Fried blenny. A small, scaleless, migratory fish about 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) long with mild, white flesh which can be cooked in the same way as whitebait or used in soups. It is covered with a slimy mucous membrane and is found in the sea as well as in rivers. Common in southern France.
Swiss chard. A vegetable with large, dark leaves and fleshy ribs, mainly of a creamy white but sometimes a vibrant red. Leaves are cooked in the same way as spinach. The ribs are peeled and cut into manageable chunks and boiled or added to soups or stews. They are tender when young, stringy when old. The ribs are known as cardes de blette, côtes de blette.
Bleak. A small, elongated fish, abundant in lakes and quiet waterways. Its scales, which are thin and silvery, come away easily. The flesh of the pond bleak is of poor quality, but that of the river variety is fairly good, though full of little bones. It is about 15 cm (6 inches) long and invariably served fried. It also means Swiss chard.
Swiss chard. A vegetable with large, dark leaves and fleshy ribs, mainly of a creamy white but sometimes a vibrant red. Leaves are cooked in the same way as spinach. The ribs are peeled and cut into manageable chunks and boiled or added to soups or stews. They are tender when young, stringy when old. The ribs are known as cardes de blette, côtes de blette. In southern France it is sometimes served in a deep pie with apples, pine nuts, raisins and cheese. It can either be served as a dessert or as a savoury depending on the amount of sugar included. It also means bleak, a kind of fish.
Cooked very rare, of steak. This means lightly cooked on the outside and practically raw inside. This is more rare than à point. Bleu also refers to blue cheeses.
A breed of cattle with a high yield of hindquarter, bred for its beef. Farmed industrially, there are around 1.5 million in Belgium. They are strong, sturdy animals with a white or piebald coat, with particularly muscular hindquarters, called "cul de poulain". The bleu-blanc belge produces a high proportion of tender meat, relatively low in flavour. It is popular with those who like prime choice cuts of extremely tender, low-fat meat.
