French Menu Terms & Meanings  

The menu arrives. Only French. OK so you know a fair amount of the French language.

But the menu is comprehensive and you are not sure.  

Never again be lost in any type of French Restaurant, anywhere in the World.

Know exactly what you are ordering

I have included the As and the Bs only as it a large file. If you want the rest Cs to Zs please send email to :

Glossary of French Menu Terms  

A point medium rare

Abatis (Abattis) poultry giblets

Abats offal

Ablette freshwater fish

Abricot apricot

Acajou cashew nut

Acarne sea-bream

Achatine snail (from Far East)

Ache celery

Acidulé(e) acid

Affiné(e) improve; ripen, mature (common term with cheeses)

Africaine (à l.) African style: with aubergines, tomatoes, cèpes

Agneau lamb

Agneau de pré-salé lamb fed on salt marshes

Agnelet young lamb

Agnès Sorel thin strips of mushroom, chicken and tongue

Agrumes citrus fruits

Aïado lamb with herbs and garlic

Aiglefin haddock

Aigre-doux sweet-sour

Aigrelette sharp sauce

Aiguillette thin slice

Ail garlic

Aile (Aileron) wing (winglet)

Aillade garlic sauce

Aïoli mayonnaise, garlic, olive oil

Airelles cranberries

Albert white cream sauce, mustard, vinegar

Albuféra béchamel sauce, sweet peppers

Alénois watercress-flavoured

Algues seaweed

Aligot purée of potatoes, cream, garlic, butter and fresh Tomme de Cantal (or Laguiole) cheese

Allemande a velouté sauce with egg yolks

Allemande (à l.) German style: with sauerkraut and sausages

Allumette puff pastry strip

Alose shad (river fish)

Alouette lark

Alouette de mer sandpiper

Aloyau sirloin of beef

Alsacienne (à l.) Alsace style: with sauerkraut, sausage and sometimes foie gras

Amande almond

Amande de mer small clam-like shellfish with nutty flavour

Amandine almond-flavoured

Amer bitter

Américaine (à l.) Armoricaine (à l.) sauce with dry white wine, cognac, tomatoes, shallots

Amourettes ox or calf marrow

Amuse-bouche appetiser

Amuse-gueule appetiser

Amusette appetiser

Ananas pineapple

Anchoïade anchovy crust

Anchois anchovy

Ancienne (à l.) in the old style

Andalouse (à l.) Andalusian style: tomatoes, sweet red peppers, rice

Andouille smoked tripe sausage

Andouillette small chitterling (tripe) sausage

Aneth dill

Ange angel

Ange à cheval oyster, wrapped in bacon and grilled

Angevine (à l.) Anjou style: with dry white wine, cream, mushrooms, onions

Anglaise (à l.) plain boiled

Anguille eel

Anis aniseed

Anis étoile star anise (a star-shaped fruit)

Ansé basted with liquid

Arachide peanut

Araignée de mer spider crab

Arc en ciel rainbow trout

Ardennaise (à l.) Ardenne style: with juniper berries

Arête fish bone

Argenteuil asparagus flavoured (usually soup)

Arlésienne stuffed tomatoes à la provençale, eggplant, rice

Armoricaine see Américaine

Aromates aromatic; either spicy or fragrant

Arômes à la gêne Lyonnais cow.s or goat.s cheese soaked in marc

Artichaut artichoke

Asperges asparagus

Assaisonné flavoured or seasoned with; to dress a salad

Assiette (de) plate (of)

Aubergine aubergine, eggplant

Aulx (plural of ail) garlic

Aumônière pancake drawn up into shape of beggar.s purse

Aurore (à l.) pink sauce, tomato flavoured

Auvergnate (à l.) Auvergne style: with cabbage, sausage and bacon

Aveline hazelnut

Avocat avocado pear

Avoine oat(s)

Azyme unleavened (bread)

Baba au rhum sponge dessert with rum syrup

Baguette long bread loaf

Baie berry

Baigné bathed or lying in

Ballotine boned and stuffed poultry or meat in a roll

Banane banana

Bar sea-bass

Barbarie Barbary duck

Barbeau barbel

Barbeau de mer red mullet

Barbue brill

Barigoule (à la) brown sauce with artichokes and mushrooms

Baron de lapereau baron of young rabbit

Barquette boat-shaped pastry

Basilic basil

Basquaise (à la) Basque style:

