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zest

 
Dictionary: zest   (zĕst) pronunciation
n.
    1. Flavor or interest; piquancy.
    2. The outermost part of the rind of an orange, lemon, or other citrus fruit, used as flavoring.
  1. Spirited enjoyment; gusto: "At 53 he retains all the heady zest of adolescence" (Kenneth Tynan).
tr.v., zest·ed, zest·ing, zests.
To give zest, charm, or spirit to.

[Obsolete French, orange or lemon peel.]

zestful zest'ful adj.
zestfully zest'ful·ly adv.
zestfulness zest'ful·ness n.
zesty zest'y adj.

SYNONYMS   zest, gusto, relish. These nouns denote keen, hearty pleasure or appreciation: ate with zest; telling a joke with gusto; has no relish for repetitive work.


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Outer skin of citrus fruits. See flavedo.

The perfumy outermost skin layer of citrus fruit (usually oranges or lemons), which is removed with the aid of a citrus zester, paring knife or vegetable peeler. Only the colored portion of the skin (and not the white pith) is considered the zest. The aromatic oils in citrus zest are what add so much flavor to food. Zest can be used to flavor raw or cooked and sweet or savory dishes.

Thesaurus: zest
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noun

  1. A distinctive property of a substance affecting the gustatory sense: flavor, relish, sapor, savor, smack2, tang, taste. See taste/bad taste.
  2. Spirited enjoyment: gusto, relish. See pain/pleasure.

Antonyms: zest
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n

Definition: energy, gusto
Antonyms: apathy, indifference, laziness, lethargy

n

Definition: taste, flavor
Antonyms: blandness, dullness


Word Tutor: zest
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Hearty enjoyment. Also: The outermost part of the rind of an orange, lemon, or other citrus fruit, used as flavoring.

pronunciation True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new. — Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944).

Quotes About: Zest
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Quotes:

"Mirth is the sweet wine of human life. It should be offered sparkling with zestful life unto God." - Henry Ward Beecher

"Forbid a man to think for himself or to act for himself and you may add the joy of piracy and the zest of smuggling to his life." - Elbert Hubbard

Wikipedia: Zest (ingredient)
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Zesting an orange
Zesting a lime

Zest, also known as citrus peel, a food ingredient that is prepared by scraping or cutting from the outer, colorful skin of citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, citron, and lime. Zest is used to add flavor ("zest") to foods.

In terms of fruit anatomy, zest is obtained from the flavedo (exocarp). The flavedo and white pith (albedo) of a citrus fruit together makes up its peel. The amounts of both flavedo and pith are variable among citrus fruits, and may be adjusted by the manner in which they are prepared. Citrus peel may be used fresh, dried, candied, or pickled in salt.

Martini with a lime peel ("twist")

Contents

Preparation

Orange zest prepared with a knife

To remove the zest from a fruit for culinary use, a zester, grater, vegetable peeler, paring knife, or even a surform tool is used to scrape or cut it from the fruit. Alternatively, the peel may be sliced, then excess pith cut away. To ensure zest is at it's finest, use the smallest part of the grater.

Lemon pickle
Pickled lemons, Moroccan style

The white portion of the peel under the zest (pith, albedo or mesocarp) is unpleasantly bitter and generally avoided by limiting the peeling depth. The pith can be used for cooking.

Candied orange peel
Candied orange peel

When the entire thickness of the peel is candied, it is called succade. Succade may be prepared wet or dry.

Dried mandarin orange peel

Dried mandarin orange peel is a staple spice in Chinese cuisine. It is used in savoury soups and dishes such as steamed abalone.

Uses

Zest is often used to add flavor to different pastries and sweets, such as pies, e.g. lemon meringue pie, cakes, cookies, biscuits, puddings, confectionary, candy and chocolate. Even different dishes, marmalade, sauces, sorbets and salads can use zest.

Afghani rice dish with orange zest

Savoury dishes in which zest is an important ingredient include many rice dishes; also some notable meat dishes such as ossobuco alla milanese.

Zest is a key ingredient used to make a variety of sweet and sour condiments, including lemon pickle, lime chutney, and marmalade.

Orange zest for mulled wine

Zest is used in some cocktails not only for flavor and aroma but also for color as a garnish. For use as a cocktail garnish, zest is often cut in a long spiral called a twist. Cocktails featuring a twist include Dry Martini and Horse's Neck. For maximum flavor and aroma, as in mulled wine, zest is simply cut from the fruit with a knife.

Commercial uses

Lemon essential oil

The flavedo is the source of citrus essential oils (orange oil, lemon oil, etc.), which are important flavorings. Lemon essential oil is the principal flavor ingredient in lemon drops.

External links


Translations: Zest
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - krydderi, forhøjet smag, skal, lyst, iver, oplagthed, velbehag
v. tr. - krydre

Nederlands (Dutch)
animo, pit, elan, schil van citroen of sinaasappel

Français (French)
n. - entrain, élan, enthousiasme, (fig) saveur, piquant, (Culin) zeste
v. tr. - donner du piquant ou du charme ou de l'esprit à

Deutsch (German)
n. - Würze, Begeisterung, Elan, feine Stücke Zitrusfruchtschale
v. - Würze verleihen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ενθουσιασμός, ζέση, όρεξη, κέφι
v. - νοστιμίζω, "χρωματίζω"

Italiano (Italian)
gusto, piacere, animazione

Português (Portuguese)
n. - sabor (m), prazer (m), interesse (m)
v. - temperar, dar interesse

Русский (Russian)
придавать пикантность, пикантность, пыл, энергия

Español (Spanish)
n. - entusiasmo, ánimo, brío, ímpetu
v. tr. - entusiasmar, dar ánimo o brío

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - entusiasm, iver, aptit, smak, krydda, piff, pikant smak
v. - krydda, förhöja smaken på, göra än mer raffinerad/njutbar

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
风味, 热情, 强烈的兴趣, 给...调味

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 風味, 熱情, 強烈的興趣
v. tr. - 給...調味

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 풍미를 더하는 것, 풍취, 열정
v. tr. - ~에 풍미를 더하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ここちよい刺激, おもしろ味, 趣, 興味, 喜び, オレンジの皮, 風味, 熱意

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) استمتاع, حماسه, لذة, قشرة الليمون (فعل) ينشط, يعطي حيويه ل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮התלהבות, הנאה, חשק, תבלין, טעם, קליפת לימון, קליפת תפוז, פיקנטיות‬
v. tr. - ‮העניק טעם או פיקנטיות ל-‬


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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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