FOOD GLOSSARY - Olla Podrida to Panocha

OLLA PODRIDA:  Spanish national dish, a rich stew containing sausages, poultry, beans, beef, cabbage, and other ingredients, baked slowly in an earthenware pot.

OMELETTE (French):  Omelet; omelette au fromage: cheese omelet; omelette au jambon: ham omelet; omelet au rhum: omelet flavored with rum; omelette parmentier: omelet with potatoes; omelette aux fines herbes: omelet with finely chopped herbs.

OOLONG TEA:  A Chinese variety of black tea that is partly fermented before being dried; it is between black and green in character.

ORACH or ORACHE:  A garden plant with red or green leaves, sometimes used as a vegetable (a pot herb).

ORANGE PEKOE :  A black tea grown in Ceylon and India, made from the small leaves at the tips of the stem. The term denotes the size of the leaf, not the quality of the tea.

ORETIKA (Greek):  Hors d'oeuvres or appetizers.

OYSTER CRAB:  A miniature crab occasionally found growing as a parasite in oysters. It's considered a delicacy.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER:  Oysters placed in the deep half shells, topped with butter, a herb-spinach sauce, buttered crumbs, then baked on a bed of rock saIt in a shallow baking pan. A famous New Orleans dish.

PAELLA:  A classic Spanish rice dish made with many kinds of seafood, chicken, pimiento, peas, etc. There are many variations.

PAIN:  Bread; pain roti or pain grille: toast.

PANADA:  A paste of flour and water or soaked bread sometimes used in soups or a preparation of bread soaked in milk or stock, which is then drained and pounded to form the foundation for stuffings.

PAN BREAD:  A quick bread baked in a covered saucepan on top of the range.

PAN BROIL:  To cook uncovered over direct heat on a hot surface, such as a skillet or griddle. Use no fat at all or very little - just enough to keep food from sticking to surface. Fat is poured off as it accumulates.

PANÉ (French):  Prepared or coated with breadcrumbs.

PAN FISH:  A general term for small fish for cooking whole in a small amount of fat.

PAN FRY:  To cook in a skillet in a small amount of fat. See Fry.

PANOCHA:  A candy made, of brown sugar, milk, butter, and nuts, Also a coarse sugar made in Mexico. Also spelled penuche or penuchi.