There is little doubt that French cuisine is amongst the finest in the world. However, sometimes a French menu can be a bit confusing.

It's easy to confuse tourteau (crab) with tortue (turtle) or ail (garlic) with alie (a poultry wing). So to avoid too much confusion, we've put together a few terms that you might want to check up on before you give your order. 

A
. Abat(s) - offal. 
. Abati(s) - giblet(s) of poultry or game foul. 
. Achatine - land snail. 
. Amourette(s) - spinal bone marrow of calf or ox. 
. Anguille - eel. 

B
. Baille - 'titbit', dish combining various offal. 
. Bigorneau - periwinkle, tiny sea snail. 
. Bouilliture - eel stew with red wine and prunes.  
. Bulot - large sea snail or whelk, also called buccin. 

C
. Cargolade - a copious mixed grill of snails, lamb, pork sausage, and sometimes blood sausage cooked over vine clippings. 
. Cervelle(s) - brain(s), of calf or lamb. 
. Civet de tripes d'oies - a stew of goose innards, shallots, and garlic, cooked in wine vinegar and thickened with goose blood. 
. Coeur - heart. 
. Colère, en - 'in anger'; when, in the presentation of fish, its tail is inserted into its mouth to make it appear 'angry'. 
. Cornichon - gherkin, tiny bitter cucumber pickle. 

D
. Demoiselle de canard - marinated raw duck tenderloin; not to be confused with Demoiselles de Cherbourg - small lobsters cooked in court bouillon and served in their cooking juices. 
. Dodine - cold, stuffed poultry which has already been boned. 

E
. Ecornet - small illex squid, also known as calamar.  
. Escargot petit-gris - small land snail. 

F
. Foie de veau - calf's liver.  
. Foie gras d'oie (de canard) - liver of fattened goose(duck).  
. Foudjou - strong smelling goat's cheese blending pepper, garlic, salt and brand with fresh and aged grated cheese.  
. Frémi - literally meaning 'trembling' and often applied to barely cooked oysters.  
. Fritons - coarse pork rillettes or minced spread which includes organ meats.  
. Fritot - small organ meat fritter. 

G
. Gésier - gizzard  
. Gibelotte - fricassee of rabbit in red or white wine.  
. Goret - young pig.  
. Gousse d'ail - clove of garlic. 
. Gras - fatty.  

H
. Hareng - herring, "...baltique" - marinated; "...bouffi" - salted; "..pec" - freshly salted; "saur" - smoked.  
. Hure de porc - head of pig.  

L
. Langouste - clawless spiny lobster or rock lobster; sometimes called crawfish and, mistakenly, crayfish.  
. Langoustine - clawed crustacean, smaller than langouste with very delicate meat. Known in British waters as Dublin Bay prawn.  
. Langue (de chat) - "cat's tongue"; thin, narrow, delicate biscuit (often served with sorbet or ice cream).  

M
. Magret de canard - breast of fattened duck.  
. Mi-cru - half raw.  
. Mi-cuit - half cooked.  
. Museau de porc - snout of pork, vinegared.  

N
. Non compris - service charge has not been included on listed menu prices; however, check the bill - it's not unusual to find that it's been added anyway.  

O
. Oreille de porc - cooked pigs ear, served grilled, with a coating of egg and breadcrumbs.  

P
. Perce-pierre - samphire, edible seaweed.  
. Piech - poached veal brisket stuffed with vegetables and herbs.  
. Pied de cheval - "horses foot"; giant Atlantic coast oyster.  
. Porchetta - young pig stuffed with offal, herbs and garlic and roasted. 
. Poulpe - octopus.  

R
. Ris d'agneau (de veau) - lamb (veal) sweetbreads.  
. Rognonnade - veal loin with kidneys attached.  

S
. Salicorne - edible seaweed.  
. Sangue - Corsican black pudding, usually with grapes or herbs.  

T
. Tapenade - a blend of black olives, anchovies, capers, olive oil and lemon juice.  
. Tripoux - mutton tripe.  

V
. Vessie, en - cooked in a pig's bladder (usually chicken) 

Also see related articles

Restaurants in Calais
The cheese of France
The Patisseries of France
French Menu Terms

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