Food is frequently subjected to much mystique and un-necessary confusion by menus in restaurants, which seem to seek to do all they can to confuse their readers. Often this has nothing to do with the food at all and is simply done to appear pretentious or posh or to justify a high price tag. Ready, Steady, Chuck! is a dedicated supporter of the Campaign for Plain English on Menus and is pleased to provide this short translation which we hope our readers will find helpful.
For how to use this page, take a look at this translation of a typical ponced-up menu.
In using the dictionary below to translate, bear in mind that the words used to describe a meal are frequently redundant and can be left out of the translation with no ill effect. By way of example, daikon muerte "Napoleon" au Japon can be very simply translated as radish. The facts that Napoleon liked it, it comes from Japan, and it's no longer a live radish don't really matter too much. However, this rule should be treated with a certain amount of caution. daikon muerte "Napoleon" au High Wycombe, for example, clearly means radish vindaloo.
a la carte: not compulsory
andouilette: sausage
aspic: soft jelly
assiette: plate
baby: small
ballantine: chunk
Barbary duck: parrot
blancmange: milky jelly
brulee: burnt
caramelised: slightly burnt
carbonara: with egg & bacon sauce
carpaccio: raw & thin
classic: normal
compote: stew
confit: piece
coulis: runny sauce
creme: cream
creme Anglaise: custard
croquet: traditional English outdoor pursuit
croquettes: vegetarian sausages
daikon: radish
flan: pie without a top
foam: runny paste
forest fruit: raspberries and blackberries
framboise: raspberry
framboise de foret: raspberry
framboise sauvage: raspberry
French fries: thin chips
froth: very runny paste
fruits of the forest: raspberries and blackberries
gel: jelly
glazed: shiny
jus: very runny sauce
medaillon: round piece
mock: fake
mosaic: mixture
mosaique: mixture
mousse: paste
muerte: dead
objet: portion
pan fried: fried
pannacotta: blancmange
pannacotta: blancmange
pannequet: small pancake
paté: soft meatloaf or thick paste
pea puree: mushy peas
plin: piece
pommes de terre: potato
pommes de terre a l'Americaine: French fries
puree: mush
pureed: mushy
quiche: pie without a top
quinelle: scoop
roulade: roll
Romanian: with added cucumber
salade: salad
salted: extremely salty
suboptimale: dodgy
suckling: baby
syrup: slightly runny sauce
tapenade: spread
tartare: raw & minced up
tempura: deep-fried
terrine: meatloaf
tranche: portion
vinaigrette: salad dressing
Wellington: wrapped in pastry