Can't quite tell your miso from your mirin? It's okay if you don't know what it is!!!! Never fear! Spend a few minutes with our food glossary, and impress your friends with your gourmet knowledge.

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Ancho Chile (or Chili) - This is the same as a Poblano chile, expect it is dried. It is dark red in color, medium hot and sweet tasting. Anchos are most commonly used in Mexican cooking.

Bonito Flakes - Bonito is a type of fish, and Bonito flakes are simply shaved, well, flakes, of the fish. You'll find Bonito flakes most often in Japanese cooking - they're what make dashi (Japanese fish broth) taste like dashi.

Chana Dal - Dried Indian peas, in the same family as chickpeas and split peas.

Chipotle Chile - These peppers are actually red jalepanos that have been smoked and dried. Their taste is smoky and sweet.

Chorizo - This sausage actually comes in a few different varieties - Mexican and Spanish. The Spanish kind is most common - Spanish chorizo is pork sausage, cured, with garlic and paprika. The Mexican chorizo is fresh, not cured, and hotter, with chiles.

Edamame - Boiled soybeans, served in the pod. You'll most likely munch on these in a Japanese restaurant.

Galangal - Galangal looks like ginger and has a similar taste (just slightly more spicy). It is a staple in Thai and Indian cooking.

Gyoza Skins - Another Japanese ingredient, these are the wrappers for steamed Japanese dumplings.

Habanero Chile - Also called the Scotch Bonnet Pepper (incorrectly - scotch bonnets are smaller), habaneros are considered to be one of the hottest peppers in the world. If you have ever had real Jamacian Jerk Chicken, then you know what I'm talking about. They're little and innocent looking, like colorful little pumpkins, but they pack a real punch.

Harissa - This is a chili sauce used in North African cooking. It can also be used as a condiment. The taste is extremely hot, and a little sweet.

Kaffir Lime Leaves - They are exactly what they sound like - lime leaves. They are used in Southeast Asian cooking, giving the dishes a citrus taste.

Lemongrass - Another Southeast Asian ingredient, lemongrass is blades of grass found growing in the tropics. It gives a light lemon flavor - less intense then lemon itself. You'll come across it in Vietnamese and Thai restaurants.

Lentilles Du Puy - These are simply green lentils from Le Puy in France. They are thought to hold together better in cooking than other varieties of lentils.

Mirin - Sweet, Japanese cooking wine, made from rice.

Miso - Soybean paste, which comes in a vaierty of colors and strengths. It is commonly used in Korean and Japanese food - its most famous incarnation is probably the Japanese Miso soup.

Queso Fresco - A cheese of Latin American origin. It is crumbling in texture and salty tasting.

Sake - This Japanese wine (often called "rice wine" because it is fermented from rice) that can be used a drink on its own, or used in cooking. It is has a higher alcohol content that "normal" wine. Sake Kashu is the remains of the fermented rice, after the sake is made, mashed into sheets. It is often used in marinades, especially for fish.

Salt Cod - Dried cod, packed in salt as a preservative. If you're going to cook with this fish, you will need to soak it for a day or so to remove the salt and rehydrate it.

Tamarind - This ingredient is used in many Caribbean and Latin American foods. It has a sweet and sour taste, similar to lemon or lime, but somewhat more deep and rich.

Tomatillos - Tomatillos look like green tomatoes, and though that's not technically what they are, they are often used in the same places you expect to find tomatoes - salsas, sauces for chicken and fish, etc. You'll most likely come across tomatillos in Mexican restaurants. They are tart in taste.

Wakame - A type of seaweed used in Japanese cooking.

Wasabi - Green and strong, wasabi paste is most often eaten with sushi. The American version usually contains horseradish and ground mustard, but the Japanese version, which is more mild, is becoming more common.