A look at some of the new words and phrases about food.

Foodoir n. A memoir that includes recipes or that is focused on food, meals, or cooking. [Blend of food and memoir.]

Whole Foods Republicans n. “Independent-minded voters who embrace a progressive lifestyle but not progressive politics. These highly-educated individuals appreciate diversity and would never tell racist or homophobic jokes; they like living in walkable urban environments; they believe in environmental stewardship, community service and a spirit of inclusion. And yes, many shop at Whole Foods, which has become a symbol of progressive affluence but is also a good example of the free enterprise system at work.”

Koodie n. slang. A kid keenly interested in food, especially eating, cooking or watching reruns of Julia Child. A kid who has an ardent or refined interest in food; a mini-gourmet; usually trained by one or both parents to have an unusual, and sometimes fanatic, desire to eat unusual foods. Evolution from the now defunct word “foodie.”

TweetWhatYouEat, n. (commonly known as “twye“). A Twitter application that helps people track what they eat, thereby encouraging them to eat more healthily.

Men-tertainers n. an increasing number of males are spending their free time organising dinner parties for their friends.

Courtesy of The Double-tongued Dictionary, Word Spy, and Schott’s Vocab.

A monthly look at new words and phrases about food.

rito n. A clipping of burrito. “I just got out of a noise violation because the cop recognized my roommate as his favorite chipotle burrito roller. just another reason I love ritos.”

weed in a can n. “Drank” is being billed as the anti-energy drink, to help you relax and soothe out the day. The key ingredients in the grape-flavored drink are melatonin, valerian root and rose hip. Those are all herbs used to help in relaxation and trouble sleeping. The concept of the “relaxation beverage,” has led some people to refer to the drink as “weed in a can.” (Not to be confused with Purple drank, which is the slang term for a recreational drug popular in the hip-hop community of the southern United States. Its main ingredient is prescription-strength cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine.

vampire n. A traditional dish in the Republic of Chad in central Africa that is made with animal blood. “Vampire,” as it is jokingly dubbed, is making a comeback amid a global surge in food prices that has left meat too expensive for many. It is made with peppers, salt, onions, spicy sauce and maggi [stock cubes], and then fried together. Some nutritional specialists say that “vampire” is a good source of nutrients and protein, especially for children. One local was enthusiastic about its culinary merits too, stating: “The taste is good, a bit like liver. I really like it. … I suppose it doesn’t sound very good to be associated with sucking blood, but I don’t really care. Perhaps it will give me the strength of a vampire!”

Courtesy of The Double-tongued Dictionary, Word Spy, and Schott’s Vocab.

A monthly look at new words and phrases about food.

eatertain v. Kessler spends a lot of time meeting with (often anonymous) consultants who describe how they are trying to fashion products that offer what’s become known in the food industry as “eatertainment.” Fat, sugar, and salt turn out to be the crucial elements in this quest: different “eatertaining” items mix these ingredients in different but invariably highly caloric combinations.

phantom fat n. Body-image experts say it’s not uncommon for people, especially women, who have lost a lot of weight to be disappointed to some extent to discover that they still aren’t “perfect.” Some specialists use the term “phantom fat” to refer to this phenomenon of feeling fat and unacceptable after weight loss.

Courtesy of The Double-tongued Dictionary, Word Spy, and Schott’s Vocab.

A monthly look at new words and phrases about food.

chicken on a throne n. We are not made of stone, and we could not resist including a clip of America’s most surreal superstar, humbly demonstrating in his own kitchen how he makes roasted chicken with pears. More important than the crazy vocal cadence or his recipe, though, is the technique, sometimes referred to as beer can chicken or “chicken on a throne,” though technically known as indirect grilling. (This refers to the famous viral video of Christopher Walken.)

enhanced chicken n. People shouldn’t be paying chicken prices for saltwater. But some unscrupulous poultry producers add as much as 15 percent saltwater—and then have the gall to label such pumped-up poultry products “natural.” Some in the industry euphemistically call chicken soaked or injected with salt water “enhanced chicken.” Of course this isn’t really about enhancing chicken, it’s about enhancing profits. Someone’s clucking all the way to the bank.

VB6 n. VB6 is short for Vegan Before 6, the increasingly popular veggie-heavy diet that converts say can do wonders for both the body and the planet. Coined and devise by food writer Mark Bittman, the regime is pretty self-explanatory: No animal products, processed food or simple carbohydrates during the day. After 6 p.m., anything goes.

