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Sachet d’ Epices – The term means “bag of spices” and consists of whole peppercorns, parsley stems, bay leaves, whole thyme leaves, and fresh garlic (wrapped in a bag of cheesecloth and suspended in the pot with butcher’s twine). The amounts vary according to the amount of stock.

saffron (SAF-ruhn) – Saffron, the yellow-orange stigmas from a small purple crocus, is the world’s most expensive spice. That’s because each flower provides only three red stigmas and it takes approximately 14,000 of these tiny threads for each ounce of saffron. One ounce of saffron equals the stigmas from approximately 5,000 crocuses. It takes an acre of flowers to produce a pound. It is imported from Spain.

sake (sah-kee) – It is an alcoholic beverage produced from rice in much the same way that beer is brewed from wheat and barley, but is termed a rice wine because its alcohol content is similar to strong wines. It is served either hot or cold.

salad – Comes from the Latin word “herba salta” or “salted herbs,” so called because such greens were usually seasoned with dressings containing lots of salt.

Salisbury steak (SAWLZ-beh-ree) – A beef patty that is broiled or fried with onions and served with gravy.

salsa (SAL-sa) – Mexicans define a salsa as a sauce, and all sauces as salsas. In Mexico sauces are a combination of fresh ingredients in which many are uncooked and served separately, to be added according to individual tastes. Salsas can be a mixture of raw or partially cooked vegetables and/or fruits, herbs, and, of course, chiles. Anything from vegetables, fruits, and nuts, to fish and meat can be used to make salsa, as long as the flavors blend well.

The combined ingredients are not a puree, but are distinct pieces, and are often uncooked. This definition would also include chutneys and fruit or vegetable relishes. If the salsa is uncooked, as in “pico de gallo,” it is referred to as salsa cruda or salsa fresca. If cooked it is usually called picante.

Many countries have similar dishes that are used to accent meals in tropical areas of the world: sambals in Indonesia, chakalaka in South Africa, chutneys from India, the fruit and chile mixes from the West Indies, and piccalillis of the American South.

sauté (saw-TAY) – A cooking technique which means to cook a food quickly in oil and/or butter over high heat. You can use a skillet or sauté pan, but make sure it is big enough to comfortably contain what you are cooking.

scallop (SKAHL-uhp) – Although hundreds of different species of scallops exist in our oceans worldwide, only a few of these species are harvested commercially on a large scale. The three you’re most likely to find at a fish market are Atlantic sea scallops, Atlantic bay scallops, and calicos.

Scoville unit – Scoville unit is the thermometer of the chile pepper. Established by Wilbur Scoville, these are the units of heat of a chile pepper. Units rank from 0 to 300,000.