Glossary of Culinary Terms

Achara: Pickled fruit and vegetable relish

Adobo, Adobong: Meat, seafood or vegetables stewed in vinegar with garlic and black pepper.

Agar-Agar: Seaweed gelatin

Alogbati: Malabar spinach

Alugbati or Alogbati: Red stemmed vine whose green leaves are used for cooking.

Ampalaya: Bitter melon

Apulid: Water chestnuts

Atis: Sweetsop

Atsuete: Annatto

Baboy: Pork

Baldereta: Goat meat stew

Bangus: Milkfish

Bayabas: Guava

Binuro: Using salt as a preservative agent.

Bistek: Stir fried steak

Chico: Naseberry, aka Sapodilla

Dahon ng sili: Chili pepper leaves

Dinaing: Marinating butterflied fish with vinegar, then broiling or frying.

Dinuguan Baboy: Pork blood stew

Empanada: Meat filled pastry

Empanadita: Honey and nut pastry

Frito or Fritong: To fry

Gabi: Taro

Guinataan: To cook meat, seafood, or vegetables in coconut milk

Guinisa: To saute with garlic and onions

Halabos: To steam shellfish with little water

Hipon: Shrimp

Inasan: Preserving foods with salt

Inihaw: To grill or broil

Kabute: Mushroom

Kalabasa: Squash

Kamote: Sweet potato

Kamoteng Kahoy: Cassava

Kangkong: Swamp cabbage

Kaong: Palm nuts

Kilawin or kinilaw: Marinating meat or seafood in vinegar and souring agents.

Kinchay: Asian celerey

Labanos: White radish

Labong: Bamboo shoots

Langka: Jackfruit

Luya: Ginger

Malunggay: Horseradish tree

Mangga: Mango

Manggang Hilaw: Green mango

Manok: Chicken

Morcon: Stuffed rolled steak

Munggo: Mung beans

Murang sibuyas: Spring onions

Mustasa: Mustard greens

Nangka: Jackfruit

Nilaga: Boiling meat or fish in water

Pasingao: Steaming fish, shellfish or meats

Pasilla: A kind of hot pepper

Pechay: Bok choy

Penoy: Duck egg

Pinakbet: Pork and vegetable stew with bagoong alamang.

Pinaksiw: Cooking method; to cook fish in vinegar with water and spices

Pinausukan: To smoke fish and meats for flavor.

Pusit: Squid

Relleno or Rellenong: Stuffing chicken, fish or vegetables.

Saba: Cooking banana or plantain

Saging: Banana

Sago: Tapioca pearls

Salabat: Ginger tea

Saluyot: Okra leaves

Sampalok: Tamarind

Sigarilyas: Winged bean

Sili: Chili peppers

Singkamas: Jicama

Sinigang: Cooking meats, fish or vegetables with sour fruit.

Siomai: Dumplings

Siopao: Steamed meat buns

Sitaw: String beans

Talaba: Oyster

Talong: Eggplant

Tanglad: Lemon grass

Tinapa: To soak smoked or salted fish in water, then pan-fry

Tocino: Annatto cured pork meat

Toge: Bean sprouts

Torrones: Egg rolls with bananas

Tubo: Sugar cane

Ube: Purple yam