julienne

American  

[joo-lee-en, zhy-lyen] / ˌdʒu liˈɛn, ʒüˈljɛn /

adjective

1. (of food, especially vegetables) cut into thin strips or small, matchlike pieces.

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noun

1. a clear soup garnished, before serving, with julienne vegetables.

verb (used with object)

julienned, julienning

1. to cut (something, especially a vegetable) into thin strips or small, matchlike pieces.

   I spent a half hour julienning the carrots.

julienne British  

/ ˌdʒuːlɪˈɛn /

adjective

1. (of vegetables) cut into thin shreds

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noun

1. a clear consommé to which a mixture of such vegetables has been added

Etymology

Origin of julienne

1835–45; < French, generic use of Julienne woman's name

Explanation

A chef makes a julienne when she cuts vegetables into thin strips. A recipe might call for a julienne of six carrots. To make a neat, even julienne, you need a very sharp knife, a cutting board, and some vegetables. When you chop vegetables this way, you julienne them. The word comes from a soup of the same name, which is prepared with thin strips of vegetables garnishing it — in French a potage julienne.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

julienne julienned julienning

Dice, julienne, brunoise, chiffonade — not to impress anyone, but to move with more ease and less hesitation.

From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025

Sparkling with lime in its dressing, the appetizer is garnished with julienne tart green apple, which Ratana adds to counter the neutrality of tofu.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 7, 2023

The mac and cheese came with a trio of sides: spinach soufflé, julienne carrots and a tossed green salad.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2021

Olia Hercules, cookbook author, @oliahercules Roughly grate or julienne a handful of carrots.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 15, 2020

And there he had fried chicken, julienne potatoes, hot biscuits and honey, and a piece of pineapple pie and blue cheese.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

After treks to downtown L.A.’s Fashion District to find just the right materials, she’ll mock up clever riffs on julienned ginger and cilantro leaves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

But luckily, we’re not deep frying in this recipe—only an inch or so of oil is needed to turn lightly battered, julienned zucchini into crispy fries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Among four kinds of noodles, the classic pancit canton looks exceptionally pretty, like large-scale confetti with peppery purple radish rounds, strips of long bean and julienned carrot, strewn with delicate cilantro sprouts.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2023

The Japanese dish typically is served as a cone of chilled ramen noodles covered with julienned strips of several ingredients, including cucumber, ham, omelet, ginger and carrot.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 18, 2023

I love julienned carrots, scallions, thinly sliced cabbage and any soft herbs that might be on their last legs.

From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2021

It’s shenaniganing, combobulating, julienning, hullaballooing, whatchamacalliting, flibbertigibbeting—even Clauding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

What’s worse, julienning these disparate plots saps them of their natural drama, and no amount of grandiose narration can pump that tension back in.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 27, 2021

After months of julienning root vegetables, preparing omelets in nonstick skillets and earning the approval of her employer, she reaches a tempting epiphany, the “conviction that her life was going to be possible after all.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2020

As with chefs, becoming a tax lawyer means learning by doing, experimenting with ingredients, julienning deductions, broiling credits, trying depreciation flambé.

From Forbes ● May 20, 2012