The Worldwide Origins of Common Culinary Terms

In an appetizing episode of the Mental Floss series Food History, host Justin Dodd explains the worldwide origins of 20 different common culinary terms, recipes, and practices. Included in this list are such sayings as a “baker’s dozen”, “al-dente”, “á la King”, “hors d’oeuvre”, “mirepoix”, and several others that are bound to be part a cook’s familiar lexicon.

Amuse-bouche, barbecue, umami… where do these delightful culinary words come from? Let’s explore the history of these terms (and more) in this episode of Food History.