Courtesy of The Double-tongued Dictionary and Schott’s Vocab.

bogo acronym In the retail industry that stands for Buy One Get One. “Unfortunately, the bogo deals tend to favor families with more mouths to feed than ours. What am I going to do with a second ham?”

bet dieting pp. Betting money on losing weight, particularly where the money goes to a charity or other organization that one disagrees with. “Bet dieting is the newest rage and there are a few websites that enable it, but stickk.com has an extra ploy: the ‘anti-charity.’ Choosing the most politically controversial non-profit charities to motivate someone to achieve their goals is a great idea. Science and the stock market know that risk is a much more powerful motivator than reward.

medible n. Food containing marijuana. marijuana + edible. “Eating edibles (often referred to as Medibles) gives some suffers of chronic ailments more relief or a different kind of relief than simply smoking or vaporizing it.”

jacket fries n.pl. They’re what some restaurants call “jacket fries”: oblong slices of fried skin-on Idaho potato. “Crisp at the edges but thick enough to be fluffy in the middle, they’re a lovely hybrid of chip and french fry that’s worth the 75-cent upgrade from the standard crinkle-cut fries.”

veggiedag n. The Belgian term for a day upon which people abstain from meat – literally, “veggie day.” Officials in the Belgian city of Ghent are to forgo meat once a week (on Thursdays) in an acknowledgment of livestock farming’s detrimental effect on the environment. “The UN says livestock is responsible for nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, hence Ghent’s declaration of a weekly ‘veggie day.’ Public officials and politicians will be the first to give up meat for a day. Schoolchildren will follow suit with their own veggiedag in September.”

eco-kosher adj. The trend among some kosher-keeping Jews to eat only food that has been ethically, sustainably and, where possible, locally sourced. “The book of Leviticus requires that meat come from animals that chew their cud and have split hooves in order to be considered kosher. But for eco-kosher Jews, those laws have come to represent only part of the equation.”

credit munch n. Recession-prompted comfort eating. “There is an apparent correlation between dwindling finances and expanding waistlines. Stressed-out Britons have piled on 20 million stone in a year trying to ‘comfort eat’ their way through the recession. The condition – dubbed the credit munch – has seen three-in-five Britons put on weight in the past 12 months. The term has also been used to describe a trend for bringing home-prepared lunches to work.

cookprint n. What do you call the impact you make on the planet when you cook? It’s your “cookprint“— the entire chain of resources used to prepare meals, and the waste produced in the process.

Courtesy of The Double-tongued Dictionary, Word Spy, and Schott’s Vocab.

A monthly look at new words and phrases about food.

Citrus Fruit Conspiracy n. A theory proposed by an Iranian official to explain how Israeli citrus fruit were (illegally) imported into Iran. “The media showcased the contraband citrus, the warehouses where it was stored were shut down, and the authorities pledged to bring to justice the miscreants involved. A senior Iranian politician even accused the opposition of a citrus fruit conspiracy.”

Georgia ice cream n. Rogers merely shifted the ideas that worked at Toddle House, such as waffles with pecans, into the Waffle House concept. He always served lots of grits, which Rogers likes to call “Georgia ice cream.”

cheat meal n. By setting aside one day a week to eat junk food or whatever you want you take control of your cravings and eat on your terms. This is often referred to as a “cheat meal” because you are deliberately cheating on you diet. This is a method of rewarding yourself for eating well during the rest of the week and provides a much needed psychological boost.

black and pink n. Pity the coffee vendor in New York who doesn’t know that a black and pink means a black coffee with a packet of saccharin.

Courtesy of The Double-tongued Dictionary and Schott’s Vocab.

A monthly look at new phrases about food.

pork flap n. You have to start with the right cut of meat—pork belly. In our part of the world, we refer to it as pork flap; so when you go to get your meat to try either or both of these recipes, ask for the pork flap. Both of the recipes recommend this part of the meat but pork shoulder can work also but trust me, get the pork flap.

lo-vegetarian n. Gradually, “lacto-ovo vegetarians” grouped and shortened their title to “vegetarian.” This is why I sometimes use the term “lo-vegetarian” where the “lo” stands for “lacto-ovo.”

recess-ipe n. Recession recipes, making a family-sized meal for $10 or less.

center-of-the-plate cost n. Because whole grains offer long-lasting satisfaction, they offset what the hospitality industry calls “center-of-the-plate costs”—the expensive, high-protein foods, often rich in saturated fats, that are traditionally served in all too generous portions.

fannings n.pl. After the tea leaves are taken off the drying racks, the tiny broken pieces and “tea dust” are called “fannings” and that goes into a teabag. Yup, the leftover bits with the least amount of quality and taste are in that dunkable paper sac.

home meal replacement n. In America, though, where eating out is a way of life, the supermarket dinner—“home meal replacement” as they call it in the business—has yet to catch on.

homedulgence n. During a recession, the tendency for consumers to prefer home-based indulgences, such as cocktail parties and lavish dinners. “The move to homedulgence is one way consumers can ride out the recession and it is predicted it will soon extend to many other areas of life, such as mix-your-own cocktails evenings and home dining clubs.”

