What are the official names for slicing an onion from pole-to-pole or cross-pole?
There must exist some french (or other culinary) term for the various ways to describe the different directions to slice an onion.
I'm looking for two terms:
Slicing across the grain, perpendicular to the poles, parallel to the equator, along the latitude.
- rings?
Slicing with the grain, in the direction of pole-to-pole, along the longitude.
- wedges?
What is the shortest, most concise way to describe these techniques?
Best Answer
I don't think there's an "official" answer, and using obscure French terms is a good way not to be understood, but for reasonably knowledgeable readers, the most concise terms are definitely slicing latitudinally and longitudinally.
("first, assume a spherical onion...")
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What is an onion slice called?
That means you're cutting slices from pole to pole, rather than across the equator. To do that, you trim both ends, and cut out a notch at the top. Then start making thin slices, following the curve of the onion. When you get to the top, it can get a little wobbly, so flip the onion onto this side and finish the rest.What is cutting an onion pole to pole?
To slice an onion pole to pole, or vertically, is to cut it with\u2014not against\u2014its fibers. Pieces of vertically sliced onion hold their shape better when cooked, which is particularly noticeable in caramelized onions: Horizontal cuts can become a pile of brown mush.Going Pole To Pole With An Onion
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Answer 2
I call it "slice the onion into rings" for the latitude lines (see Jefromi's answer) and "slice the onion into wedges" for the longitude lines.
Answer 3
There's not a specific name in French for the difference between latitude and longitude slicing. Slicing generally is done longitudinally and referred to as 'ciseler' and if you want it latitudinally, you have to specify. Dicing an onion into small cubes is called 'emincer'. Generally for veg there are also several names for specific cuts like julienne, baton, macédoine,paysanne, jardiniere, tournette... I can't recall all of them off hand.
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