pâté

Definition

A rich, spreadable mixture of ground meat, fat, and seasonings, traditionally encased in pastry or terrine molds. The fancy French way of serving what is essentially sophisticated meat loaf that costs ten times more.

Example Usage

The restaurant's duck liver pâté was silky smooth and served with cornichons and toasted brioche.

Origin

French, from 'pâte' meaning paste or dough, originally referring to the pastry casing

Fun Fact

The difference between pâté and terrine is technically the cooking vessel—pâté is baked in pastry while terrine is cooked in a mold—but the terms are often used interchangeably.

Source: Classical French charcuterie terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

riesling

A versatile white wine grape that thrives in cooler climates, producing everything from bone-dry to dessert-sweet wines that sommeliers love to pontificate about. Germany's signature variety, it's the wine world's proof that sweet doesn't have to mean cheap, though good luck convincing people who swore off sweet wine in college. High acidity and aromatic complexity make it the thinking person's white wine.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Intermediate

panna cotta

Italian 'cooked cream' dessert that's essentially a wobbly, set custard without eggs—the culinary equivalent of jello for adults who pretend they're sophisticated. Deceptively simple yet easy to ruin.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Advanced

Concasse

Tomatoes that have been peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped -- basically tomatoes that have been through a full spa treatment before being allowed into your dish. The amount of effort involved is wildly disproportionate to the result, which is... chopped tomatoes.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Advanced

tourne knife

A small curved paring knife specifically designed for creating tournée cuts and peeling vegetables with precision. The specialized tool that sits in your knife roll mostly to judge you for not having perfect tournée skills.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Intermediate

barding

Wrapping lean meat with thin sheets of fat (usually bacon or pork fat) before cooking to prevent drying and add flavor. The bacon Band-Aid that saves your roast from becoming shoe leather.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Beginner

bake

The fundamental cooking method of applying dry heat in an enclosed space, typically an oven, to transform raw ingredients into edible creations through the magic of thermal chemistry. It's also a social gathering where people eat baked foods, from clam bakes to cake sales. The term doubles as both verb and noun, much like the confusion over whether you're "having a bake" or "having a bake."

🍳 Food / Culinary

Translate This Term

See “pâté” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

The Urban Dictionary

An overrated place with no anti-offensive filter overran by incredibly rude stuff and explicit content by people who thi...