Word of the Day

: December 20, 2013

ragout

noun ra-GOO

What It Means

1 : well-seasoned meat and vegetables cooked in a thick sauce

2 : mixture, mélange

ragout in Context

The movie is an ill-conceived ragout of fantasy, science fiction, and old-fashioned romance.

"Chef Tin Huynh is cooking up a menu of northern and southern Italian favorites-think pappardelle topped with pork ragout and balsamic-glazed octopus." - From a restaurant review by Bao Ong in Gotham Magazine, November 19, 2013

Did You Know?

If you need an English word that can refer to either a combination of food items or a random assortment of things, there's no shortage of options on the menu. If you're in the mood for a stew, there's "hodgepodge" (formerly "hotchpotch"), "olla podrida," or "gallimaufry." Perhaps you'd rather start with a palate cleanser, like "macédoine" or "salmagundi." We also have "gumbo" or "jambalaya," if Southern cooking is more your thing, or "smorgasbord" if you prefer words of Swedish descent. Then there's today's word, "ragout," which comes from French "ragoûter," meaning "to revive the taste," and ultimately from Latin "gustus," meaning "taste."