Oignon Brule: French for burnt onion, made by charring onion halves. Used to flavor and color stocks & sauces.
Oignon Pique: Studding an onion with a bay leaf and cloves. Used in béchamel sauce.
Oak: The traditional wood used to produce the casks used for ageing fine wines.
Oeufs en meurette: Poached eggs in a red wine sauce.
Offal: Broadly, the edible internal organs of an animal, such as tripe, liver, sweetbreads, brains and kidneys. Other definitions include any edible parts of the beast that aren’t muscle, including extremities such as feet, ears, snouts, tails and lips, as well as tendons and skin (many of these last ingredients, incidentally, can be found in the average commercially produced Australian meat pie).
Olive oil: Made from ripened olives. Extra virgin and virgin are the first and second press, respectively, of the olives and therefore considered the best, while extra light or light is diluted and refers to taste, not fat levels.
Olives:a) Gordal:Also known as the queen olive and the Sevillano, is a firm, plump green olive. Because of its large size, the gordal is a favorite before the meal, especially when served with cocktails. b) Ligurian: from the Italian Riviera, these are black, small and high in oil, with a delicate sweet flavour. c) Sicilian: Green vibrant green, large, fleshy olives prepared in the traditional Sicilian manner, using water and Mediterranean sea salt, giving them a subtle, buttery olive flavour and meaty texture. They contain no artificial ingredients or preservatives and must be refrigerated and used within a few days of purchase.
Onglet: The French term for a cut of beef which hangs from the last rib of the beast, by the kidneys, resembling flank steak. Known also as hanger steak or butcher’s steak, though tougher than most grilling cuts, it’s prized by beef aficionados for its strong, almost offal-like flavour. As there is only one onglet per carcass, it can be hard to find, and is best ordered ahead from specialist butchers.
Orange flower water: Alcoholic extract from Seville orange flowers used as a flavouring.
Organic food: Food which has been grown without the use of synthetic or chemically produced fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides on land which has been organic for at least two years.
Ortiz anchovies: Fished from waters off northern Spain, only the largest grade of anchovy is preserved whole in rock salt and cured for four months, resulting in plump meaty fillets. Trimmed and filleted by hand, the hairy texture of lesser-grade anchovies is eliminated.
Orzo: Italian barley- or rice-shaped pasta used in soups. Also known as risoni.
Osso buco: In Australia, this can mean the butchers’ term for slices of beef shin on the bone (osso buco being Italian for bone with a hole), or the northern Italian braise of the same cut. Osso buco alla Milanese, its most famous form, sees the white-wine braised shin sprinkled with gremolata and served on a risotto enriched with saffron.
Ouzo: Greek aniseed-flavoured liquor used for flavouring in cooking.
Oxidation: Generally considered to be a wine fault. Oxidation will dull and flatten the fruity flavours of a wine.
Oyster mushrooms: Also called shimeji in Japanese, this mushroom takes its name from its shape and greyish colour, and has slight peppery overtones and a juicy texture.
Oyster sauce: Chinese sauce combining soy sauce and dried oysters.
Oolong: A greenish-brown, partially fermented tea.
Oven Spring: The rapid rise of yeast goods in the oven due to production and expansion of trapped gases as a result of the oven heat.
Overrun: The increase in volume of ice cream or frozen dessert due to incorporation of air while freezing.
OIL, Peanut: Pale-gold oil with a subtle hint of the peanut’s richness. Used in cooking, especially for poultry and for salad dressings.
OIL, Sesame: Oil pressed from sesame seeds, which imparts to it their nut-like flavor. Used primarily as a seasoning.
OIL, Sunflower seed: Pale, relatively flavorless oil used in dressings and for cooking.
