Restaurants—how to read the menu

• à la: refers to the style or sauce in which the restaurant has prepared the food.
• à la carte: a type of restaurant menu where each item can be ordered and paid for separately, as opposed to a set menu.
• al dente: a term used by restaurants to describe food (especially vegetables and pasta) cooked until firm and slightly crunchy.
• antipasti: an Italian word for restaurant starters.
• aperitif: a drink before a restaurant meal, served as an appetiser.
• blanched: cooked briefly in boiling water.
• bouillabaisse: a one-pot seafood dish.
• confit: slowly cooked and preserved meat dish.
• coulis: a purée of fruit or vegetables.
• dim sum: small Chinese snacks.
• flambé: covered in alcohol and ignited.
• fruitarian: restaurant dishes made with only fruit and seeds.
• galette: a flat crêpe or pancake (sweet or savoury).
• gratin: refers to a dish cooked in the oven and browned.
• gratuity: tips paid to the restaurant staff.
• hoisin: a thick, sweet and spicy sauce used in Chinese restaurants. Also known as Peking Sauce.
• infusion: flavour extracted by soaking in liquid.
• Julienne: food that is cut into thin strips.
• miso: fermented soya bean paste.
• paella: a Spanish rice dish that typically includes seafood, tomatoes and saffron.
• petit fours: miniature fancy pastries, typically éclairs.
• ragoût: a thick stew made from poultry, game, fish or vegetables.
• rosti: a Swiss potato pancake.
• samosa: an Indian snack of deep fried dumplings stuffed with curried vegetables or meat.
• sautéed: cooked quickly in hot fat or oil.
• tagine: a Moroccan dish named after the distinctive funnel-shaped earthenware pot it's traditionally cooked in.
• tempura: seafood and vegetables dipped in batter and deep-fried.
• tikka: marinated pieces of chicken or lamb.
• tofu: a soybean curd that comes in cubes.
• torte: the German word for "cake".
• vegan: restaurant dishes prepared without meat, fish or animal products.
• vegetarian: restaurant dishes suitable for people who do not eat meat or fish.
• wakame: Japanese seaweed.
• zabaglione: an Italian dessert made of egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine.

Top restaurant tips:
Restaurants want you to enjoy your meal. Don't be afraid to ask in the restaurant for dishes to be prepared the way you want them.

If you have special dietary requirements—for example, if you're on a gluten-free diet or you have a nut allergy—ask the restaurant staff for advice.