sometimes sold as cayenne. Also called
"cayenne."
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Red Perch - This important commercial fish is a member of
the rockfish group. Also known as "ocean
perch," although it is not a true perch.
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Red Snapper - This is the most popular of a few hundred
species of snapper. This is a lean,
firm-textured saltwater fish. Some
species of rockfish and tilefish are
also called snappers, but are not.
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Redeye Salmon - Prized for canning, the sockeye salmon has a
firm, red flesh. Also known as the
"sockeye salmon."
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Redfish - This important commercial fish is a member of
the rockfish group. Also known as "ocean
perch," although it is not a true perch.
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Redhead - A saltwater fish belonging to the wrasse
family. Also called "California
Sheesphead." Its meat is white, tender,
and lean.
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Refried Beans - Also known as "frijoles," refried beans are
"pink beans," "pinto beans," or "red
beans" that have been mashed then fried,
often in lard.
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Rennet - An extract from the stomachs of calves and
lambs which contains the enzyme rennin,
which is used to curdle milk in foods
such as cheese and junket.
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Restaurants
originated in
France as an institution for
the refreshment of man. Originally
restaurants did not advertise their
prices, and served well prepared and
complex dishes of the highest quality to
those who could afford them. By 1900
cheaper restaurants, advertising their
prices on menus evolved. In
England, restaurants took the
place of eating houses - where diners
enjoyed roast meats and chops - during
the latter half of the 19th century, in
1850 there were less than five
first-class restaurants in
London, by 1904 every quality
hotel in London had a restaurant
attached and open to the public.
America was quicker to adopt
restaurants, with the first opening in
New York before any in
London.
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Reuben Sandwich -
A sandwich composed of corned beef,
Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut on
sourdough rye bread.
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Rhine -
This term refers to fine German white
wines that are smooth, not too dry,
relatively low in alcohol, have a
delicate fragrance, and are often
slightly effervescent.
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Rhubarb - The rhubarb is a very tart member of the
buckwheat family. It is generally eaten
as a fruit but is actually a vegetable.
It is used in sauces, jams, and
desserts. Rhubarb leaves contain the
toxin "oxalic acid" and should not be
eaten.
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Ribeye Steak - A tender, flavorful beef steak that comes from
the rib section between the chuck and
the short loin.
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Rice Bran Oil - An oil pressed from the outer hull (the
"bran") of the rice grain.
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Rice Flour - Regular rice flour is a fine, powdery flour
made from regular white rice. "Glutinous
rice flour" or "sweet rice flour" is
made from high-starch, short-grain rice.
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Rice is the seeds of a
grass grown in marshes mainly
in the
orient.
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Ricotta Cheese - A soft white cheese product with a slightly
sweet flavor. It is made from the whey
drained off while making cheeses such as
mozzarella. Technically, ricotta is not
a cheese because it is made from a
cheese by-product.
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Riesling -
This is the classic white-wine grape of
Germany that is believed to be native to
the Rhine Valley. It is responsible for
the finest German wines and has been
successfully transplanted to California,
Chile, Austria, and Italy.
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Rigatoni - A large ribbed (grooved), tubular pasta that
is cut into segments approximately 2 to
3 inches in length.
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Rioja is a red
wine of the
burgundy type produced in
north
Spain.
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Risotto -
An Italian dish made by stirring hot
stock into a mixture of rice that has
been sautéed in butter. The rice often
contains chopped onions and is flavored
with cheese, chicken, shellfish,
sausage, vegetables, or white wine and
herbs.
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Robert Sauce - One of the oldest brown sauces, invented in
the 17th century by Frenchman Robert
Vinot. Made with butter, flour, onions,
wine bullion, seasoning, and French
mustard. Used with goose, pork, and
venison.
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Rocket - This slightly bitter, aromatic salad green has
a peppery mustard flavor. Look for
bright green, fresh-looking leaves.
Makes a lively addition to salads,
soups, and sautéed vegetables. Also
called "arugula."
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Rockfish - A low-fat fish of the Pacific Coast. There are
two categories: the elongated varieties
are milder and softer, and include
Yellowtail and Goldeneye. The more
full-flavored deep-bodied types include
Bocaccio, Chilipepper, and Shortbelly.
