Habanero Pepper - An extremely hot chile pepper with a slightly "fruity" flavor, ranging in color from green to bright orange. The habanero is often used in sauces. Other C.Chinense cultivars include Scotch Bonnet and Rocotillo.
Recipe: Hot and Spicy Pineapple Fritters

Half and Half - A mixture of half cream, half milk. The fat content is between 10 and 12 percent.

Ham Hock - The lower portion of a hog's hind leg, usually used to flavor soups, greens, beans, and stews.
Recipe: Hoppin' John

Hash - A dish made up of chopped potatoes, meat, and other vegetables. Hash is often made using leftovers.
Recipe: Beef Hash Recipe

Hard-Ball Stage - A test for sugar syrup describing the rigid ball formed when a drop of boiling syrup is immersed in cold water.
See: Candy-Making Chart

Hard-Crack Stage - A test for sugar syrup describing brittle threads formed when a drop of boiling syrup is immersed in cold water.
See: Candy-Making Chart

Hartshorn - Also known as ammonium bicarbonate, hartshorn was commonly used before baking powder and baking soda were readily available. It may still be purchased in drugstores, but must be ground before using.

Headspace - The amount of space to leave at the top of a container to allow for expansion of food when frozen or processed.

Hors d'Oeuvre - Small, bite-size foods usually served before a meal or as a party appetizer.

Herbes de Provence - A mixture of dried herbs, usually a combination of basil, marjoram, rosemary, sage, lavender, summer savory, thyme, and fennel seed.
Recipe: Homemade Herbes de Provence

Hermit - An old-fashioned chewy cookie made with chopped fruits, nuts, and molasses or brown sugar.
Recipe: Hermits

Hog Jowl - The cheek of a hog. Hog jowl is usually cut into squares before being cured and smoked. It may be refrigerated for up to one week if tightly wrapped. It may be cut into strips and fried like bacon or used to flavor stews, beans, and greens.
Recipe: Black-Eyed Peas with Hog Jowl

Hollandaise Sauce - An emulsified sauce made from egg yolks and butter, usually flavored with lemon juice or vinegar.
Recipe: Hollandaise Sauce

Hominy - Dried white or yellow corn kernels from which the hull and germ have been either chemically or mechanically removed. Hominy is often served as a side dish. When ground, hominy is called grits.
Recipe: Pozole Jeff

Hoppin' John - A dish of black-eyed peas cooked with salt pork or other fatty meat and seasonings. Hoppin' John is thought to have originated with African slaves on Southern plantations. The dish is traditionally served on New Year's day for good luck.
Recipe: Cowpeas and Rice - Hoppin' John

Huckleberry - A wild, dark blue berry which resembles the blueberry. Huckleberries have hard seeds in the center and a thicker skin than the blueberry. They are good eaten plain or in pies, muffins, and other baked goods.
Recipe: Huckleberry Cake

Hushpuppy - A small, fried cornmeal dumpling, usually flavored with chopped green onion. Hushpuppies are a traditional accompaniment to fried catfish. The word hushpuppy is thought to have come from the fact that, to keep dogs quiet, civil war-era cooks would toss scraps of fried batter to them with the admoniton, "Hush, puppy!"
Recipe: Hush Puppies