Cuisine Glossaries
The words guests use, the words chefs use, and what sits behind them. Allergen notes flag common sources only: always confirm with your kitchen and your venue's allergen matrix.
- Omakase"I leave it to you"
- A chef's-choice menu, usually at the counter, where the chef decides the sequence. Take allergies and dislikes before the first course, never mid-way.
- Itamae
- The skilled chef behind the counter, especially at a sushi bar.
- Kaiseki
- A traditional multi-course meal built around the season, with set progressions of small dishes.
- Shari
- Seasoned sushi rice: rice dressed with vinegar, sugar and salt.
- Neta
- The topping on a piece of nigiri, usually fish or seafood.
- Nigiri
- A hand-pressed mound of rice with a topping, often with a touch of wasabi between them. Traditionally eaten in one bite; fish side down if dipping in soy. For children, ask whether the wasabi should be left out.
Fish / shellfish - Sashimi
- Sliced raw fish or seafood served without rice.
Fish / shellfish - Maki / makizushi
- Rice and fillings rolled in nori seaweed and cut into pieces.
- Temaki
- A hand roll: nori rolled into a cone, eaten by hand straight away while the nori is crisp.
- Toro
- The fatty belly of tuna. Otoro is the fattiest cut, chutoro medium-fatty.
Fish - Uni
- Sea urchin roe, rich and briny. Guests with shellfish allergies should check with the kitchen.
Shellfish: check - Ikura
- Salmon roe, often marinated in soy sauce.
Fish Soy / wheat if marinated - Gari
- Pickled ginger, served to cleanse the palate between pieces, not as a topping.
- Wasabi
- A pungent rhizome grated fresh at the table or in the kitchen: bright, green and quickly fading, meant to lift the fish rather than hide it. Real wasabi grows only in cold, running mountain streams, which makes it one of the most expensive crops in the world; much of what is served elsewhere is a horseradish substitute.
- Shoyu
- Soy sauce. Standard soy sauce is brewed with wheat; tamari is usually wheat-free but check the label.
Soy Wheat / gluten - Ponzu
- A citrus-based dipping sauce, usually combined with soy sauce and dashi.
Soy Wheat Fish (dashi) - Dashi
- The foundation stock of Japanese cooking, most often kombu and katsuobushi. It is in many sauces and soups, so dishes that look vegetarian may contain fish.
Fish - Katsuobushi
- Dried, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna, shaved into flakes.
Fish - Kombu
- Dried kelp, used for dashi and seasoning.
- Miso
- Fermented soybean paste. Some types are made with barley.
Soy Gluten in some types - Mirin
- A sweet rice seasoning used in sauces and glazes. Traditional mirin contains alcohol.
Alcohol - Umami
- The savoury "fifth taste", strong in dashi, soy, miso and aged ingredients.
- Tempura
- Seafood or vegetables in a light batter, deep-fried. The batter is wheat-based; shared fryers can carry other allergens.
Wheat Egg (often) - Yakitori
- Skewered chicken grilled over charcoal, seasoned with salt or tare (a soy-based glaze).
Soy / wheat if tare - Robata / robatayaki
- Slow grilling over charcoal at a hearth, often in front of guests.
- Wagyu
- Beef from Japanese cattle breeds. In grades like A5, the letter is yield and the number is meat quality, 5 being the highest.
- Edamame
- Young soybeans in the pod, steamed and salted.
Soy - Yuzu
- A fragrant Japanese citrus used in sauces, desserts and drinks.
- Sake
- A brewed rice beverage. Junmai means no added distilled alcohol; ginjo and daiginjo mean the rice was polished to at most 60% and 50% of the grain.
Alcohol - Oshibori
- A warm (or chilled) towel offered before the meal to clean the hands.
- Hashioki
- A chopstick rest. Chopsticks rest here, never upright in rice or across the bowl.
- Irasshaimase
- The welcome called out as a guest enters.
- Kanpai
- "Cheers": the toast.
- Tataki
- Fish or beef seared very quickly over fierce heat, leaving the centre almost raw, then sliced.
Fish / beef - Usuzukuri
- A sashimi cut where white fish is sliced so thin it turns translucent, often fanned on the plate.
Fish - Aburi"flame-seared"
- Flame-seared with a blowtorch just before serving, so the surface warms and the fat starts to melt.
