Aged red wine vinegar made from the must of cabernet sauvignon grapes.

Small, round, cake-decorating sweets available in silver, gold or various colours.

Contains egg yolk, parmesan cheese, anchovies, white wine and lemon juice.

Used to give an authentic US Deep South spicy cajun flavour to food. This packaged blend of assorted herbs and spices can include paprika, basil, onion, fennel, thyme, cayenne and tarragon.

a type of squid, cleaned and cut into rings

Spanish short-grain rice used in paella. If unavailable, substitute arborio rice.

A hard, oily, tropical nut; cushed or ground they are used as a thickening agent. The raw nut is slightly toxic, so must be cooked before eating. Substitute with macadamias.

small dried white beans (also available in cans)

Fruit formed after the caper buds have flowered; caperberries are pickled, usually with stalks intact.

the grey-green buds of a warm-climate shrub, used to enhance dressings and sauces with their piquancy

also known as bell pepper or, simply, pepper. Discards seeds and membranes before use

from a herb related to parsley; can be used in sweet and savoury dishes

an Italian pasta sauce traditionally made from pancetta, cream, cheese and egg

native to India and used extensively in its cuisine; can be purchased in pod, seed or ground form. Has an aromatic, sweetly rich flavour; one of the world's most expensive spices

superfine or finely granulated table sugar.

a thin-fleshed, long, extremely hot red chilli; usually purchased dried or ground

Tuberous root with brown skin, white flesh and a celery-like flavour.

BOCCONCINI small rounds of fresh "baby" mozzarella; a delicate, semi-soft, white cheese. Spoils rapidly so must be kept under refrigeration, in brine, for one or two days at most
CHEDDAR the most common cow milk "tasty" cheese; should be aged, hard and have a pronounced bite
COTTAGE fresh, white, unripened curd cheese with a grainy consistency and a fat content of 5% to 15%
FETTA Greek in origin; a crumbly textured goat or sheep milk cheese with a sharp, salty taste
FONTINA a smooth firm cheese with a nutty taste and a brown or red rind.
GOAT made from goat milk; has an earthy, strong taste. Available in both soft and firm textures.
GORGONZOLA a creamy, cow milk blue cheese. Pierced with needles at about four weeks to encourage the mould to spread; takes about three to six months to fully mature by which time the colour ranges from white to straw yellow with bluish green marbling from the mould.
GRUYÈRE a Swiss cheese having small holes and a nutty, slightly salty flavour.
HALOUMI a firm, creamed coloured sheep milk cheese matured in brine; somewhat like a minty, salty fetta in flavour
MASCARPONE a cultured cream product made in much the same way as yogurt. It's white to creamy in colour, with a soft, creamy texture.
MOZZARELLA a semi-soft cheese with a delicate, fresh taste; traditionally made from buffalo milk
PARMESAN a sharp-tasting, dry, hard cheese, made from skim or part-skim milk and aged for at least a year before being sold
PECORINO the generic Italian name for cheese made from sheep milk. Hard cheese that is white to pale-yellow in colour
PIZZA a commercial blend of processed grated cheddar, mozarella and parmesan
RICOTTA a sweet, fairly moist, fresh curd cheese having a low fat content

a piquant Moroccan paste mixture of fresh and ground spices including coriander, cumin and paprika

Soft stone fruit varying in colour from yellow to dark red. Sweet cherries are eaten whole and in desserts, while sour cherries, such as the bitter Morello variety, are used in jams, preserves, pies and savoury dishes, particularly as an accompaniment to game birds and meats.