With a sharp knife the raw vegetable is sliced on four sides to create a thick rectangular stick, then cut lengthwise into approximately 3 mm (1/8 inch) slices. Stacking these slices and again cutting lengthwise into strips creates thin uniform square sticks. Julienne usually applies to vegetables prepared in this way but it can also be applied to the preparation of meat or fish, especially in stir fry techniques.
Once julienned, turning the subject 90 degrees and dicing finely will produce brunoise.
In American culture, a popular phrase for saying that a gadget can do many things is "It slices! It dices! It makes Julienne fries!" This phrase is a parody of Ron Popeil's (Ronco) advertisements for the Veg-o-Matic kitchen tool. Its specific origins are not known, but it may have been popularized by the TV Show Mork and Mindy, in which Robin Williams (as Mork) says a similar line.