The Hummers of Food n. a nickname for hamburgers, supposedly because of the ecological impact of beef production. Reporting on research into the “environmental costs of food from field to plate,” A.F.P. noted the comparison between burgers and luxury S.U.V.s: When it comes to global warming, hamburgers are the Hummers of food, scientists say. Simply switching from steak to salad could cut as much carbon as leaving the car at home a couple days a week.

Gyaku-Choko n. (Japanese for “reverse chocolate.”) Previously, it was the unwritten rule that Japanese women buy chocolates for the men in their lives – ranging from their husbands to male colleagues at work, or even the managers of their condominiums. But this year, a new buzzword has hit the country – gyaku-choko, which means “reverse chocolate.” In order to attract male customers, department stores promoted chocolates next to men’s fashion displays and the confectioner Morinaga even decided to print the packaging of a range of chocolates in reverse.

Courtesy of  The Double-tongued Dictionary, Word Spy, and Schott’s Vocab.

meatza n. My friends once ate a pizza that was known in legend as “the meatza.” This pizza had no sauce, just 7 or 8 different meats piled quite high (estimated at about 4-5 inches). They then used the crust to mop up the grease that had dripped off the slices as they ate.

mylk n. Making almond milk is incredibly easy once you get your system down and my kids think it is incredibly delicious. They will drink it straight, add it to cereal, or use it to make chocolate milk or banana milk smoothies. Since I use raw organic almonds, I get to rest easy knowing that their milk, or “mylk” as many refer to it, is healthier for their little bodies and healthier for the planet.

trub n. Don’t worry about all of the junk (hops and proteins—called the “trub” in brewers lingo) in the wort—most of it will fall to the bottom during fermentation.

Courtesy of The Double-Tongued Dictionary.

More jargon and recently coined food words and phrases from The Double Tongued Dictionary.

God shot n.“The [espresso] machine is for people who like to fiddle—and not everyone wants to grind beans, pre-heat demitasses, tamp at just the right pressure, “temperature surf” and do all the other hoo-ha necessary to produce a perfect shot (or “God shot,” as they call it on Coffeegeek).”

meat glue n. “Transglutaminase: Commonly known as meat glue, it is used to chemically bond proteins together.”

sushi index n.“There’s something called the sushi index.…The Americans are eating less fancy-fancy because they are screwed for the dollars.”

meat without feet n. “Professor Omholt knows that persuading many people to overcome their knee-jerk distaste for lab meat—or ‘meat without feet,’ as one animal organisation has referred to it—will be tricky.”

Courtesy of The Double-Tongue Dictionary

break beef v. phr. Every Friday, he picks up a carcass or two from Redwood Meat, then brings the meat back to the store and cuts it into rib-eyes, prime rib, filet mignon—just about every cut you can think of. What’s not used in the cuts is turned into ground beef. And what’s not used for ground beef—including some of the internal organs—goes into Reed’s side business: A line of grass-fed beef products for cats and dogs called “Heartfelt Foods.” ”We use the whole cow,” Reed said. This process—called “breaking beef”—isn’t easy. ”It’s physically demanding,” Reed said. “I don’t think the average person knows what it takes to get that little steak.” Reed was taught how to break beef by Nick Stiles, the previous meat cutter at the Co-op, who was responsible for getting the store’s grass-fed beef program started.

buddy adj. Syrup made from trees that have already started to open their buds is referred to as “buddy” syrup and it tastes pretty awful!

meez n. Literally “put in place,” mise en place is the kitchen term for your set up, the gathering and preparation of all the tools and food you need to complete the task at hand; mise en place can refer to a cook’s organization on the line before the evening’s service (line cooks often refer to it simply as “meez” and can be extremely territorial about their own); mise en place can refer to the wooden spoon, wine, stock, rice, and salt you gather before starting a risotto.

hardbone n. It didn’t take long to see that the rib tips of one carcass had turned from cartilage to bone—indicating the animal was at least 4 years old, a “hardbone” in meat-locker parlance.

food desert n. Health experts have taken to calling low-income neighborhoods “food deserts,” and it is easy to see why. Supermarkets are usually in short supply and specialty produce and health-food stores are even rarer. Residents are often forced to do their food shopping in small grocery stores that carry few fresh fruits and vegetables.

banana-box grocer n. Some reclamation centers then sell these goods to brokers, which hawk them to small salvage stores. The goods are typically contained in boxes that once carried bananas, so these smaller operations are often called banana-box grocers. Some food-industry experts say one drawback to the banana-box stores is that fewer damaged goods are being distributed to food banks, which have reported steep inventory declines over the past year.