The 2011 version of the AP Stylebook now includes a 16-page food section, consisting of more than 400 food names and terms. Entries include:
- locavore The preferred term for a person who strives to eat locally produced foods.
- adobo sauce A spicy red sauce made from chilies, herbs and vinegar that is common to Mexican cooking.
- amuse-bouche French, a bite-sized dish served at restaurants before the meal, usually free.
- blind bake To bake the crust of a pie before filling it.
- farmstead Generally used to describe a cheese produced solely from the milk of one farm.
- ghee A clarified butter used in Indian cooking.
- huitlacoche Also called corn smut. A fungus that grows on corn. Considered a delicacy of Mexican cuisine, it has a smoky-sweet flavor.
- orecchiette A small, disk-like pasta.
- pears In general, capitalize most varieties, including Anjou, Asian (also called apple pear), Bosc and Bartlett.
- sashimi A Japanese dish of thinly sliced raw seafood.
"With all the cooking shows, blogs and magazines focusing on food, as well as growing interest in organic and locally sourced foods, our new food section feels timely and on trend," said Colleen Newvine, product manager of the AP Stylebook. AP Food Editor J.M. Hirsh added, "This new food section in the AP Stylebook reflects what we see anecdotally as a growing national interest in food writing and the need to answer language-based questions associated with that writing."
From these rules, Endless Simmer learns that "bloody mary" and "french fries" are not capitalized while "sloppy Joe" is. Also, just in time for summer, it is spelled "barbecue" not "barbeque" or "Bar-BQ." Oh, and the word "broccolini" is trademarked.
Thank goodness, because we were just about to invite friends over for a barbecue, broccolini™, and bloody marys (wait! what is the plural?).