gourmetguides

Know exactly what is on the menu.

There will come a time, sooner or later, when even the most ardent fan of French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch or Portuguese cuisine will find a word or phrase on a menu the meaning of which cannot readily be recovered from memory, even if it was there in the first place. The purpose of this app is to aid the memory, to describe what culinary delight -or the opposite- is awaiting those who might order that otherwise unknown. It is also intended to help the adventurous, who seek out new or unusual dishes, to make the most of whatever is on offer. And it aims to avoid those sometimes comical translations often to be found even in the finest establishments. It is a guide to reading and to understanding menus, a glossary of culinary terms to be used whenever you need or wish to know what a menu description really means. The objective is to make menu reading simpler and thus more enjoyable, to remove doubt from menu terms and to tickle the taste buds.

Each of the six menu guides (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese) presented in this app contains more than 2000 food definitions, not just merely translated into English but often explained in more detail i.e. where local specialities and preparations might well be unknown to the reader. As well as the countries mentioned, there are numerous terms in those languages from Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein as well as from Indonesian Rijstafel menus.

The app is fully useable offline, it does not require online connectivity.

Part of the joy of a meal abroad is the anticipation, the excitement of expectation. That thrill is certainly heightened when you know what you have ordered! Food terms can be confusing, but these dictionaries for gourmets are intended to solve menu mysteries before dishes are served, to enhance the dining experience. If, after eating, you can say that we have been of use in enabling you to enjoy the repast, then we will have done all we set out to achieve.