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Roe - A seafood delicacy with two varieties: "Hard roe" is the
female fish's eggs. "Soft roe" (also
called "white roe") is the milt (male
reproductive glands filled with seminal
fluid) of the male fish. Salted roe is
called "caviar."
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Roggen is a German/Austrian
rye beer.
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Romaine Lettuce - Also called "cos," this variety of lettuce is
long and cylindrical. Its broad, crisp
leaves are used in Caesar salads.
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Roman Bean - Also known as "Cranberry beans," these beans
are buff-colored and feature reddish
streaks. Used to add interest and visual
appeal to salads and dishes like
succotash.
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Romano Cheese - One of several types of Roman cheese, all of
which take their name from the city of
Rome. The sharp and tangy "Pecorino
Romano" comes from sheep's milk. The
very sharp "Caprino Romano" comes from
goat's milk.
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Root Beer -
Created in the mid-1800s by pharmacist
Charles Hires. The original root beer
was very low in alcohol, and was made by
fermenting a blend of sugar and yeast
with various roots, herbs, and barks
such as sarsaparilla and sassafras.
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Roquefort Cheese - Called "the king of cheeses," this blue cheese
in made from sheep's milk and aged in
the limestone caverns of Mount Combalou
near Roquefort, France. This cheese is
creamy rich and has a pungent and
slightly salty taste.
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Roquette - This slightly bitter, aromatic salad green has
a peppery mustard flavor. Look for
bright green, fresh-looking leaves.
Makes a lively addition to salads,
soups, and sautéed vegetables. Also
called "arugula."
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Rosé -
A red wine made with the skins and stems
removed almost immediately. This gives
it its light pink (rose) color. It is
light-bodied, slightly sweet, and served
cold. In the U.S., the term "blush wine"
is replacing the term "rosé."
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Rose Apple - The oval, yellow fruit of various tropical
trees belonging to the myrtle family.
These fragrant fruits not generally
eaten out-of-hand but are most often
used in making jams, jellies and
confections.
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Rose Hip - The ripe reddish-orange fruit of the rose that
is often used to make jellies, jams,
syrups, teas, and wines. Because of
their high vitamin C content, rose hips
are dried, ground, and sold in
health-food stores.
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Rosefish - This important commercial fish is a member of
the rockfish group. Also known as "ocean
perch," although it is not a true perch.
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Roselle - A tropical plant of the mallow family that is
cultivated for its thick, red calyx and
bracts, used in making jellies and as a
cranberry substitute.
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Rosemary - This highly aromatic herb from the mint family
has a flavor that some describe as a
cross between lemon and pine. Used in
dressings, fruit salads, soups,
vegetables, meats, fish, egg dishes,
stuffings.
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Rosolio
is an alcoholic beverage from southern
Europe.
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Rotini - Short spirals of spaghetti noodles.
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Ruddles County
is a full-bodied, malty, strong cask
bitter from Ruddles.
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Rugula - This slightly bitter, aromatic salad green has
a peppery mustard flavor. Look for
bright green, fresh-looking leaves.
Makes a lively addition to salads,
soups, and sautéed vegetables. Also
called "arugula."
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Rum -
A slightly sweet liquor distilled from
fermented sugar-cane juice or molasses.
Most of the world's rum is produced in
the Caribbean.
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Rumpus is a ruby-coloured
nutty
ale with a fruit and
malt navour, from the Ridleys
brewery, near
Chelmsford.
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Rumrunner -
A cocktail made with white rum, orange
juice, lime juice, sugar syrup, and
orange bitters. Often served on ice and
garnished with a twist of orange.
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Rutabaga - A root vegetable from the mustard family that
resembles a large turnip. Also known as
"Swedish turnips," this vegetable can be
prepared any way that turnips can be
cooked.
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Ryburn
best bitter is a fine, hoppy cask
bitter from the Ryburn
brewery,
Sowerby Bridge, West
Yorkshire.
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Rydale is a brown, malty
cask
bitter from the Ryburn
brewery.
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Rye - A hardy annual cereal grass related to wheat. Rye flour is
often mixed with wheat flour to make rye
breads. The seeds are used to make
flour, malt liquors, whisky, and Holland
gin. "Pumpernickel" is a heavy, dark
bread made of rye flour.
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Rye Whiskey -
American law requires that this liquor
be made from a minimum of 51% rye.
Straight ryes are from a single
distiller; blended ryes are a
combination of several straight ryes.
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