To blanch food is to briefly boil it and then cool it quickly, often to loosen skins or keep its color. More generally, to blanch can mean to turn pale, especially from fear or shock.
From Old French “blanchir,” meaning “to make white,” from “blanc” (white). The cooking sense comes from the idea of making something look lighter or cleaner.
When someone “blanches” with fear, the image is literally of the blood draining from their face, making it whiter. In cooking, blanching is almost the opposite—using heat and water to lock in bright colors and freshness.
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