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Cooking glossary

AOC: Appellation D'Origine Controlee (Guaranteed Origin Appellation), written into French law in 1935. It guarantees the recognition of a particular product that takes its qualities from its terroir, so not just the qualities of the product itself, but also the inherent qualities of where it is produced.

Banger. Apparently sausages started to be called bangers in the UK, because when fried, they had a tendency to explode. A sausage explodes when the juices in the sausage reaches 100 degrees Celsius, creates steam and meets resistance from an unpricked sausage skin. Bang.

Boerewors. An aromatic sausage without which no South African barbecue is complete. It is usually made with beef and diced pork fat (but most combinations of meat will do). The extraordinary and delicious taste come from the use of coriander seeds, cloves and nutmeg.

Boma. An outdoor enclosure made of wooden branches as protection against wild animals. It has become an outdoor feasting place in South African popular culture.

Emulsion: The thickening of a sauce by filing a water-based liquid with oil, creating a thick and creamy consistency. An emulsion can only be made from two liquids that do not dissolve in each other. It is a blend of two liquids where one forms tiny droplets which are evenly dispersed in the other.

Fleur de sel: Literally "flower of salt." I is the finest and most delicate crystals that form and accumulate at the surface of the salt pans when the humidity and breezes are right. It is gently raked by off the surface by hand before it falls back into the ordinary sea salt. It is expensive and a little is used at the last moment before eating, providing heavenly flavour and texture.

Label Rouge:French system by law to guarantee that a product has different properties and specific characteristics stipulated by a cahier des charges ( document containing technical, administrative and contractual requirements) and most importantly establish a superior quality level particularly with regards to taste.

Lapa. An outdoor cooking area within a sheltered enclosure.

Sosatie. A delicious South African kebab usually made with lamb meat and dried fruit, marinated in a delicate Malay curry. Since its Cape Malay slave origin, it has has changed to encompass all marinated meat kebabs (pork has become the most popular) and one even finds vegetable sosaties nowadays.

Terroir: Refers to natural components like geography, geology and climate as well as human components like skill, tradition and savoir-faire (instinctively knowing exactly what to do and how to do it).

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