FOOD GLOSSARY - Treacle to Tzimmes

TREACLE:   Molasses to the English.

TRIFLE:  Dessert of English origin made of layers of sponge cake soaked in wine or fruit juices, covered with custard sauce and/or whipped cream and preserves, usually topped with almonds.

TRIM:  To cut away ragged or unsightly parts of food before or after cooking, to improve its appearance for eye appeal.

TRIPE:  Lining of the first and second stomachs of beef. Honeycomb tripe is from the second stomach. A classical French dish is tripe à la mode de Caen: tripe cooked with tomatoes, shallots, and apple brandy.

TRIVET:  A short-legged metal plate for holding hot dishes on a table; also a similar type of metal plate used in a skillet, Dutch oven, roasting pan, or saucepan to prevent excessive cooking and scorching of food at the bottom. A trivet is sometimes used when meats are braised or simmered in liquids.

TRUFFLE:  A kind of black, aromatic edible fungus that grows some inches under-ground, chiefly in France. It is a favorite sauce ingredient and garnish. Available in cans or jars.

TRUSS:  To tie meat or fowl with string or fasten it with metal or wooden pins (skewers) so it keeps its shape during cooking. Chicken, duck, and turkey, for example, are usually trussed before roasting.

TRY OUT:  To render fat. An old term not much used any more.

TURBANS:  Individual fillets, usually of fish, rolled, and skewered.

TURBOT:  A European flatfish, highly regarded by gourmets. Turbotin is the choice or "chicken" turbot. Other flatfish resembling the turbot are frequently referred to by the same name.

TURKISH DELIGHT or PASTE:  A candy of Turkish origin; a soft, jelly-like candy, usually in two colors and flavors cut into cubes and dusted with sugar.

TURK'S HEAD PAN:  A round cake pan with spiral-shaped indentations in the walls, and a tube in the center like an angel food pan.

TURNOVERS:  Pastry or puff paste filled with meat or fruit, folded over to enclose the filling, then baked.

TUTTI-FRUTTI:  An Italian term applied to fruits or vegetables cut small for salad. In this country the term is applied to a mixture of fruits, ice cream, pudding, candy, etc.

TZIMMES:  A composite Jewish dish of meat, sweetening, and vegetables. There are many varieties, the most popular of which is the carrot tzimmes (meyren tzimmes).