wakame – (Japanese: ‘young seaweed’) sea vegetable
walnut – edible nut which is good for salads and in cooked dishes
wasabi – Japanese freshwater plant with a hot, pungent taste similar to horseradish, usually sold as a green paste or powder. It’s used as a condiment.
water chestnut – sweet crunchy Chinese tuber-like vegetable, often used to add texture to a dish
watercress – strong-tasting salad leaf, related to mustard
watermelon – large fruit, related to the melon, with red, watery but crunchy flesh
well – a hollow in the centre of a pile of flour into which other ingredients are placed prior to mixing
whisk – a kitchen utensil used to blend ingredients quickly. Also the act of whisking.
whisky – a spirit distilled from malted barley, originally from Scotland
white meat – refers to cooked breast meat and other pale-coloured cooked meat of poultry, as opposed to the darker meat of the other parts, such as the legs
whiting – white-fleshed fish of the cod family. It’s less tasty and therefore usually cheaper than cod.
wholemeal – flour milled from the whole wheat kernel
wine – alcoholic drink which can be made from various fruits but usually from grapes
won ton – (Cantonese: ‘swallow cloud’) wrappers of Chinese noodle paste used to make dumplings, similar to ravioli
wormwood – a bitter tasting herb which has been used for centuries to flavour drinks, eg absinthe and vermouth