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framboise
pour concerner

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

parfum

English translation:

hint of

Added to glossary by Elizabeth Slaney
Mar 10, 2011 22:02
13 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

parfum

French to English Other Cooking / Culinary Menu item
Parfum occurs twice in the menu I'm translating - once as "parfum d'une truffe" and the second as "parfum d'une vanille". I had translated the first as truffle essence, although the fact that there are many synthetic aromas around has made me a little doubtful.

The parfum d'une vanille is served with a chocolate dish ("autour du chocolat"). Translating this as vanilla essence is obviously causing me a little concern ;-)

Am I correct in thinking this is essence - please correct me if I'm barking up the wrong tree ;-)

Thanks for your help!
Proposed translations (English)
3 +11 hint of
5 flavour or flavor
5 scent
3 whiff
3 perfume
Change log

Mar 14, 2011 13:39: Elizabeth Slaney Created KOG entry

Discussion

Elizabeth Slaney Mar 10, 2011:
I like pretentious! I love reading menus for this very reason. I don't love reading menus when they've clearly been translated by non-native speakers..."baked pickled kid pickled in vinegar"... but as long as I'm not eating there, they're great for a laugh!
Sarah Bessioud (asker) Mar 10, 2011:
@ Sheila Yes, that was exactly the problem I saw when using the word essence ;-)
Sheila Wilson Mar 10, 2011:
Pretentious = extra dosh, no? @ Asker, in a posh restaurant I would imagine a real vanilla pod would be used rather than the stuff out of a bottle. But just a little (hence the hint suggested here) as vanilla can be overpowering.
emiledgar Mar 10, 2011:
Why are menus so often so pretentious? Of course in the real world, "parfum" just means "flavor" but on a menu it could mean anything. i think that Liz' suggestion of "hint of" is excellent.

Proposed translations

+11
4 mins
Selected

hint of

...with a hint of truffle..or..a hint of vanilla. Could this work given that it's a posh menu? I was thinking of "flavour" (or "flavor" depending on audience) but this does give the feeling of something rather synthetic.
Peer comment(s):
agree Yvonne Gallagher : yeah, I'd go with hint of vanilla, truffle flavour
3 mins
Thank you.
agree emiledgar
4 mins
Thank you
agree sporran
7 mins
Thank you
agree Sheila Wilson
10 mins
Thank you
agree ACOZ (X)
45 mins
Thank you
agree Verginia Ophof
2 hrs
Thank you
agree Tony M
8 hrs
Thanks
agree Rosa Paredes
9 hrs
Thanks
agree Cristina Talavera
11 hrs
Thanks
agree Barbara Carrara
13 hrs
Thanks
agree Anglais Aide
1 day 19 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you to everyone for some great suggestions. All could apply, but I felt that "hint of" was the most fitting for these menus. "
57 mins

whiff

Before we all get carried away thinking 'hint of' is the only possible translation of 'parfum' in this context, how about 'whiff'?

Vagabond Gourmand » A whiff of truffles to start the year - [ Traducir esta página ]A whiff of truffles to start the year. January 19th, 2008. Deep in the hills of the Périgord lies a village famed for les truffes. And Monday morning is the ...
vagabondgourmand.com/a-whiff-of-truffle-to-start-the-year/ - En memoria cachéThe whiff of truffle on tissue paper: a sure sign that the glory ... - [ Traducir esta página ]17 May 2006 ... FOR THOSE of us who were just too young to experience them as adults, the boom years of the late 1980s have a glittering, almost mystical, ...
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/.../article719... - SimilarA Whiff of Luxury - [ Traducir esta página ]20 Dec 2009 ... A Whiff of Luxury From a wood, somewhere in England… The truffle 'industry' is surrounded by mystery and intrigue and this aura is probably ...
www.docstoc.com/.../A-Whiff-of-Luxury - En memoria caché - SimilarTASTER'S CHOICE -- A Whiff of White Truffle Oil - SFGate - [ Traducir esta página ]12 Nov 1997 ... White truffle oil may be the current darling of Bay Area restaurant chefs, as Chronicle staff writer Janet Fletcher reports on Page 1 of ...
articles.sfgate.com/.../17761054_1_white-truffle-olive-oil-aroma - En memoria caché
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : While I like the lateral thinking, I just don't feel this quite works for me in the register of a posh menu; always starts of for me by conjuring up "a whiff of drains"!
7 hrs
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : agree with Tony, whiff for me is negative and not nice smell, like a lingering pong
11 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

flavour or flavor

In the West of France this expression is commonly used for yoghurts etc., which is why I go with flavour, whatever its origin - natural or artificial
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : Generally yes (though there is in fact a legal distinction); however, I'm not sure how well this sits in Asker's menu context.
4 hrs
Something went wrong...
9 hrs

perfume


Start with grilled octopus and manila clams, mixed with white beans and saffron-tinted pastina in a tomato-lemon-thyme broth. Or a bizarre toss of Savoy-cabbage risotto with lobster and cod cheek in a perfume of truffle oil, best of the appetizers (add $6 to the $58 prix fixe). Flying-fish roe painted green by wasabi surrounds ribbons of tuna and salmon tartare with a crunch of radish and a kick of daikon sprouts. Shards of aged goat cheese girdle an elegant stack of string beans, frisée, and duck cracklings in a lemon vinaigrette.

http://www.insatiable-critic.com/Article.aspx?id=1339


The hill of beefy, tender Mull mussels (£6.95) came in a quintessential white wine, garlic and cream soup that was not too rich for us to spoon up avidly. The risotto of local shitake and cep mushrooms (£6.95) arrived wafting a perfume of truffle oil. To my taste, it was a bit soupy, but I prefer this dish Milanese style. A native Venetian would have said it was perfect.
www.thewhitehouserestaurant.co.uk/27831.html

Warm native lobster with carrot purée and spiced coconut broth was so overpowered by the perfume of vanilla as to have no appeal whatsoever, which made its £28 cost even more excruciating. It was served tepid verging on cold, which emphasised the dessert-like flavour
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/restaurants/review-23792019-th...
Something went wrong...
1 day 3 hrs

scent

The scent of vanilla
as in scent of a woman
Something went wrong...
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