Glossary of Food and Cooking Terms - P

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Pad Thai
A dish from Thailand that is made with rice noodles, tofu, eggs, chiles, garlic, bean sprouts, fish sauce, and peanuts.

Paella
A dish from Spain that is made with rice, saffron, vegetables, meats, and seafood.

Paprika
A spice that is made from dried ground sweet red peppers.

Parboil
To partially cook food in boiling water for just a few minutes.

Pierogi
Polish dumplings filled with meats, potatoes, and spices.

Pirogi
Russian pastries that filled with meats and potatoes. They can either be baked or fried.

Polenta
A cornmeal mush popular in Italian, Swiss, Croatian, Romanian, and Corsican cuisine. It is a traditional staple food throughout much of northern Italy.Formerly a peasant food, polenta has recently become quite upscale, with polenta dishes in restaurants and prepared polenta found in supermarkets commanding high prices. Many new recipes have given new life to what is on its own basically a fairly bland food, invigorating it with various cheeses or tomato sauces.