MASCARPONE (mas-kahr-POH-nay) - Originating from Italys Lombardy region, Mascarpone is a buttery-rich cheese made from cows milk. Its ivory-coloured, soft and delicate and ranges in texture from that of a light clotted cream to room temperature butter. It is versatile enough to be blended with other flavours and is sometimes sold sweetened with fruit. In the Friuli region of Italy, a favourite blend is mascarpone mixed with anchovies, mustard and spices.

MAYONNAISE (may-uh-NAYZ) - A thick and creamy dressing made of vegetable oil, egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar and seasonings. If egg yolks are not used, the product is called salad cream, which is sweeter in flavour.".

MELBA TOAST (mel-BAH) - Created by Auguste Escoffier for opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, this toast is exceedingly thin and dry. It is used to accompany soups, salads etc.

MERINGUE (muh-RANG) - A meringue is a mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and granulated sugar. Baked at a very low temperature for up to 2 hours and left in the turned off oven until completely dry. They often have a centre depression that is filled with ice-cream, custard, whipped cream, fruit etc.

MILLE FEUILLE (mil-fair) - Layers of puff pastry with caramelised pineapple and cream.

MOUSSE (moos) - A French term meaning "froth" or "foam," mousse is a rich, airy dish that can be either sweet or savory and hot or cold. Cold dessert mousses are usually made with fruit puree or a flavouring such as chocolate. Their fluffiness is due to the addition of whipped cream or beaten egg whites and they're often fortified with gelatin. Savoury mousses can be made from meat, fish, shellfish, foie gras, cheese or even vegetables. Hot mousses usually get their light texture from the addition of beaten egg whites. They're generally baked in a water bath to prevent the mixture from curdling. When applied to wine, the word mousse describes the foam that forms on the surface of Champagne or other sparkling wine when it's first poured. Mousse is analogous to the term "head," which is the foam on a freshly poured glass of beer. .

MOZZARELLA (moht-suh-REHL-lah) - Hailing from Italy, Mozzarella is a mild, white fresh cheese that's made by the special "Pasta Filata" process, whereby the curd is dipped into hot whey, then stretched and kneaded to the desired consistency. At one time, Mozzarella was made only from the milk of water buffaloes. Today, however, the majority of it is made with cow's milk. Mozzarella comes in two basic styles. Most regular Mozzarella, which can be found in low fat and non fat forms in supermarkets, is factory produced. It has a semi-soft, elastic texture and is drier and not as delicately flavoured as its fresher counterpart. This style of Mozzarella is best used for cooking and is popular for pizza because of its excellent melting qualities. Fresh Mozzarella, which is usually packaged in whey or water, is often labelled "Italian style." It's generally made from whole milk and has a much softer texture and a sweet, delicate flavor. Mozzarella di bufala (also called simply buffalo Mozzarella ) is the most prized of the fresh Mozzarellas.nTwo popular forms of fresh mozzarella are Boconccini , which are little (about 1 inch in diameter) balls that are commonly marinated in olive oil and sometimes herbs, and a smoked version called Mozzarella Affumicata . There's also the unique Manteca , in which the Mozzarella is moulded around a lump of butter. Fresh Mozzarella can be found in Italian markets, cheese shops and some supermarkets. It's excellent simply spread on bread with salt, pepper and a little olive oil

MUSTARD () - Mustard is made by mixing the roughly crushed hot tasting seeds of various plants from the cabbage family with unfermented grape juice (or "must"), hence its name.".