Linda's Culinary and Food Dictionary and Glossary

Linda's Culinary Dictionary - I
A Dictionary and History of Cooking, Food, and Beverage Terms

© copyright 2004 by Linda Stradley - United States Copyright TX 5-900-517- All rights reserved. This web site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission and appropriate credit given. If you use any of the history information contained below for research in writing a magazine or newspaper article, school work or college research, and/or television show production, you must give a reference to the author, Linda Stradley, and to the web site What's Cooking America.

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ice box pies - These pies were named after the ice box that they were kept cool in.

History: For the history of Ice Box Pies, check out Linda Stradley's History of Pies.

ice cream - It is a frozen dessert made from cream, or a mixture of cream, milk, sugar, and usually eggs. It can also be made from combination of milk products (usually cream combined with fresh, condensed or dry milk), a sweetening agent (sugar, honey, corn syrup or an artificial sweetener) and flavorings such as pieces of chocolate, nuts, fruit, etc. Ice cream contains air, the more the air the lighter it will be.

History: For a detailed and interesting history of Ice Cream, check out History, Legends & Myths of Ices and Ice Cream.

ice cream cone - History of the Ice Cream Cone.

ice cream sundae - History of the Ice Cream Sundae.

hot fudge sundae - It was first served at C.C. Browns in Hollywood by an unknown and long forgotten "soda jerk". This hot and cold sensation is still one of ice cream lover’s favorites.

ice milk - It is made in much the same way as ice cream, except that it contains less milk fat and milk solids. The result is a lowered calorie count and it has a lighter, less creamy texture.

ices - This dessert are fruit juices or purees of fruit that are blended with sugar syrup and frozen.

icing - A term often interchangeable with "frosting" and preferred in America to describe the sugar-and-water mixture used to decorate and cover cakes. It may also contain other ingredients and flavorings. The word is akin to "ice" for the icing becomes firm or glazed after being applied.

Indian Taco – Originally known as Navajo Tacos, but since Indian tribes other than the Navajo Nation have also adopted these as their own, they obtained the universal name of Indian Taco. Indian Tacos are a combination of beans or ground beef, chopped lettuce, sliced tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, and an optional green chile sitting atop plate-sized rounds of crispy Navajo or Indian Fry Bread. The Navajo Taco was voted the State Dish of Arizona in a 1995 poll conducted by the Arizona Republic newspaper. No plates or silverware are needed, as you just fill the fry bread with your desired fillings, roll it up, and then eat this delicious food. Eating Indian Tacos is considered very macho and requires some dedicated chewing.

History: To learn about the history of the Indian Taco, check out History of Sandwiches.

infuse - To steep an aromatic ingredient in hot liquid until the flavor has been extracted and absorbed by the liquid. Teas are infusions. Milk or cream can also be infused with flavor before being used in custards or sauces.

infusion - An infusion is the flavor that's extracted from any ingredient such as tea leaves, herbs, or fruit by steeping them in a liquid such as water, oil, or vinegar.

insalata (ihn-sah-LAH-tah) - The Italian word for "salad."