antipasto Italian term for appetizer. The plural is antipasti.
baba ghanoush a Middle Eastern dip made from mashed eggplant, garlic, olive oil, and tahini, usually served on pita bread. Also spelled baba gannoujh.
buffalo wings spicy, fried chicken wings or chicken wing pieces, usually coated in hot sauce or barbecue sauce, reportedly originating in a bar in Buffalo, New York, in the 1960s. Traditionally, buffalo wings are served with celery sticks and a dip of blue cheese dressing.
canape a cracker or small piece of bread spread with meat, cheese, or other topping.
caviar the salted eggs of sturgeon or salmon, eaten as a spread.
coquilles St. Jacques minced scallops served in their shells and topped with a creamy wine sauce and grated cheese.
crudites raw vegetables cut up and usually served with dip.
dim sum any of a variety of Asian appetizers that most often consist of dough casings filled with minced vegetables or meats.
dolma rice, lamb, and onion wrapped in grape or cabbage leaves and marinated with olive oil and lemon, served cold.
falafel a deep-fried patty or croquette made from ground chickpeas and seasonings. Also, a pita bread sandwich made of this.
finger food any small food or tidbit that can be picked up in one's hands and eaten.
gougere a delicate cheese puff that looks like a small dinner roll, made from Gruyere cheese, flour, butter, and eggs, and sometimes flavored with nutmeg or sprinkled with salt.
kickshaw any tidbit or delicacy.
knish a pillow of dough stuffed with potato, meat, or cheese, baked or fried.
nachos tortilla chips topped with guacamole, salsa, bean dip, or chopped onion or tomatoes, etc., and covered with melted cheese.
nosh a snack. Also, to eat a snack.
pate a spread of pureed seasoned meat.
pate de foie gras a spread made from fattened goose liver.
rollmop a filleted herring rolled around a pickle or onion.
rumaki a marinated chicken liver and a slice of water chestnut wrapped in bacon.
smorgasbord an assortment of appetizers and other foods, which may in themselves be eaten as a whole meal.
tapa a snack served with beer or sherry.
beer
alcohol-free beer any beer having no more than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume.
ale a fruity brew that is made by quick fermentation at high temperatures. Ales typically have a higher alcohol content than lagers.
amber beer between pale and dark in color.
barley the grain used to make malt.
barley wine a fruity, winelike ale with a high alcohol content and a coppery color.
barrel a container for holding beer, equal to two kegs, or 31 gallons.
Belgian lace the latticework of foam that streaks down a glass after a drink of beer is taken.
Berliner Weisse a cloudy wheat beer with high car- bonation and low alcohol content.
bitter popular dry British draft ale that is bronze to deep copper in color.
black and tan a blend of dark and pale beers, such as pilsner and porter.
black malt malted barley intensely roasted to provide a dark hue and a burned flavor to stouts and dark beers.
bock a very strong, malty Bavarian dark lager, traditionally drunk in early spring to mark the new season.
body the fullness of flavor and feel of a beer on the tongue
bouquet the aroma of a beer.
brewing the process of making beer.
brown ale a dark brown ale flavored with caramel malt and low in alcohol.
caramel malt a sweet, golden malt with a nutty flavor, used in dark ales.
craft beer any beer made by a small, independent brewer with traditional ingredients and methods.
cream ale a mild American ale.
doppelbock "double bock"; a very strong, dark brown beer, originating in Germany.
draft beer beer on tap from a keg.
dry beer a light brew with a higher alcohol content and little aftertaste.
eisbock a very strong bock beer, with a higher alcohol content.
fermentation the multiday process of yeast's conversion of simple sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
fermenter in the brewing process, the tank used for conversion of simple sugars to alcohol.
head the foam at the top of a beer after pouring.
hops a beer spice derived from the flowers of a perennial vine.
ice beer a smooth lager made by chilling to the point of crystallization.
keg a beer container that holds 6.88 cases of beer or 15.5 gallons.
lager a smooth, crisp beer made by storing for long periods at low temperatures.
lambic a strongly acidic wheat beer originally produced in Belgium.
light beer a watery, low-calorie beer, usually pilsner. May also designate a low alcohol beer.
malt barley that has germinated and been allowed to dry.
malt liquor a strong, pale lager, originating in America.
maple brown ale a brown ale made with maple syrup as a sweetener.
mash the brewing ingredients of ground malt and water.
mashing brewing process of blending ground malt and water in a vessel.
mash tun the vessel in which the mashing process takes place.
microbrew a beer made by a small, independent brewery and distributed locally.
microbrewery a small, independent brewery that produces a high-quality, often distinctly flavored beer or line of beers, usually distributed regionally.
Oktoberfest famous beer-drinking festival that takes place in Munich, Germany, in the fall.
pilsner a dry, pale, golden-colored lager, aged in wood. Also spelled pilsener.
porter a heavy, dark brown English brew made from roasted barley.
Scotch ale a very strong, malty ale, originating in Scotland.
stout extra dark beer made with roasted malts.
weisse a very pale or white beer from Germany. Also known as weissbier.
wheat beer a beer made with malted wheat and malted barley.
bottles and glasses
beer mug a heavy drinking glass, often made of metal or earthenware and having a handle.
brandy snifter a glass distinguished by its medium stem and large, slightly tapering bowl, somewhat reminiscent of a balloon.
champagne glass a slender, tapering glass with a medium stem.
cocktail glass a small, stemmed glass with a triangular bowl. Also known as a martini glass.
Collins glass a tall, straight glass.
cooler a tall, narrow glass.
cordial glass a small, narrow glass with a long stem.
deep-saucer champagne glass a glass having a tall stem and broad, saucerlike cup and holding six ounces or more.
delmonico similar to a cocktail glass but having a slightly taller, narrower cup.
fifth a bottle holding one-fifth of a gallon.