Wondering what some of the cooking terms mean? Well let us try to sort that out for you, and if there are terms that we've missed (as I'm sure there will be) please let us know so we can add them.

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Cooking terms starting with the letter O

Oeuf
French for Egg.

Offal The internal parts of an animal including brain, heart, kidney, liver, tongue and tripe

Omelet
Beaten eggs, seasoned, fried with butter or grease in a pan until it starts to puff then folded over or rolled.

Olive
The small fruit of a tree native to the Mediterranean region; has a single pit, high oil content, green colour before ripening and green or black colour after ripening.

Olive Oil
Oil obtained by pressing tree-ripened olives; has a distinctive fruity, olive flavour and is graded according to its degree of acidity; used as a cooking medium, flavouring and ingredient.
Orange
A variety of citrus (Citrus sinensis) with juicy, orange-coloured segmented flesh, a thin to moderately thick orange-coloured rind and a flavour ranging from bitter to tart to sweet; depending on the variety.

Orange Water / Orange Flower Water
A liquid essence of distilled orange blossoms, once used for flavouring.

Oregano
A herb (Origanum vulgare) and the wild form of marjoram; has a woody stalk with clumps of tiny, dark green leaves that have a pungent, peppery flavour and are used fresh or dried.

Orzo
Italian for barley and used to describe rice-like pasta.

Ossobucco
Literally, “hollow bone,” this Italian speciality is made of veal marrow bones, usually shin bones, braised in wine with vegetables and seasonings.

Oyster mushrooms
Thin-ridged, delicately flavoured, cultivated mushrooms with a slight taste of oysters.

Oysters Rockefeller
Oysters which are topped with chopped spinach, bacon and seasoned bread crumbs and baked.

Oyster Types:

BLUE POINT
Connecticut side of the Long Island Sound: juicy, briny, firm and plump

BRAS D'OR
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia: firm, sweet, slightly briny

CARAQUET
Nova Scotia: small, sweet, thin meat, clean mild finish

CHEF CREEK
British Columbia: very briny, meaty, crunchy texture

CHILOE
Chiloe, Chile: belon family, farm raised, intense flavor, sweet, briny, firm

CLARION COVE
Pacific Japanese, similar to kumamoto: plump, medium size, clean, briny

ELKHOM
Washington: deep cup, salty, medium texture, mild after taste

EVENING COVE
British Columbia: medium sized, sweet briny crisp finish

GLIDDEN POINT
Maine: sweet, slightly briny, plump, full flavor, mild finish

HOOD CANAL
Pugent Sound, Washington: mildly briny, delicate texture, sweet

KUMAMOTO
Washington: rich in flavor, buttery, firm, with a mineral finish

MALPEQUE
Prince Edward Island, Canada: sweet, small and thin meat, very clean

MOONSTONE
Rhode Island: medium, briny, thin and plump, clean finish

NANTUCKET
Cape Cod, Mass: small to medium and briny

OYSTERVILLE SELECT
Washington: briny, delicate texture, fruity finish

PEARL POINT
Netart's Bay, Oregon: sweet, plump, mildly briny with a clean finish

PEMAQUID
Maine: Juicy, slightly briny, plump mineral finish

ROYAL MIYAGI
British Columbia: clean, crisp, medium size

SALTAIRE
Nova Scotia: medium size, juicy, plump with a briny taste

SKOOKUM
Pugent Sound, Washington: deep cup, exceptionally sweet, briny, firm

SPINNEY CREEK
Maine: plump, full meat, sweet with a salty finish

WELLFLEET
Cape Cod, Mass: juicy, slightly briny, plump with a salty finish

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