- Tofu
- Soybean curd made by setting soy milk and pressing it. Silken (kinu) is soft and custard-like; cotton (momen) is firmer.
Soy - Mamenorisoy paper
- Thin sheets of soybean paper used instead of nori to wrap rolls; also used for wrappers and desserts.
Soy - Kabayaki
- A sweet, glossy soy-based glaze of soy, mirin and sugar, best known on grilled eel. Simpler than teriyaki, which often adds ginger or garlic.
Soy Wheat - Rice vinegar
- A mild, slightly sweet vinegar made by fermenting rice; it seasons sushi rice and dressings.
- Daidai
- A bitter orange whose juice is used in traditional ponzu. Its name suggests "generations", so it decorates New Year celebrations.
- Daikon
- A large, mild white radish. Finely shredded daikon is the classic bed for sashimi.
- Takuan
- Bright yellow pickled daikon: crunchy, sweet, salty and slightly sour, often served at the end of a meal.
- Shiso
- A herb from the mint family. Green shiso is fresh and herbal, used with sashimi, in tempura and in cocktails; red shiso is spicier and colours pickles such as umeboshi.
- Hojiso
- Young shiso flower buds on the stem. Guests strip the buds off with chopsticks into their soy sauce.
- Kikuchrysanthemum
- Edible chrysanthemum. The bright petals garnish sashimi and sushi; the base is too bitter to eat.
- Panko
- Japanese breadcrumbs made from crustless bread. Light and airy, they absorb less oil and stay crisp.
Wheat - Katakuriko
- Potato starch, used to thicken sauces and give fried food a light, crisp coating. Naturally gluten-free, but check the fryer.
- Nori
- Thin sheets of dried, pressed seaweed used to wrap sushi and onigiri; strong in flavour and rich in protein.
- Gunkan"battleship"
- "Battleship" sushi: rice wrapped in a strip of nori to hold soft toppings such as ikura or uni.
Fish / shellfish - Hosomaki
- A thin roll with nori outside and a single filling, such as cucumber or tuna.
- Futomaki
- A thick roll, around five to six centimetres across, with several fillings.
- Uramaki
- An inside-out roll, with the rice on the outside and the nori inside.
- Shishito
- Small, mild green Japanese peppers, usually blistered on the grill. About one in ten is surprisingly hot.
- Dim sum
- Small Cantonese dishes, steamed, fried or baked, traditionally shared with tea.
- Yum cha"drink tea"
- The Cantonese tradition of tea with dim sum. Tea comes first and is refilled throughout.
- Har gow
- Shrimp dumplings in a translucent wrapper, usually made from wheat starch and tapioca.
Crustaceans Wheat starch - Siu mai
- Open-topped dumplings, classically pork and shrimp. Fillings vary by venue, so confirm the protein for dietary requests.
Crustaceans (often) Wheat - Xiaolongbao
- Soup dumplings from the Shanghai region. Warn guests the soup inside is very hot; sip from a spoon before eating.
Wheat - Cheung fun
- Steamed rice noodle rolls, often with prawns or other fillings, dressed with a sweet soy sauce.
Soy / wheat (sauce) - Bao
- Soft steamed wheat buns, filled or folded.
Wheat - Char siu
- Cantonese barbecue, classically pork, glazed sweet and red. Venues may use other proteins; confirm for dietary requests.
Soy Check protein - Peking duck
- Roast duck prized for its lacquered, crisp skin, carved and served with thin pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and a sweet sauce.
Wheat (pancakes) Soy (sauce) - Wok hei"breath of the wok"
- The smoky, seared flavour that comes from cooking at very high heat in a wok.
- XO sauce
- A luxury Hong Kong condiment of dried scallops, dried shrimp, cured ham, chilli and oil.
Molluscs Crustaceans - Oyster sauce
- A thick savoury sauce made from oyster extract, used in many stir-fries and greens.
Molluscs Wheat (often) - Hoisin sauce
- A sweet, dark soybean-based sauce.
Soy Wheat (often) Sesame (some) - Doubanjiang
- Fermented broad bean and chilli paste, the backbone of many Sichuan dishes.
Wheat (often) Soy (some) - Mapo tofu
- Sichuan tofu in a spicy, numbing sauce built on doubanjiang.
