Baumkuchen [BOWM-kukh-en]

WHAT? If cake grew on trees. Baumkuchen (literally “tree cake”) is a traditional pastry from Germany made in an unusual way. A loose batter enriched with ground almond or almond paste is poured over a long tube that turns above an open fire or other heat source, rotisserie–style. When the batter is cooked, another layer is poured on, creating concentric layers of cake that resemble the rings of a tree when the cake is cut. Likely originating in Berlin, the cake’s popularity reached its zenith in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when sugar became plentiful. Perhaps because of its allusion to nature, baumkuchen is currently experiencing a renaissance in Japan, where you can find versions of the cake everywhere from the fanciest department store food halls to the no-frills lifestyle retailer Muji.

WHEN? January 26, Thomas Ciszak, Wine Lovers’ Dinner.

Sambal [SAHM-bahl]

WHAT? Fiery flavoring. The word “sambal” encompasses a variety of condiments and side dishes served primarily as accompaniments to rice throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, and southern India. The spicy sauces are made from different chiles combined with other ingredients, such as vinegar, tamarind, shrimp paste, fruits, vegetables, and meat, and are served either cooked or raw. The most basic sambal, sambal ulek, is an uncooked mixture of chiles, salt, and acid, ground with a mortar and pestle. As a seasoning, sambal is as essential to Indonesian and Malaysian cuisines as salt and pepper is to Western cooking. This month, chef Jay Swift is spicing up his blue crab beignets with a savory sambal jelly.

WHEN? January 21, Jay Swift, Great Regional Chefs of America.

Sformato [zfor-MAH-to]

WHAT? Cooking out of the box. Sformato is ubiquitous on restaurant menus throughout Italy, yet its definition is elusive. The consonant-clustered name comes from the Italian verb sformare, meaning, “to unmold.” Predictably, the dish is cooked in a mold, or forma, and turned out onto a plate to serve. Sformati (that’s plural) can qualify as just about anything from vegetable side dishes to meaty main courses or even desserts. With a texture that can best be described as somewhere between a soufflé and flan, sformati almost always include eggs, but additional ingredients are up to the cook. Popular savory flavors include spinach, peas, or potatoes, but sweet renditions made with zabaglione, fruit, or chocolate are not uncommon. Giuseppe Fanelli will be turning out roasted eggplant sformati when he visits the house this month.

WHEN? January 20, Giuseppe Fanelli, Barilla Italian Luncheon.