Unfamilar Terms on Restaurant Menus

By Iron Chef Leftovers

There was a post recently on the Seattle Weekly blog about the use of unfamiliar terms on restaurant menus. I really don’t have an issue with this, my feeling is that if you are not familiar with something on a menu, ask your server, or better yet, just order it and be pleasantly surprised when you try it and like it. While it would be nice for a restaurant to include a more detailed description of a menu item, I also don’t want to read War and Peace just to order dinner.

In the article, the author included a list of 10 words on the menu for Restaurant Zoe, inviting readers to match the term to the definition. I only got 7 out of 10. Here is the list (no cheating):

Menu term

1. Amaranth
2. Pappardelle
3. Emmer farro
4. Abalone
5. Cornichon
6. Pimenton
7. Gnudi
8. Pistou
9. Panisse
10. Remoulade

Definition

A. ricotta dumplings
B. the mother grain of modern wheat
C. Once considered a simple weed, this nutritious annual has a slightly sweet flavor
D. fried chickpea flour cake
E. crisp, tart pickle made from a tiny gherkin cucumber
F. flat, long wide noodle with rippled edges
G. classic French sauce made by combining mayonnaise with mustard, capers, chopped gherkins, herbs and anchovies
H. univalve mollusk
I. mixture of crushed basil, garlic and olive oil
J. Spanish smoked paprika

The answers are after the break

Answers
1 – C
2 – F
3 – B
4 – H
5 – E
6 – J
7 – A
8 – I
9 – D
10 – G