many alleged health benefits for consumers
manzo * beef, in gastronomic parlance
margarine * a substitute butter spread prepared from vegetable oils and animal fats
marsoline * historically, a Florentine cheese esteemed the best in all Italy in its day
mascarpone * a mild and easy-to-spread Italian cream cheese
mashonzha * gourmet edible caterpillars widely enjoyed across southern Africa
matambre * an Argentinian speciality beef cut, thinner than the American flanksteak
matjesherring * young herring, salted and soused
medallions * small, flat, usually round cuts or servings of either meat or fish
megapodes * Australasian scrubfowl; their eggs and meat serve human consumers
merguez * a heavily spiced Maghrebi sausage made with beef or mutton
merrythought * the wishbone of a chicken
micklewame * in cookery and butchery, the stomach or “big belly” of an ox
milkfat * the natural fatty portion of milk from which butter is chiefly made
milt * the seminal fluid and ripe testes of a male fish, prepared as a culinary resource
miltz * in Jewish cuisine, animal spleen prepared as an item of food
Mimolette * a French cheese notable for being intentionally exposed to mites
monkfish * the angel shark as food; only the meaty white tail flesh is edible
Monterey Jack * a Californian cow’s milk cheese, widely used in Mexican cuisine
morcilla * Spanish black pudding
moretum * a herb cheese spread eaten in classical Roman times with bread
mort * pig fat, or lard; rendered and clarified, it is a useful cooking product
mortadella * authentic Bologna sausage
morwong * an Australian perch-like marine fish, commercially harvested for food
moscardino * baby white octopus, commonly used as food in Italian cuisine
mozzarella * a traditional Italian buffalo milk cheese, often used in pizzas
muktuk * frozen whale skin and blubber—a staple of Inuit cuisine
mullet * any of various small sea fish widely cooked and eaten
mulloway * a well-regarded Antipodean table fish
mussels * edible bivalve molluscs; they can be cooked first or eaten from their shells
mutton * the flesh of mature domestic sheep eaten as food; also, in India, goat meat
mysost * a Norwegian whey cheese product, originally made from goat’s milk
myzithra * a Cretan ricotta-style unpasteurized cheese
nerka * sockeye salmon
Neufchâtel * an ancient French soft cow’s milk cheese, similar to cream cheese
noisette * a small, usually round, portion of lamb loin or beef cut from the rib
nostrano * an appellation accorded to any homemade Italian cheese
onglet * a prime French beef cut, or hanger steak
Orloff * a long-established chicken breed primarily suited to meat production
ortolan * the flesh of a small songbird once prized as a delicacy, but now protected
oxtail * a beef cut taken from the beast’s tail, used for making stew or meat soup
oxygala * literally “sour milk,” the original, classical-era Greek yoghurt
paillard * a boneless portion of meat pounded thin before rapid grilling at high heat
pancetta * Italian cured pork belly
paneer * Indian milk curd cheese
pastrami * spicy, smoked brisket of beef, thinly sliced and eaten cold
pâté * a cold savoury meat paste prepared from offal, notably liver, or fish flesh
pecorino * a family of traditional Italian ewe’s milk cheeses
pemmican * a highly concentrated and calorific dried bison meat product, traditionally carried by Native Americans as iron rations
pepperette * a spicy mixed meat product resembling sausage that may be eaten cold
pepperoni * strongly peppered Italian salami
percoid * any edible fish of a group including the perch, bass, snapper, and bream
pettitoes * pig’s trotters as an article of food
pickerel * in cookery, the meat of a young pike
picorocos * edible giant barnacles, as featured in Chilean cuisine
piddocks * gourmet edible molluscs, also known as angelwings or rock oysters
pilchards * small, oily, shoaling food fish; essentially sardines, but older and larger
pinjane * Manx curds and whey, or cottage cheese
pismo * a large North American coastal clam exploited extensively for food
pluck * the major internal organs—heart, liver and lungs—of an animal as food
pollock * a commercially significant North Atlantic food fish of the cod family
polpettone * Italian meatloaf
pomfret * a family of open seas fishes, valued as a food resource
pompano * a common name given to a number of food fishes and edible clams
porterhouse * a large, choice beefsteak cut taken from the short loin, or sirloin
Port-Salut * a mild whole-milk cheese, originally produced by Trappist monks
poussin * a chicken specially raised for eating at around six weeks
prosciutto * a generic term in Italian cuisine for dry-cured salted ham, sliced thin
provolone * a mild cheese from southern Italy, moulded in the shape of a pear
pufferfish * a.k.a. fugu; a fish whose prized flesh can prove fatally toxic for some
pullet * in cookery, the flesh of a young hen
pulpo * octopus meat or octopus as an item appearing on a menu
qaymaq * Afghani clotted or sour cream
quail * the flesh of any of several genera of galliform game birds, cooked and eaten
quark * a fresh German soft cheese product made with skimmed milk but no rennet
quarter-pounder * any standard hamburger weighing four ounces prior to cooking
rabbitfish * a commercially significant marine food fish
reblochon * a variety of soft cow’s milk cheese from Savoy
rib-eye * a large cut of tender beefsteak taken from the outer side of the rib
riblets * processed strips of boneless rib-end meat
ricotta * a soft white unsalted and unripened Italian cheese; often used as a filling
rillettes * a highly seasoned potted meat product; prepared in a similar way to pâté
roaster * any animal suitable for roasting, especially chicken
rollmops * uncooked herring fillets pickled in brine
Romadur * a smear-ripened German cheese somewhat similar to Limburger
Roquefort * a strong French ewe’s milk blue cheese, matured in limestone caves