Baba-figue: flower of the banana plant, also known as banana blossom.

Bichiques: alevins, that are fished with a basket, commonly known as “vouves” at the mouth of rivers. (It’s known as the caviar of Réunion Island).

Boucané: smoked pork .

Brèdes: refers to edible leaves such as (brède chouchou, mouroum, songe, chou de chine, cresson ...).  They  can also be eaten as a soup.

Bringelles: aubergines.

Cabri: kid (young goat).

Calou: pebble which is used to crush the condiments in a pestle.  It is collected at the river bank and the sea side.

Caloupilé: petites feuilles épicées qui entrent dans la préparation de certains plats dont le cabri massalé.

Camarons: gambas.

Carabosses: tiny crabs.

Cari: refers to the name of Réunionese dishes that consist of onions, garlic, ginger, salt and chili paste.

Chevaquines: salty and small dried shrimps.

Chouchou: christophine, it is a vegetable which is mainly cultivated in Salazie Caldera.   

Choux Palmiste ou palmiste: the bud of a palm-tree.

Civet: wine-based dish.

Coco d'mort: (fromage tête d'mort) Edam dur.

Combava: is a citrus fruit with a strong aroma.  Its zest and leaves are used in the preparation of a few dishes.  Combava looks like lemon; it has the same shape and colour as a lime.  With a granular peel, it’s very bitter.  It can be used to add flavour to curries, chutneys, fish dishes and many other dishes, as long as you like its taste.  The zest is the part the most commonly used, and as it has a strong flavour, it must be used sparingly.

Cotomili: coriander, it is native to southwestern Asia and to western and northern Africa.

Curcuma: is a rhizomatous plant of the ginger family.  Perhaps, it is because of its deep yellow colour that it is often compared with turmeric.  The curcuma is mostly sold in powder form.  A freshly ground curcuma has a peppery, orange, gingery and bitter flavor.  It is widely used in Exotic, Indian and Reunionese cuisine.  If there’s no curcuma, you can use turmeric, but note that it does not taste the same nor have the same properties as curcuma.  Curcuma is commonly known as Indian turmeric.

Curry: is a blend of spices, whose ingredients vary according to regions and countries.  Chilies, mustards, fenugreek and curcuma are used in the preparation of many curries

Dangol ou Tangol: a steel pipe to blow the fire out.

Daube: braised meat.

Gingembre: originating in China, the cultivation of ginger spread to South Asia and India and other tropical countries.  Ginger is a perennial plant which is widely used in cooking; fresh, dried, grinded and crystallised.

Goyavier : also known as strawberry guava, it can be picked from May to September.  A guava fruit contains more vitamin C than a typical citrus fruit; the rind alone contains over five times more vitamin C than an orange.

Grains: refer to various dried pulses such as red kidney beans, black beans, haricot beans and “zantaques…” 

Gros pois: dried pea.

Lentilles : its seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each and it is mainly cultivated in Cilaos Caldera.

Mangue: is the tropical fruit of the mango tree.  Mangoes are very juicy and have a sweet taste.  There are several types of mangoes which are used differently, such as unripe “la carotte” in chutney and “la josé” in puddings.

Manioc: is a woody shrub which is cultivated in tropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root.  (The tapioca).

Margoze: small in shape, “margoze” is a vegetable which is used in chutneys or in salads.

Massalé: is a blend of 3 spices (“methi” (commonly known as fenugreek), cumin, coriander) it can be hot and spicy.

Oignons verts: spring onions.

Papaye: tropical fruit usually eaten raw, without the skin or seeds.  Unripe pawpaw can be eaten cooked, usually in curries, salads and stews..

Pâte Dakatine peanut paste.

Piment: a chili fruit which is of deep green colour and is commonly known as “piment martin.”  It has a fiery hot flavour.

Piment Poivron: (Capsicum) bell pepper, also known as green pepper.  It’s less hot than chili.

Pois: green pea.

Pois du Cap: broad beans.

Pois ronds: small pea.

Quatre épices: shrub natives to India, “quatre épices” is also known as “ravinsara.”.

Riz: rice (from the “true grass” family) is natives to Far East.

Riz Jaune: rice coloured with saffron.

Roussir: to brown.

Rougail: chutney; a blend of spicy condiments to accompany a variety of dishes.  There are two sorts of ‘roughail’: the freshly crushed spices can either be spread directly over various meats or added to cooked dishes.

Songe: is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable.

Sosso: a finely ground corn soup.

Tangue: tenrec.

Ti-jacques jackfruit, it is eaten unripe or ripe and cooked or uncooked.  It is usually used finely chopped in curries.  The seeds can also be used in certain recipes.

Vane: a wicker dish used to pick over the rice.

Vetsin: a white crystalline compound used as a food additive to enhance flavour, it is often used in Chinese cooking. MSG (monosodium glutamate).

Zembrocal: is a mixture of rice, pulses and curcuma.

Zévis hog plum.

Zourite: octopus.  Please note that it is quite difficult to prepare an octopus dish.