Glossary of Spanish Food Words

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Word or Term	Definition
maíz tierno	sweet corn
Macedonia	mixture of diced vegetables or fruits.
machacar	grind
maduro	ripe
magdalena	sweet breakfast cupcake
magro	lean (meat)
Mahon, Queso de	from the island of Menorca and is a mild semi-soft, cow's-milk cheese with a unique taste-a little like a Gouda.
majado, majao	a mixture of spices, herbs, often added in the final stages of cooking, prepared in a mortar and pestle
Majorero, Queso de	a semi-cured goat cheese from Fuentevantura in the Canary Islands. It acquires its uniquee flavor from the marjoram on which the goats graze.
malaga wine	An intense raisin-flavored fortified Spanish wine, generally served as a dessert wine or between meals. Strictly speaking, true Malaga wine is aged only in th province of Malaga.
manchego	of the high mountain plane of La Mancha, sheep's cheese from that reagion: queso manchego
manchego cheese	authentic Manchego cheese is made only from the whole milk of Manchega sheep reared in the La Mancha region. This semifirm cheese has a rich yet mellow flavor, and is used universally with ham, membrillo, sherry, almonds, olives.
Manchego, Queso de	sheep's-milk cheese from Manchega ewes on the central plains of La Mancha. It is the cheese most widely available in Spain. It runs the range from semi-soft and mild to hard and sharp, depending on how long it has been cured. O variety is cured for several months in olive oil.
manteca	lard
mantecado	Christmas sweet made of almonds and lardt. The most crumbly version is called polvoron
mantequilla	butter
manzana	apple
manzanilla	a dry, light,crisp wine, similar to fino sherry, produced exclusively in Sanlucar de Barrameda; or chamomile for tea; or variety of table olive
mar i muntanya	"sea and mountain," any dish combining seafood and meat: "Surf & turf"
marinate	raw meat or fish put into a mixture of flavors before being cooked. Marinades also often help to tenderize meat. A typical marinade may contain wine, vinegar, citrus juice, or oil, together with herbs, garlic, bay leaves, and spices.
marinera	general term for seafood cookery, as in cocina marinera
marisco	shellfish
mariscos	seafood
marmitako	tuna and potato casserole from the Basque Country
masa	dough
matanza	traditional sacrificing and processing of a pig
mayonesa	mayonnaise
mazapan	a Christmas sweet made solely of ground almonds and honey.
mejillon	mussel
melón	melon
melaza	molasses
melocotón	peach
membrillo	quince
menestra	vegetable medley made mostly in the spring, originally from Navarra. It may also contain lamb or chicken.
menta	mint
menu de gustacion	tasting menu
merendero	picnic site, snack bar
merienda	afternoon snack
merluza	hake, served lightly fried in Andalucía, or with salsa verde (parsley and olive oil) in the North
mezclar	mix
michirones	a recipe from Murcia made from dried broad beans
miel	honey
miel de cana	sugar cane syrup
migas	fried bread crumbs with garlic, chopped panceta, tocino, red pepper,.
mixed herbs	A collection of commer­cially available dried herbs.
mojama	dry cured salted fish, usually tuna
mojo	sauce from the Canary Islands,such as mojo picón (spicy), mojo verde with coriander
molido, pulverizado	ground
mollejas, lechecillas	sweetbreads
mollete	muffin
mona	an Easter speciality of Catalonia -authentixcally is a rich brioche
mongetes	popular Catalán dish of white beans and grilled sausage
mora	blackberry
morcón	blood sausage
morcilla	a Spanish blood sausage often used in stews and sliced and fried as an accompaniment to eggs or as an appetizer. Often combined with rice or onion.
morros	snout, "face" meat, usually of pork or beef
mortadela	fine-ground pork slicing sausage used in sandwiches, unlike Italian mortadella, the Spanish version often includes olives
mortero	mortar, usually used for crushing spices, garlic, or herbs
mostaza	mustard
mostaza	mustard
muslo de pollo	chicken drumstick