Glossary A
Aceite is the Spanish word for any kind of edible "Oil". Among the Edible oils used for cooking are: Aceite de Oliva (Olive oil) and Aceite Girasol (sunflower oil). Whether it is derived from olives sunflower, peanuts, almonds, etc., the word Aceite is derived from the Arabic "a-zeit", which means "juice of olives" that shows the exclusive use of olive for their oil.
à la Diable is the French culinary term which means "in devil 's manner or style" or devilled often made from poultry or game birds which is usually split open along the back, flattened out like a butterfly, then grilled/roasted. A la Diable dishes are served with spicy wine and vinegar sauce and sometimes mustard.
Moreover, they are food served deviled or in the devil's style; often spicy hot seasoning
à la Diable is pronounced "ah-la-dee-abla
a la Vizcaina which also means Biscayne style describes a dish cooked in Salsa Vizcaina, a dried-pepper sauce. The dried peppers called Choriceros are so important in the production of Chorizos. They are harvested at the end of summer when they are already ripe and hung from the facades of farmhouses to dry. The areas around Gernika is famous for these sweet and delicate peppers.
When a dish is prepared with this full-flavored pepper sauce, it is invariably called "Biscayne-style” (a la Vizcaína). There are a number of such dishes in Spain, like Bacalao a la Vizcaina (cod prepared Biscayne style), Paella a la Vizcaina, Callos a la Viscaina, Pollo a la Viscaina, among others
Amanida Catalana refers to salad of lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, olives, carrots, onions topped with slices cured sausage and dried sausages (cahrcuteria/embutits), ham, cheeses, eggs, tuna, anchovies, or whatever is preferred. It is either dressed by mayonnaise or an oil and vinegar dressing vinaigrette ) . Amanida Catalana is usually served as first course or starter.
Generally, salads are served as a side dish to complement a dish, however, in Catalonia in Spain they are more of a feature meal than just a side dish and an Amanida Catalana also called Catalan Salad is a very substantial dish of a selection of meats and cheeses with a mixed salad, and often with at least two (2) varieties of olives.
In Catalonia, usually, each resturant has their own "signature mixture/combination" and good quality oil which is often used for dressing the salad. In a way, this "mixture" becomes the basis of the restaurants reputation. Somehow, a mark of a good restaurant is a good Amanida Catalana.
In Catalonia, a good Amanida Catalana must contain good quality ingredients and not just scraps of different salad ingredients and an olive oil with a good quality for its dressing