French to English Food Glossary - Patricia Wells

Marquise (au chocolat): mousse-like (chocolate) cake.
Marion (glacé): large (candied) chestnut.
Matelote (d'anguilles): freshwater fish (or eel) stew.
Matignon: a garnish of mixed stewed vegetables.
Mauviette: wild meadow lark or skylark.
Médaillon: round piece or slice, usually of fish or meat.
Mélange: mixture or blend.
Méli-mélo: an assortment of fish and/or seafood.
Melon de Cavaillon: small canteloupe-like melon from Cavaillon, a town in Provence known for its wholesale
produce market.
Ménagère, à la: in the style of the housewife; usually a simple preparation including onions, potatoes, and carrots.
Mendiant, fruits du: traditional mixture of figs, almonds, hazelnuts, and raisins, whose colors suggest the robes of the
mendicant friars it is named after.
Menthe: mint.
Merguez: small spicy sausage.
Merlan: whiting.
Merle: blackbird.
Merlu: hake, a member of the codfish family often sold improperly in Paris markets as colin; found in the English
Channel, Atlantic, and Mediterranean.
Mérou: a large grouper, an excellent tropical or near-tropical fish, generally imported from North Africa but
sometimes found in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
Merveille: hot sugared doughnut.
Mesclum, mesclun: a mixture of at least seven multi-shaded salad greens from Provence.
Mets: dish or preparation.
Mets selon la saison: seasonal preparation; according to the season.
Méture: corn bread from the Basque region.
Meule: millstone; name for wheel of cheese in the Jura.
Meunière, à la: in the style of the miller's wife; refers to a fish that is seasoned, rolled in flour, fried in butter; and
served with lemon, parsley and hot melted butter.
Meurette: in, or with, a red wine sauce. Also, a Burgundian fish stew.
Mi-cru: half raw.
Mi-cuit: half cooked.
Miche: a large round country-style loaf of bread. Also, Basque name for aniseed cake-like bread.
Mie: interior or crumb of the bread (see Pain de mie).
Miel: honey
Mignardise: see Petit-four.
Mignon de canard: see Dcmsiselle de canard.
Mignonette: small cubes, usually of beef. Also refers to coarsely ground black ot white pepper.
Mijoté(e) (plat): simmered (dish or preparation).
Mille-feuille: refers to puff pastry with many thin layers; usually a cream-filled rectangle of puff pastry, or a Napoleon.
Mimosa: garnish of chopped hard-cooked egg yolks.
Minute (à la): minute; something quickly grilled or fried in butter with lemon juice and parsley (prepared at the last
minute).
Mique: generally a large breaded dumpling, poached and served with stews and meats; specialty of the Southwest.
Mirabeau: garnish of anchovies, pitted olives, tarragon, and anchovy butter.
Mirabelle: small sweet yellow plum. Also, colorless fruit brandy or eau-de-vie, made from yellow plums.
Mirepoix: cubes of carrots and onions or mixed vegetables, usually used in braising to boost the flavor of a meat dish.
Miroir: mirror; a dish that has a smooth glaze; currently a fruit mousse cake with a layer of fruit glaze on top.
Miroton (de): slice (of). Also, stew of meats flavored with onions.
Mitonnée: a simmered, soup-like dish.
Mode de, à la: in the style of.
Moëlle: beef bone marrow.
Mogette, mojette mougette: a kind of dried white bean from the Atlantic coast.
Moka: refers to Coffee; coffee-flavored dish.
Mollusque: mollusk.
Mont blanc: rich classic pastry of baked meringue, chestnut purée, and whipped cream.
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