Soy Wheat (often) - Kung pao
- A Sichuan stir-fry with dried chillies and peanuts.
Peanuts Soy - Sichuan peppercorn
- The husk of a prickly-ash berry that creates a tingling, numbing sensation.
- Mala"numbing and spicy"
- The signature Sichuan combination of Sichuan peppercorn and chilli heat.
- Five-spice
- A blend usually of star anise, cloves, cinnamon or cassia, Sichuan pepper and fennel seed.
- Sesame oil
- Toasted sesame oil is used as a finishing flavour in many dishes and dressings.
Sesame - Shaoxing wine
- A Chinese rice wine for cooking and drinking, brewed from rice and a wheat-based starter.
Alcohol Wheat - Abalone
- A prized sea snail, slow-braised in Cantonese fine dining.
Molluscs - Sea cucumber
- A luxury ingredient prized for its texture, usually braised.
- Bird's nest
- The edible nest of the swiftlet, served sweet or savoury as a delicacy.
- Congee
- Slow-cooked rice porridge, served plain or with savoury toppings.
- Lazy Susan
- The rotating centre tray on round tables for sharing dishes. Turn it slowly, and let guests serve themselves unless asked.
- Oolong
- A partially oxidised tea, between green and black in character.
- Pu-erh
- A fermented, often aged tea from Yunnan with an earthy depth, popular with rich food.
- Jasmine tea
- Green tea scented with jasmine blossoms.
- Finger tapping
- A Cantonese custom: guests tap two fingers on the table to thank whoever refills their tea.
- Baijiu
- A strong distilled spirit, often from sorghum, typically served neat in small glasses.
Alcohol - Ganbei"dry the glass"
- The toast, traditionally meaning drink to the bottom.
- Satay
- Skewers of marinated meat grilled over charcoal, found across Southeast Asia and usually served with a peanut sauce.
Peanuts (sauce) - Rendang
- Meat slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices until the sauce reduces almost completely and the meat turns tender. One of Indonesia's national dishes.
- Sambal
- A chilli-based sauce or paste from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Some versions, such as sambal belacan, contain shrimp paste.
Crustaceans (some) - Nuoc cham
- A Vietnamese dipping sauce balancing fish sauce, lime, sugar and water, sometimes with chilli and garlic.
Fish - Ssamjang
- A thick, savoury Korean paste of fermented soybean and chilli paste with sesame oil and garlic, eaten with grilled meat in lettuce wraps.
Soy Sesame Wheat (often) - Calamansi
- A small round citrus from the Philippines and southern China. Its flavour sits between the sourness of lime and the sweetness of orange.
- Kaffir lime
- A knobbly lime with little juice; its leaves bring a bright, spiced citrus aroma to Thai, Indonesian and Cambodian cooking.
- Betel leaf
- A glossy Southeast Asian leaf with a bitter, peppery bite, sharper than rocket; used to wrap small bites.
- Ginger
- A rhizome related to turmeric, with a warm, peppery heat. Used fresh, pickled or dried throughout Asian cooking.
- Nikkei
- The cuisine of Japanese communities in Peru: Japanese technique with Peruvian ingredients, such as tiradito and ceviche dressed with soy, yuzu or aji.
- Leche de tigre"tiger’s milk"
- The citrus marinade that cures fish in Peruvian ceviche: lime, chilli, onion and fish juices. Sharp, spicy and sometimes creamy.
Fish - Aji amarillo
- Peru's essential orange-yellow chilli: fruity, with medium heat that does not linger.
- Aji panca
- A deep red Peruvian chilli with a sweet, berry-like, slightly smoky flavour and mild heat.
- Crudo
- Raw fish or seafood dressed simply with oil, citrus and seasoning. Italian in origin and now common on raw bar menus.
Fish / shellfish - Tartare
- Finely chopped raw beef or fish, seasoned and often served with egg yolk.
Egg (often) Fish (if fish) - Jicama
- A crisp, juicy, slightly sweet root vegetable from Mexico, often served raw in salads and slaws.
On allergens. Tags show common sources, not guarantees. Recipes change between venues and even between services. If a guest declares an allergy, follow the steps in Allergen Essentials and confirm every dish with the kitchen.