“Damn if I know,” whispered a visiting Texan to his brother at a winemaker dinner held in downtown San Diego. As with the majority of people at my table scanning over the five-course menu card, the two men were discretely prodding each other for clues about their impending meal.

Perhaps it was the listing for “veal cheeks served over haricot verts with roasted red pepper coulis” that stumped them, or a dessert “martini” described at the bottom made of “kheer spritzed with rosewater.” More often than ever, today’s fine-dining scene is riddled with dishes mentioning ingredients and food terms that can leave even the most veteran restaurant-goers concerned and puzzled.

Many of us, for instance, still aren’t exactly sure what we’re getting when we see items prepared with “demi glace” versus “demi glaze.” Unless you’re cooking under the tutelage of a seasoned chef with a sexy French accent, who would know that one “demi” defines the concentrated brown stock made from beef and veal, while the other means the stock is reduced to the consistency of a glaze that’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon?

Inquiring gourmands look for such answers while their non-foodie counterparts usually chalk up today’s progressive food scene as pretentious. Wherever you stand, the language used on many menus requires a bit of translation before ordering that next piece of fluke served with chimichurri and plantain timbale.

Below are a list of food definitions and cooking terms you’ll likely stumble upon sooner or later at fine-dining establishments around town.

Boudin: The prized pork-rice-onion sausage of southwestern Louisiana (pronounced boo-DAN) is making its way onto the appetizer lists of trendy restaurants, and is usually served in link form or sometimes formed into balls.

Broccoli rabe: Served often as an accompaniment to red meat dishes, broccoli rabe is a non-heading variety of broccoli with long, thin, leafy stalks topped with small florets that are delicate and slightly bitter.

Chiffonade: A garnish of thin strips of vegetables or herbs used for dressing up whole fish and quality cuts of beef.

Chimichurri: A flavorful Argentinean sauce that blends garlic, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice and sometimes hot peppers that is used for dressing meats and fish.

Coulis: This French culinary term for sauces is increasingly used to describe purees prepared with meats, fish, vegetables or fruits. As sauces, they are thinned down just enough to reach the proper consistency, but not so much as to alter the intense flavor of the puree.

Daikon: A large Asian radish with a sweet, fresh flavor that can grow as fat as a football. The radishes are often used raw in salads or added into stir-frys.

Fluke: A large, summer flounder common to the Northeast that turns white and lean when cooked.

Kaffir lime: This Southeast Asian citrus with a green, bumpy exterior, along with its pungent leaves, has become a coveted flavor booster among chefs who are adding it to everything from meat and fish to salad dressings and desserts.

Kheer: A trendy take on the Indian variation of rice pudding, flavored with raisins, cinnamon, cardamom and rosewater.

Macerate: If your waiter says that your cocktail is made with “macerated” fruit, it means that the fruit is soaked for at least a day in some type of juice to infuse it with the flavor of that liquid.

Mâche: A dark-green plant with small, tender leaves that adds a slightly nutty flavor to salads or which can be cooked and served as a side dish.

Nage: An aromatic broth of bouillon, white wine, shallots and herbs that is used for cooking crustaceans such as crab or lobster. The shellfish is then served with the broth.

Pepitas: The Mexican term for pumpkin seeds, pepitas are used often these days in gourmet salads or are sometimes pureed to add an earthy flavor and thickness to sauces.

Rémoulade: A spicy sauce for seafood consisting of mayonnaise, mustard, chopped pickles, tarragon, parsley, chives and spices. It is served cold with shellfish and can sometimes include anchovies.

Timbale: A high-sided, drum-shaped mold that contemporary chefs use for packing in seafood salads, vegetable confections or anything that holds together and forms the shape of a small cupcake when the mold is lifted.

Yuzu: The yuzu is a super-sour Japanese citrus fruit about the size of a tangerine and its rind is commonly used to flavor various dishes such as vegetables, fish or noodles.