"A blend of history, etymology, anecdotes, origins and culture of food." How often have you found yourself in the kitchen in the middle of preparing a recipe when you come across an unfamiliar term? Not recognizing a word and its meaning can diminish or slow down the pleasure of preparing a dish. Or perhaps you have a love of words and are intrigued by their historical background and linguistic origins. Cooking is a wonderful adventure especially when the terms, definitions and historical origins of words in recipes are familiar. The Cook's Essential Kitchen Dictionary defines 4,500 key food words and provides a wealth of historical background for many of them. For anyone who cooks or who simply loves food, this book is a vital reference source and an outstanding cookbook supplement. The book includes: Food and alcohol terms listed alphabetically for easy reference Illustrations throughout particularly for fruits and vegetables British, American and many foreign language cooking terms Complete pasta appendix Wonderful selection of fascinating food quotes and anecdotes Basic cooking methods. The rich and rare culinary information describes subjects as varied as Humble Pie and Hanger Steak to Squawroot and Stracchino. The Cook's Essential Kitchen Dictionary is an excellent resource to have on hand in the kitchen and makes for delightful armchair reading as well.