FOOD GLOSSARY - Huitres to Jerked Beef

HUÎTRES (French):  Oysters.

HULLED CORN:  Hominy.

HUSH PUPPIES:  An old-time Southern dish, a corn meal mixture shaped into small forms and fried; served with fried fish. Traditionally, these were fried in the same deep fat used for the fish.

HYSON:  A variety of Chinese green tea; the early crop is called young hyson, and the inferior leaves are called hyson skin.

HYSSOP:  An aromatic plant of the mint family, used in medicine as a tonic, stimulant, etc. The flowers and young leaves are used to season fish, meat, and game dishes, sometimes also in fruit cocktails and soups.

ICE:  A frozen mixture of fruit juice, sugar, and water or milk. When made with water, it is sometimes called a water-ice; if made with milk, a milk-ice or sherbert.

ICING:  This term originally meant a cooked sugar mixture used to coat a cake, while "frosting" referred to an uncooked cake covering. Now the two terms are used interchangeably.

INDIAN PUDDING:  A famous New England baked dessert. The ingredients used in it vary greatly but the essential ones are corn meal and molasses.

INDIENNE (French):  Indian. The term generally implies the use or accompaniment of curry or similar East Indian seasoning.

INFUSION):  A method of preparing beverages by pouring boiling water over the material used, then covering it, and allowing it to stand until flavor is extracted.

IRISH MOSS:  A form of seaweed formerly used as a thickening agent, particularly in preparing milk desserts; also refers to the dessert made of it.

IRISH SODA BREAD:  A round-shaped bread, usually with buttermilk, molasses, raisins, and caraway seeds. It is known as "bannock" if baked in the oven, or "soda farls" if cooked on a griddle and cut into triangles.

IRISH STEW:  Lamb or mutton stew with potatoes, onions, other vegetables, and seasoning. The meat is not browned before stewing.

JAMBALAYA:  A highly seasoned Creole dish with rice, ham, shrimp, tomatoes. There are variations with other shellfish. The name is believed to come in part from the French word for ham, jambon. It's a famous favorite Louisiana dish.

JAMBON (French):  Ham.

JARDINIÉRE (French):  Originally the feminine of jardinier, a gardener; a dish of mixed garden vegetables.

JERKED BEEF:  Beef preserved by slicing it into strips and drying these in the sun or over a fire.