Yes, these are actually French words – classic French cookery terms for specific vegetable cuts. Freyberg TPU students have been working towards their Hospitality level 2 unit standard “Fruit & Vegetable Cuts” requiring them to master each of these techniques. It’s been a lot of fun – when the care is taken with the cutting, the salads, for example, look so appealing – that attention to detail comes through, even in the flavour. This week we’ve featured a beetroot salad made of brunoise of beetroot – all hand diced, it is a pleasure to eat!
Brunoise – very small diced cube, 1-3mm (parsnip in this picture – makes delicious parsnip “riosotto”)
Macédoine – diced cube 5mm (great for carrot)
Jardinère – short thin baton, 2.5cm long x 3mm wide and thick (it’s a “soup cut” – designed to fit on a soup spoon elegantly – they look pretty cool)
Julienne – long thin match sticks, 1-3mm wide & thick, around 4cm long (we are used to these as “match stick carrots” in salad, or thin capsicum slices on pizza for example)
Chiffonade – finely shredded green leaves – e.g. lettuce or fresh herbs (mint in this picture)
The larger potatoes are just known as “dice”.
