Most of us pronounce common French cooking terms in an anglicized way. Usually, this is fine. But, have you ever wanted to know how to pronounce all the classic French culinary terms in the proper French way? Maybe you want to make a cooking video and use French words for everyday cooking techniques so that you’ll be that much more legit. Or, maybe you want to impress your friends when ordering dinner. Or, maybe you’re just curious about how to say all this stuff.
Whatever the reason, CulinaryLore has you covered. I’ve listed a whole crockpot full of French words that we commonly use in English when we talk about French cuisinery (sure, that’s a word. I’ve provided their definitions, a phonetic pronunciation in both French and English and an audio file with a real French accent.
Au gratin: refers to covering a dish with breadcrumbs, butter, and/or cheese (and sometimes egg) and heating it under a broiler, salamander, or in the oven. Also called gratinée.
French [oh gra-tan]; English oh [graht-n, oh grat-n, aw graht-n, aw grat-n]
Bain-marie: water bath or double boiler used to cook custards and terrines
French [ban-ma-ree]; English [beyn-muh–ree]
Béchamel: A roux to which milk is added to make a thickened white sauce. One of the classic French mother sauces.
French [bey-sha-mel]; English [bey-shuh-mel]
Beurre blanc: French for ‘white butter.’ An emulsified sauce made with butter. It begins by reducing vinegar and/or white wine with shallots. Then, removed from the heat, softened whole butter is whisked until an emulsion is formed.
French [bœr blahn]; English [bur blahngk]
Beurre manié: a mixture of equal parts butter and flour used to thicken soups, stews, and other liquids.
French [bœr ma-nyey]; English [bur mahn-yey]
Beurre noisette: butter that is browned over medium heat until it turns a nut-brown color.
French [bœr nwa-zet]; English [bur nwah-zet]
Bisque: a highly-seasoned soup of lobster, crab, shrimp, and crayfish, utilizing the shells to make a stock, which is strained. Bisques have a smooth, velvety texture and cream and wine are often added. The term is often applied to any cream-based soup that uses cooked ingredients that are strained or processed through a food-mill. The classic ‘seafood bisque’ (redundant term) is a favorite soup around the world.
French [beesk]; English [bisk]
Bouillon: a simple broth made with meat, fish, or vegetables simmered for a short period. Usually used as a base for other dishes such as soups or sauces. Bouillon is the French word for ‘broth.
French [bool-yon]; English [bool-yon]
Bouquet garni: a bundle of herbs tied together with spring or enclosed in cheesecloth that is used t’s used to add flavor to soups, stews, sauces, and stocks. Typical herbs include thyme, bay leaf, and parsley.
French [boo-ke gar-nee]; English [boh-key gahr-nee]
Brunoise: a knife-cut technique in which vegetables are first julienned and then one-quarter and diced to produce small, neat cubes of about 1/8 inches or less.
French [broo-nwahs]; [broo-nwahz]
Canapé: an Hors d’Oeuvres or starter of a thin piece of bread or toast topped with cheese, caviar, anchovies, or other savory food, sometimes wrapped.
French [ka-na-pey]; English [kan–uh-pee]
Charcuterie: the branch of French cusine devoted to prepared or cured meat products such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, pâtés, and confit. In the French classic kitchen brigade, this is the province of the garde manger.
French [shar-kytuh-ree]; English [shahr-koo-tuh-ree]
Court-bouillon: a stock made from wine and vegetables, quickly cooked and typically used in fish and seafood dishes. It is sometimes used for poaching vegetables, eggs, sweetbreads, cockscombs, and delicate meats.
French [koor-boo-yawn]; English [koor-bool-yawn]
Crème fraîche: a naturally soured cream that is thickened by lactic acid fermentation.
French [krem fresh]; English [krem fresh]
Crêpes: thin pancakes served with sweet or savory fillings and garnishes, often used as desserts. A well-known dessert created with crepes is crêpes suzette, thin pancakes served with a caramelized sugar and butter sauce, tangerine or orange juice, zest, and topped with Grand Marnier, triple sec or orange Curaçao liqueur on top. Usually flambéed at tableside.
French [krep]; English [kreyps]
Croquette: a fried ball made with meat, seafood, cheese, rice, mushrooms, and various vegetables. The filling ingredients are combined with a binder, usually a béchamel or brown sauce, then breaded and deep-fried.
French [kroh-ket ]; English [kroh-ket]
Flambé: food that has had brandy or another liquor poured over it and set alight. This culinary term is also used as a verb, where to flambé a dish means to pour brandy or other liquor over it and set it on fire. This flashy technique used to be reserved for certain deserts like bananas Foster or cherries jubilee.
French [flahn-bey]; English [flahm-bey]
Hors d’oeuvre: a small dish served as an appetizer or starter. Also, any small bit of food often served on crackers or small pieces of toast, such as a canapé.
French [awr dœ-vruh]; English [awr durv]
Julienne: a knife-cut technique in which vegetables are cut into thin strips or small match-like pieces.
French [zhy-lyen]; English [joo-lee-en]
Mise en Place: A French cooking term that means “put into place.” In America, especially on Food TV, this usually means having all of your ingredients prepared and ready to use in your dish before you begin cooking. In classic French kitchens, mis en place refers to everything that is done to make service as efficient as possible. It encompasses everything involved in “getting ready” and also keeping things in order as service goes on.
French [mee zahn plos]; English [mee zahn plas]