Food, FOO-HUM
The necessity of food for survival is something that all humans have in common, but the trends of diet and food consumption can vary considerably from region to region. Find out more about the ingredients, dishes, and drinks that fuel people around the world.
Food Encyclopedia Articles By Title
food processor, electric appliance developed in the late 20th century, used for a variety of food-preparation functions......
fork, implement consisting of two or more prongs supported by a handle, used for cooking, serving, and eating food.......
Fortnum & Mason, in London, department store famous for the variety and high quality of its food products. It is......
freezing, in food processing, method of preserving food by lowering the temperature to inhibit microorganism growth.......
French cuisine, the traditional meals and cooking techniques developed over centuries in France. Although recipes......
French dip, a sandwich traditionally consisting of sliced roast beef (though pork, ham, turkey, and lamb are sometimes......
french fries, side dish or snack typically made from deep-fried potatoes that have been cut into various shapes,......
fritter, any of various types of fried foods, generally consisting of small pieces of meat, vegetables, fruit,......
frozen meal, any of the complete meals or portions of meals that are precooked, assembled into a package, and frozen......
fruit processing, preparation of fruit for human consumption. Fruit is sometimes defined as the product of growth......
fry bread, type of flatbread that generally is made with flour, water, salt, and sometimes baking powder and that......
frying, the cooking of food in hot fats or oils, usually done with a shallow oil bath in a pan over a fire or as......
Edmond Frémy was a French chemist best known for his investigations of fluorine compounds. In 1831 he entered the......
fudge, creamy candy made with butter, sugar, milk, and usually chocolate, cooked together and beaten to a soft,......
fufu, a popular dish in western and central African countries and, due to African migration, in the Caribbean as......
funnel cake, fried-dough dish popular at fairs, carnivals, and boardwalks and among street vendors. Batter is swirled......
fusel oil, a mixture of volatile, oily liquids produced in small amounts during alcoholic fermentation. A typical......
game, in gastronomy, the flesh of any wild animal or bird. Game is usually classified according to three categories:......
garam masala, a combination of ground spices that originated in India. The term garam masala is derived from the......
garlic, (Allium sativum), perennial plant of the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), grown for its flavourful bulbs.......
garnish, an embellishment added to a food to enhance its appearance or taste. Simple garnishes such as chopped......
gastronomy, the art of selecting, preparing, serving, and enjoying fine food. Gastronomy is grounded in relationships......
gazpacho, cold soup of Spanish cuisine, especially that of Andalusia. It is an ancient dish mentioned in Greek......
gelato, type of ice cream with Italian origins. Sweets and drinks have been cooled using ice or snow since ancient......
François-Thomas Germain was the last of the distinguished Germain family of Parisian silversmiths. He took over......
ghee, clarified butter, a staple food on the Indian subcontinent. As a cooking oil, ghee is the most widely used......
gherkin, (Cucumis anguria), annual trailing vine of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), grown for its edible fruit.......
gin, flavoured, distilled, colourless to pale yellow liquor made from purified spirits usually obtained from a......
ginger, (Zingiber officinale), herbaceous perennial plant of the family Zingiberaceae, probably native to southeastern......
ginger ale, a sweetened carbonated beverage of which the predominating flavour and pleasant warmth are derived......
ginger beer, beverage, once popular in the United Kingdom, made by fermenting a mixture of ginger, water, sugar,......
gingerbread, sweetened, spiced cookie, bread, or cake popular in North America and Europe in fall and winter. Many......
Girl Scout Cookies, cookies that the members of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) sell annually......
gnocchi, potato dumplings of northeastern Italian origin with dozens of variations, though often served like pasta......
Roberto Crispulo Goizueta was a Cuban-born American businessman who served as chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola......
golden rice, a genetically modified rice (Oryza sativa) that has been engineered to biosynthesize beta-carotene,......
gooseberry, any of several species of flowering shrubs of the genus Ribes (family Grossulariaceae), cultivated......
gordita, a small Mexican corn cake that is fried, baked, or grilled and stuffed with various ingredients. A gordita—Spanish......
Gouda, semisoft cow’s-milk cheese of the Netherlands, named for the town of its origin. Gouda is traditionally......
goulash, traditional stew of Hungary. The origins of goulash have been traced to the 9th century, to stews eaten......
graham cracker, wheat cracker lightly sweetened with honey and sometimes flavored with cinnamon and produced in......
grain mill, structure for grinding cereal. Waterwheels were first exploited for such tasks. Geared mills turning......
grains of paradise, pungent seeds of Aframomum melegueta, a reedlike plant of the family Zingiberaceae. Grains......
grande cuisine, the classic cuisine of France as it evolved from its beginnings in the 16th century to its fullest......
granola, breakfast food and snack item made primarily of rolled oats, nuts, and seeds, and often containing other......
grape, (genus Vitis), genus of about 60 to 80 species of vining plants in the family Vitaceae, native to the north......
grapefruit, (Citrus ×paradisi), citrus tree of the Rutaceae family and its edible fruit. The grapefruit probably......
green bean, widely cultivated, edible-podded legume of the species Phaseolus vulgaris. See...
green chili, a staple dish of U.S. Southwestern cuisine that is a spicy stewlike mix of green chiles and usually......
green onion, young onions (family Amaryllidaceae) harvested when their tops are green and the underdeveloped bulbs......
grits, a porridge of coarsely ground grain, especially hominy, that is the basis for a popular foodstuff in the......
