U
Udon – Long, thick, white, buckwheat Japanese noodles
Unleavened – Baked items with no ingredients to give volume
Upma – Spiced semolina cooked with vegetables (Indian)
V
Vacherin – Crisp, sweet meringue shell used as serving vessel
Vanilla – Plant native to Mexico, pods used to make extracts
Velouté – Roux-thickened white stock; one of the mother sauces
Vermicelli – Very fine round noodle, thinner than spaghetti
Vichyssoise – Chilled soup of potatoes and leeks
Vinaigrette – Sauce commonly used to dress salads, comprised of oil and vinegar
Vindaloo – Spicy Indian meat marinated in garam masala
Virgin Olive Oil – Robust fruity flavoured olive oil from highest quality olives
W
Wakame – Dark green, dried, lobe-leafed strands of seaweed (Japanese)
Wasabi – Japanese horseradish, dried and ground to fine powder
Water Bath (Bain-Marie) – Technique of placing container of food in shallow pan of warm water
Water Chestnut – Crisp walnut-sized bulb with brownish-green skin
Welsh Rarebit – Cheese sauce made with ale, served over toast
Whelk – Small marine snail, poached and served hot or cold
Whipped Cream – Ideal cream to create light frothy topping for desserts
Whisk – To quickly mix air into ingredients; also name of cooking tool
Wiener Schnitzel – Thin slices of veal or pork breaded and fried in butter
Wok – Cone-shaped utensil with rounded bottom used for Chinese cooking
Wonton – Chinese dumpling made from egg-noodle dough
Worcestershire Sauce – Condiment developed in England from Indian flavours