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Chippolata - common name for a tiny sausage, this originally described a garnish of chestnuts, glazed vegetables, and small sausages.

Chitterlings - part of the small intestine of a pig, cooked.

Chives - An herb and member of the onion family (Allium schoenprasum), with long, slender, hollow, green stems and purple flowers; have a mild onion flavor and are generally used fresh, although dried, chopped chives are available; also know as Chinese chives, flowering chives and kucha.

Chocolate - roasted, ground, refined cacao beans used as a flavoring, confection or beverage.

Chocolate, white - a confection made of cocoa butter, sugar and flavorings; does not contain cocoa solids.

Chop - to cut into pieces of roughly the same size, either small (finely chopped) or larger (coarsely chopped). Also, rib section of beef, lamb, pork, or other animals.

Choux Pastry - Also called choux paste, pâte à choux and cream-puff pastry, this special pastry is made by an entirely different method from other pastries. The dough, created by combining flour with boiling water and butter, then beating eggs into the mixture, is very sticky and pastelike. During baking, the eggs make the pastry puff into irregular domes (as with cream puffs). After baking, the puffs are split, hollowed out and filled with a custard, whipped cream or other filling. Besides cream puffs, choux pastry is used to make such specialties as éclairs, gougère and profiteroles.

Chutney - from the Hindi chatni, it is a condiment made from fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices; its texture can range from smooth to chunky and its flavor from mild to hot.

Cider Vinegar - vinegar of unprocessed apple cider.

Cilantro - the dark green lacy leaves of the cilantro plant; used as an herb, they have a sharp, tangy fresh flavor and aroma and are used fresh in Mexican, South American and Asian cuisines; also known as Chinese parsley.

Cinnamon - a spice that is the inner bark of the branches of a small evergreen tree (Cinnamonum zeylanicum) native to Sri Lanka and India; has an orange-brown color and a sweet, distinctive flavor and aroma; usually sold in rolled-up sticks (quills) or ground and is used for sweet and savory dishes and as a garnish; also known as Ceylon cinnamon.

Citric Acid - an organic acid common to citrus fruits and used in preserving, retaining color or flavoring drinks.

Citron - a fruit likened to an overgrown knobbly lemon, it is famed for its peel, which is used in marmalades, candies and fruit cakes.

Clarified Butter - butter that has been melted and chilled. The solid is then lifted away from the liquid and discarded.

Clarify - to make a liquid clear and free of sediment. Clarification heightens the smoke point of butter. Clarified butter will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least 2 months.

Clove - 1. A spice that is the dried, unopened flower bud of a tropical evergreen tree (Eugenia aromatica); has a reddish-brown color, a nail shape and an extremely pungent, sweet, astringent flavor; available whole or powdered. 2. A segment of a bulb, such as garlic.

Coarsely Chop - to cut food into small pieces, about 3/16 inches (1/2 cm) square.

Coat - to cover a food completely with an outer "coating" of another food or ingredient.

Cocoa Powder - a brown, unsweetened powder produced by crushing cocoa nibs and extracting most of the fat (cocoa butter); it is used as a flavoring; also known as unsweetened cocoa.

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