Bayonne ham, rice and peppers

Bâtarde butter sauce, egg yolks

Bâtarde pain crusty white loaf

Batavia salad lettuce

Bâton stick-shaped bread loaf

Baudroie monkfish, anglerfish

Bavaroise bavarois mould, usually of custard, flavoured with fruit or chocolate. Can describe other dishes, particularly shellfish

Bavette skirt of beef

Baveuse runny

Béarnaise thick sauce with egg yolks, shallots, butter, white wine and tarragon vinegar

Béatilles (Malin de) sweetbreads, livers, kidneys, cockscombs

Beaugency Béarnaise sauce with artichokes, tomatoes, marrow

Bécasse woodcock

Bécassine snipe

Béchamel creamy white sauce

Beignet fritter

Beignet de fleur de courgette courgette flower in batter

Belle Hélène poached pear with ice cream and chocolate sauce

Belon oyster (see Huîtres)

Berawecka Christmas fruit bread stuffed with dried fruit, spices and laced with kirsch

Bercy sauce with white wine and shallots

Bergamot variety of pear or orange

Bergamote orange-flavoured sweet

Berlingot mint-flavoured sweet

Berrichone Bordelaise sauce

Bêtisse hard mint

Betterave beetroot

Beuchelle à la Tourangelle kidneys, sweetbreads, morels, cream and truffles

Beurre (Echiré) butter. (Finest butter from

Poitou-Charentes)

Beurre blanc sauce with butter, shallots, wine vinegar and sometimes dry white wine

Beurre noir sauce with browned butter, vinegar, parsley

Biche female deer

Bière à la pression beer on tap

Bière en bouteille bottled beer

Bifteck steak

Bigarade (à la) orange sauce

Bigarreau type of cherry

Bigorneau winkle

Billy By mussel soup

Biscuit à la cuiller sponge finger

Bisque shellfish soup

Blanc (de volaille) white breast (of chicken): can describe white fish fillet or white vegetables

Blanchaille whitebait

Blanquette white stew

Blé corn or wheat

Blé noir buckwheat

Blettes Swiss chard

Blinis small, thick pancakes

Boeuf à la mode beef braised in red wine

Boeuf Stroganoff beef, sour cream, onions, mushrooms

Boletus type of edible fungi

Bombe ice cream

Bon-chrétien variety of pear

Bonne femme (à la) white wine sauce, shallots, mushrooms

Bonne femme (à la) potato, leek and carrot soup

Bordelais(e) (à la) Bordeaux style: brown sauce

with shallots, red wine, beef bone marrow

Bouchée mouthful size (either a tart or vol-auvent)

Boudin sausage-shaped mixture

Boudin blanc white coloured; pork and sometimes chicken

Boudin noir black pudding

Bouillabaisse Mediterranean fish stew and soup

Bouilliture eel stew (see matelote d.anguilles)

Bouillon broth, light consommé

Boulangère sauce of onions and potatoes

Boulette small ball of fish or meat

Bouquet prawn

Bouquet garni bunch of herbs used for flavouring

Bourdaloue hot poached fruit

Bourdelot whole apple pastry

Bourgeoise (à la) sauce of carrots, onions and diced bacon

Bourguignonne (à la) Burgundy style: red wine, onions, bacon and mushrooms

Bouribot duck stewed in red wine

Bourrache borage, a herb used in drinks and salads

Bourride creamy fish soup with aïoli

Bourriole sweet or savoury pancake

Boutargue grey mullet roe paste

Braisé braised

Brandade de morue salt cod

Brassado (Brassadeau) doughnut

Bréjaude cabbage and bacon soup

Brème bream

Brési thin slices dried beef

Bretonne sauce with celery, leeks, beans and mushrooms

Brioche sweet yeast bread

Broche (à la) spit roasted

Brochet pike

Brochette (de) meat or fish on a skewer

Brouet broth

Brouillade stewed in oil

Brouillés scrambled

Broutard young goat

Brugnon nectarine

Brûlé(e) toasted

Brunoise diced vegetables

Bruxelloise sauce with asparagus, butter and eggs

Bucarde cockle

Buccin whelk

Bugne sweet pastry fritter