palm sugar 
also known as jaggery, gula jawa and gula melaka; made from the coconut palm. Dark brown to black in colour and usually sold in rock hard cakes. Dark brown sugar can be substituted
pancetta
Italian bacon that is cured, but not smoked
panko
These Japanese breadcrumbs are coarse dried breadcrumbs which give a very crips coating to fried foods. Available from Asian food stores; substitute day-old breadcrumbs.
papaya, green
Available at Asian food stores; look for one that is hard and slightly shiny, proving it is freshly picked. Papaya will soften rapidly if not used within a day or two.
pappadums
sun-dried wafers made from a combination of lentil and rice flours, oils and spices
Pappardelle
A wide, flat ribbon pasta, usually around 3cm wide. Named after the Italian verb parpare, "to gobble up".
paprika
ground dried red capsicum (bell pepper), available sweet or hot
parfait
A rich, iced dessert that is made without using an ice-cream machine. Hot, flavoured syrup is poured into a base of beaten egg yolks or custard. The addition of whipped cream makes the dessert smooth, and once it has set in a mould, it can be turned out and sliced into individual servings that hold their shape better than ice-cream.
parmesan
also known as parmigiano; is a hard, grainy, cow-milk cheese. The curd is salted in brine for a month before being aged for up to two years in humid conditions.
