Food Lover's Glossary of Culinary Terms Copyright© 1998-2006 by Culinary Software Services, Inc.®

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Vacherin - A crisp, sweet meringue shell used as a serving vessel for fruit and ice cream.
Vanilla - A plant native to Mexico now common in areas throughout the West Indies and Indian Ocean. The pod is used to make extracts which we use in cooking. The whole pod may also be purchased and used as a fragrance or split and scraped to allow the tiny seeds to flavor the dish. It is generally thought of as a sweet spice, used in custards, creams, and cakes. It is also used in savory dishes with vegetables or seafood. There are also imitation vanilla flavorings using synthetically produced vanillin. These can be found in liquid and powder forms.
Velouté - A sauce of various stock bases thickened with a roux. This is used as a base for other more complex sauces, though it may be used alone.
Vermicelli - A very fine round noodle which means "small worms". These are thinner than spaghetti and thicker than capellini.
Vichyssoise - A chilled soup of potatoes and leeks. Other versions now use zucchini, apples, and carrots.
Victual - Food or other provisions.
Vinaigrette - A sauce commonly used to dress salads, comprised of oil and vinegar. Emulsified vinaigrettes use egg and/or mustard to stabilize the dressing. Other combinations using acids other than vinegar, such as wine or citrus juice, are also called vinaigrettes.
Vitello Tonnato - Thinly sliced roast or braised veal, served cold with a creamy, piquant tuna sauce. This combination may sound a bit unusual, but is surprisingly delicious.
Vol-au-Vent - A large round pastry case which is filled with a sauced mixture of meat, seafood, or vegetables then topped with a pastry lid.