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Cooking Glossary

L

Laban - an Arab drink consisting of coagulated sour milk.

Labrador tea - a Canadian infusion brewed from an arctic evergreen ericaceous shrub.

Lachryma Christi - red or white wine from the bay of Naples in southern Italy.

Lactose - Also called "milk sugar," lactose is that sugar that occurs naturally in milk. It is less sweet than any of the other sugars. Used in baby formulas and candies.

Ladyfinger - A light and delicate sponge cake that is shaped somewhat like a large, fat finger. Often used as an accompaniment to ice cream, puddings, and other desserts.

Lahvosh - A round, flat, crisp bread that ranges from about 6 to 14 inches in diameter. Also known as "Armenian Cracker Bread."

Lait - (French) Milk.

Lake Herring - One of the most prized whitefish found in the Great Lakes and in Canada. May be prepared in any manner suitable for salmon. Also called "cisco" and "chub."

Laksa - Malaysian dish of Chinese origin consisting of rice noodles served in curry or hot soup.

Lamb - A sheep under 1 year old. "Baby lamb" in slaughtered at between 6 - 8 weeks of age, "spring lamb" at 3 - 5 months, "regular lamb" at under one year. Lamb over 1 year old is "mutton" and is less tender and has a stronger flavor than lamb.

Lancashire Hot Pot - a stew of meat, potato and onion resembling Irish Stew.

Langostino - The Spanish word for "prawn."

Langouste - (French) Crawfish.

Lard - Rendered and clarified pork fat. The best lard is called "leaf lard," and it comes from around the pig's kidneys.

Larding - Salt pork strips inserted into meat with a special needle. Used to add flavor and moisture to meat.

Lardon - a strip of bacon or pork used to lard meat.

Lardons - Julienne of bacon. Strips of salt pork used for larding.

Larkins Best Bitter - full-bodied, fruity bitter from the Larkins Kent brewery.

Lasagna - A wide, flat pasta noodle with a ruffled or plain edge. Also a dish prepared using the lasagna noodle with various cheeses, and a tomato sauce. A meat is sometimes included. The plural of "lasagna" is "lasagne."

Laver - A very nutritious seaweed that is normally sold in tissue-thin sheets. It has a tangy, sweet flavor and a dark purple color. Used in soups or deep-fried as an appetizer.

Leek - A relative to the onion and the garlic. It has a mild onion flavor and is used as a vegetable or as seasoning for salads, soups, and other dishes.

Legumes - Dried beans, peas, lentils and such.

Lemon - A yellow citrus fruit with a juicy flesh and a acidic juice. This simple fruit is a powerful flavoring agent that finds hundreds of uses in desserts, drinks, marinades, and drinks.

Lemonade - A popular beverage made of lemon juice, sugar, and water.

Lentil - A nutritious member of the legume family, the lentil is most often eaten in the U.S. in soups. In Europe, they are frequently used in stews and in salads.

Lettuce - There are several hundred varieties of lettuce. The four most general classifications include "butter head," "crisp head," "leaf," and "Romaine." The darker green outer leaves contain the most vitamins.

Liaison - binding agent made up of egg yolks and cream, used for thickening soups and sauces.

Licorice - A plant whose root provides an extract that has long been used to flavor confections and medicines. "Licorice" also refers to candy that has been flavored with licorice extract.

Lima Bean - A pale green, plump-bodied bean with a slight kidney-shaped curve. Baby limas are smaller and milder than the Ford hook variety (which are not mature baby limas). The popular combination of lima beans and corn is called "succotash."

Limburger Cheese - A highly aromatic whole cow's milk cheese with a cream-colored interior and a light grayish brown surface. It originated in Belgium but most of it is imported from Germany. Most consider it an acquired taste.

Lime - A small, green citrus fruit that resembles a lemon. Used in drinks and is the primary ingredient in the famous "Key lime pie." British sailors were called "limeys" because they used lime as a scurry-preventative.

Lingcod - A North American Pacific coast fish with a mildly sweet flavor and a firm, lean texture.

Linguine - Long, narrow, flat pasta noodles that are sometimes called "flat spaghetti." "Linguine" is the Italian word for "little tongues."
Linseed Oil, Edible - An oil pressed from flaxseed.

Liqueur - strong sweet alcoholic beverage with a spirit base and flavored with aromatics.


Litchi - This fruit is used in salads and as a dessert. It has a creamy white flesh that is juicy and sweet. The litchi has been cultivated in China for over 2,000 years. Dried litchis are eaten like nuts. Also called the "lychee nut."

Lite - North American term applied to thin, low calorie beers.

Liver - This nutritious organ meat filters toxins from the blood. Select the youngest liver you can find. Poultry generally offers the mildest flavored and most tender livers; pork has the strongest and toughest liver of those commonly available.

Liverwurst - German for "liver sausage." Liverwurst is a ready-to-eat sausage of at least 30% ground pork liver plus other meats combined with spices and seasonings. The most famous liverwurst is called "Braunschweiger."

Lobster - This crustacean was used as bait until around 1880. Because dead lobsters spoil quickly, they should be cooked live if possible. (Live lobsters curl their tails under when picked up.) Look for curled tails on precooked lobsters.

Loganberry - A berry that resembles a red raspberry (purple when ripe). The berry, discovered by in the late 1800's by J. H. Logan in California, tastes somewhat like a raspberry but is slightly more acidic.

London Broil - A flank steak that has been cut into large pieces, tenderized by marinating, broiled or grilled, then sliced into thin strips across the grain before it is served.

London Pride - Fuller's fine, deep-red best bitter beer. It has a rich, dry, malty, hoppy taste.

Long Island Tea - An alcoholic beverage consisting of gin, vodka, cola and lemon. Tequila is sometimes also used.

Longan - A small, round fruit with a thin brown shell. Its flesh is soft, white, juicy, and surrounds one large black seed. Used as a snack, in oriental soups, desserts, and some sweet-and-sour dishes.

Long bean- A pencil-thin legume from the black-eye pea family that looks like a very long green bean. These beans can grow a yard long, but are usually picked at 18" or less. These beans are slightly less sweet and crispy as the green bean.

Loofah - 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 "vegetable sponge" and "sponge gourd."

Loose leaf Lettuce - Loose leaf lettuce varieties include "green leaf," "oak leaf," and "red leaf." These varieties of lettuce offer large loose heads of crisp, delicately flavored leaves. More perishable than iceberg or romaine.

Loquat - This pear-shaped fruit has a juicy, crisp flesh and a sweetly tart flavor. Used as a snack, in salads, and in chicken and duck dishes.

Lotte - This large low-fat, firm-textured salt-water fish has a mild, sweet flavor that compares with lobster. Sometimes referred to as "poor man's lobster." Also called "angler fish," "monkfish," and "goosefish."

Lotus - The lotus is a water lily whose leaves, root, and seeds are used in oriental cooking. The root can be used as a vegetable. The seeds are used in desserts.

Lupine - This flat, yellow bean native to the Mediterranean basin, has been cultivated since ancient times. A three-hour soaking in water removes a bitter taste. Occasionally eaten roasted as a snack.

Lynesack Porter - a very dark beer, even for a porter with a sweet, malty finish. It is produced by the Butterknowle brewery in Bishop Auckland.

Lyonnaise Potatoes - Potatoes sliced and sauteed with onions.

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