chiffonnade

Chiffonnade comes from French chiffon (rag, scrap of fabric), from Old French chiffe (old cloth). The suffix -ade indicates the act or result of doing something. A chiffonade is a preparation that looks like rags — thin ribbons of leafy herbs or greens, produced by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, and slicing the roll crosswise into fine strips. The word names the appearance, not the technique.

The technique is precise. You stack basil, mint, lettuce, sorrel, or any flat-leafed green into a neat pile, roll the pile into a tight cylinder (like a cigar), and slice the cylinder crosswise with a sharp knife. The result is a pile of thin, even ribbons. The French word for rags dignifies the result: what looks like shredded fabric is actually a disciplined knife cut that distributes flavor and color evenly across a dish.

Chiffonade is used primarily as a garnish. A chiffonade of basil scattered over pasta, a chiffonade of mint on a dessert, a chiffonade of sorrel stirred into a soup just before serving. The ribbons wilt quickly and release their aromatic oils. The thinness of the cut maximizes the surface area, which maximizes the fragrance. The technique is a delivery system for volatile compounds disguised as a decorative gesture.

The word chiffonade is one of the few French knife-cut terms that has entered everyday English cooking vocabulary. Julienne, brunoise, and tournée are known primarily to professional cooks and culinary school graduates. Chiffonade appears in home-cooking magazines, food blogs, and recipe apps. The word sounds elegant. The technique takes thirty seconds.