Gruyère, hard cow’s-milk cheese produced in the vicinity of La Gruyère in southern Switzerland and in the Alpine......
guacamole, a spread or dip made of avocados. Traditionally, guacamole is made with peeled and mashed ripe avocados......
guanciale, specialty bacon product that originated in central Italy. Guanciale is made from the single piece of......
gumbo, an aromatic soup-stew characteristic of the Creole cuisine of Louisiana, combining African, American Indian,......
gyro, a Greek dish of roasted meat served in a pita, usually with tomato, onion, and tzatziki, a cold, creamy sauce......
habanero, a variety of the chili pepper species Capsicum chinense, grown for its edible pungent fruit that is one......
haggis, the national dish of Scotland, a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (or......
halloumi, creamy, white, soft to semihard, brined cheese with a fibrous springy texture that is made from goat’s......
halvah, any of several confections of Balkan and eastern Mediterranean origin, made with honey, flour, butter,......
ham, the rear leg of a hog prepared as food, either fresh or preserved through a curing process that involves salting,......
hamburger, ground beef. The term is applied variously to (1) a patty of ground beef, sometimes called hamburg steak,......
Armand Hammer was an American petroleum executive, entrepreneur, and art collector. The son of a doctor, Hammer......
harissa, spicy North African paste traditionally made from dried Tunisian baklouti or other peppers combined with......
harpoon, barbed spear used to kill whales, tuna, swordfish, and other large sea creatures, formerly thrown by hand......
hazelnut, (genus Corylus), genus of about 15 species of shrubs and trees in the birch family (Betulaceae) and the......
Henry John Heinz was a U.S. manufacturer whose highly successful prepared-foods company, H.J. Heinz Company, Inc.,......
Ralph Helstein was an American labor union official who was president of the United Packinghouse Workers of America......
Hershey Company is an American manufacturer of food products, chiefly chocolate and sugar-based confections. Hershey’s......
Milton Snavely Hershey was an American manufacturer and philanthropist who founded the Hershey Chocolate Corporation......
high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), sweetener derived from processed cornstarch in which some glucose is converted......
hoagie, submarine sandwich containing Italian meats, cheeses, and other fillings and condiments. The name likely......
hog plum, (Spondias mombin), ornamental tree of the cashew family (Anacardiaceae), native to the tropical Americas.......
hoisin sauce, commercially prepared, thick reddish-brown sauce used in Chinese cuisine both as an ingredient in......
hollandaise sauce, one of the classic sauces of French cooking, made of butter, egg yolks, lemon juice, and pepper......
hollowware, hollow metal utensils and artifacts. The simplest metalwork technique for making hollowware is to join......
holy basil, (Ocimum tenuiflorum), flowering plant of the mint family (Lamiaceae) grown for its aromatic leaves.......
homebrewing, the process of brewing beer, and sometimes other alcoholic beverages, in one’s home for personal use......
hominy, kernels of corn, either whole or ground, from which the hull and germ have been removed by a process usually......
homogenization, process of reducing a substance, such as the fat globules in milk, to extremely small particles......
honey, sweet, viscous liquid food, dark golden in colour, produced in the honey sacs of various bees from the nectar......
horehound, (Marrubium vulgare), bitter perennial herb of the mint family (Lamiaceae), native to Europe, North Africa,......
hors d’oeuvre, a small portion of savory food that is usually served as an appetizer. Hors d’oeuvres are typically......
horseradish, (Armoracia rusticana), hardy perennial plant of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) known for its hotly......
hot dog, sausage, of disputed but probable German origin, that has become internationally popular, especially in......
Buffalo wings refer to a famous variety of chicken wings tossed in a spicy sauce named for the city of Buffalo,......
Sperm whales (Physeter catodon), or cachalots, are the largest of the toothed whales, with males up to 19 meters......
Cheese production involves curdling milk to form solid curds and liquid whey, after which the curds are processed,......
Chocolate making is a fascinating process that begins with the cocoa bean, the seed of the cacao tree, which thrives......
Coffee "beans" (they aren’t really beans) naturally contain caffeine. Although a jolt of caffeine is exactly what......
Only a handful of the more than 20,000 species of bees on Earth make honey, with domesticated honeybees (Apis mellifera)......
Sugar production starts with either sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) or sugar beets (Beta vulgaris), the two primary......
On September 10, 1945, Lloyd Olsen was beheading chickens for market on his family farm in Fruita, Colorado, when......
An earlier version of this article was published on the Britannica blog Advocacy for Animals. In December 1997......
The origin of alcoholic beverages is shrouded in the mists of prehistory, but it is believed that fermentation......
The sugary treat cotton candy was invented in Nashville in 1897 by a dentist (yes, a dentist) named William J.......
Instant ramen was invented by Momofuku Ando in 1958. In his biography, “The Story of the Invention of Instant Ramen”......
Pizza, as we know it today, originated centuries ago in Naples, Italy, where it was crafted as a humble dish for......
huckleberry, any of several species of small fruit-bearing shrubs of the genus Gaylussacia (family Ericaceae).......
hummus, paste originating in the Middle East that is traditionally made of pureed or mashed cooked chickpeas mixed......