Aging: a method of improving and maturing the flavor of food, such as game, cheese or wine by allowing controlled chemical changes to take place over time. Aging produces more tender meat.

Aromatic: an addition to a dish (often herbs or spices), to enhance the flavor and aroma.

Bard: to tie extra fat, usually bacon, around fish, poultry or meat to baste it while cooking. The barding fat is usually removed before serving.

Blanch: to immerse vegetables, fruit or meat in boiling water briefly, then plunge into cold water to stop cooking. This technique is used to firm or soften flesh, to set color, to peel off skin, or to remove raw flavor.

Butterflying: slicing boneless meat, fish or shrimp lengthwise to create a pocket.

Caramelization: the process of bringing out the natural sugars in food.

Carpaccio: (Italian) very thin slices of raw beef filet (or venison) served with mustard sauce, mayonnaise, or olive oil and lemon juice.

Carve: to cut meat or poultry into portions.

Coulis: (French) an old culinary term of some confusion; originally the strained juices from cooked meat, then a puree of chicken, game or fish. Now it usually means a bisque or thick sauce or puree, such as tomato.

Escalope: (French) thinly sliced piece of meat, often flattened by pounding.

Gastronomy: the art and science of eating well.

Glaze: a think flavor coating applied to foods before consumption.

Grilling: a dry heat cooking method in which foods are cooked from heat radiating from the bottom up. Heat can be generated by coals, electricity or gas.

Infusion: the extractino of flavors from a food by adding a flavoring agent.

Marbling: whitish streaks of fat within the meat.

Marinate: to soak food in seasoned liquid in order to tenderize and add flavor.

Oil: a type of fat that is liquid at room temperature

Pilaf: a cooking method for grains in which the grains are lightly sautéed in hot fat and liquid is added.

Poultry: the collective term for domesticated birds for eating.

Risotto: a cooking method for rice, in which the grains are first cooked in butter or olive oil, and liquid is slowly added. Done with an Italian rice called Arborio.

Scallopini: see Escallope

Sear: to brown over high heat. Usually the first step in the cooking process, it seals the meat to hold in the moisture.

Season: to add flavor to foods by use of sale, herbs or liquids.

Venison: today it is used for deer meat. Historically, the word used to mean any furred game.