French cookery terms

[mint]

Whilst I was making a banana cake today, it occurred to me that I have never come across the term "fold in" in French, as in fold in the flour carefully.

The recipe says "bien mélanger et verser dans le moule".

I started mixing the dry and wet ingredients and then it occurred to me that I'd probably better fold in the dry ingredients carefully with a metal spoon, as that is what I would normally do.  Just something you are asked to do all the time when making cakes, non?

So, do French recipes ever ask you to "fold in" the flour?

[Loiseau]

Perhaps it's assumed that French cooks won't need telling!

I think I have seen "incorporer" used - maybe that's gentler than "melanger"?

Angela

[ericd]

The correct term is "incorporer"......as against "melanger".

[mint]

So you two are agreed that incorporer means to fold in.....thanks.

I wonder if anyone else has come across French cooking terms that translate, or not as the case may be, into English  and that might be interesting to bring up here.

I deliberately use a broad phrase like "cookery terms" to try and stimulate some responses.

Because I have spent years reading recipes in English, I have always found French terms quite easily understandable (even right at the beginning of our move here when my French was near non-existent).

So, I can understand if nobody actually finds any difficulty with reading recipes (or should I say recettes) in French.

[Loiseau]

Funny that in English we talk about a "casserole" for a stew, whereas for the French it's a saucepan.

Angela

[Patf]

And a "marmite" is a big stewing pot.

SW17 - the Rustica magazine has a good recipe section with exotic things like

verrine de carottes confit - stewed carrots in a glass

mijottee de boeuf- beef stew

bavarois a l'orange - not sure about this one

fricassee de haricots Tarbais -or this one, except that Tarbes beans are delicious and worth growing.

veloute de champignons  - mushroom cream soup etc etc

It makes everyday things sound luxurious.

[bubbles]

Don't you find that a restaurant menu in French always sounds more appetising than the translation?

Am going to google that magazine now - yum yum.

ps have just duly googled. merci beaucoup. some truly delicious recipes there. miam miam.

[rowland]

I found that buying recipe magazines was one of the best ways of improving my french vocabulary. Learning new words is always easier when the subject really interests you and it is amazing how many everyday verbs and nouns are used in recipes - to add, to mix, to sprinkle, to stir, to taste etc. etc.

The first thing I do when I arrive in France is to buy a copy of Cuisine Actuelle or similar.

[Patf]

Cuisine Actuelle sounds interesting - I'm going to buy one next week.

Rustica is basically a gardening magazine but has a food section too with a weeks' menus using seasonal ingredients.

[mint]

[quote user="rowland"]I found that buying recipe magazines was one of the best ways of improving my french vocabulary. Learning new words is always easier when the subject really interests you and it is amazing how many everyday verbs and nouns are used in recipes - to add, to mix, to sprinkle, to stir, to taste etc. etc. The first thing I do when I arrive in France is to buy a copy of Cuisine Actuelle or similar.[/quote]

How right you are about that, rowland.

When we were new and OH joined the table-tennis club, he had to be the arbitre.....didn't take him long to learn his French numbers.  At least to eleven as I believe that the winner is now best to eleven [:)]