Portal:Condiments
Portal maintenance status: (October 2018)
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Introduction
A condiment or table sauce is a spice, sauce, or preparation (such as onions) that is added to food to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or, in some cultures, to complement the dish. The term originally described pickled or preserved foods, but its meaning has changed over time.
Many condiments, such as mustard or ketchup, are available in single-serving packets, commonly when supplied with take-out or fast-food meals. The diner usually applies them, but they are sometimes added prior to serving, for example, in a sandwich made with ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise. Some condiments are used during cooking to add flavor or texture; barbecue sauce, compound butter, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and marmite and sour cream are examples.
Selected general articles
Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace chemicals that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–20% by volume acetic acid. Usually the acetic acid is produced by the fermentation of ethanol or sugars by acetic acid bacteria. Vinegar is now mainly used as a cooking ingredient, or in pickling. There are many types of vinegar, depending upon the source materials.
As the most easily manufactured mild acid, it has historically had a wide variety of industrial, medical, and domestic uses. Some of these are still commonly practiced, such as its use as a household cleaner. Read more...
Ajika or adjika (Georgian: აჯიკა, Abkhazian: аџьыка) is a Georgian-Abkhaz hot, spicy but subtly flavored dip often used to flavor food. The name itself comes from the Abkhaz word аџьыка "salt" (the more descriptive аџьыкаҟaԥшь (literally, "red salt") and аџьыкаҵәаҵәа are also used to refer specifically to ajika).
The Abkhazian variant of ajika is based on a boiled preparation of hot red peppers, garlic, herbs, and spices such as coriander, dill, blue fenugreek (only found in mountain regions such as the Alps or the Caucasus), salt, and walnut. A dry form of ajika exists that is sometimes called svanuri marili in Georgian or lushnu jim in Svan (სვანური მარილი "Svanetian salt"); this looks like small red clumps mixed with a looser version of the spice mixture. Home-made ajika is available from many market stalls in the Caucasus and in the Krasnodar Krai of Russia. Tomatoes are not an ingredient of traditional ajika, though different versions of ajika, sometimes having tomatoes or tomato paste as an ingredient, are produced on a commercial scale and sold in supermarkets in Russia and Ukraine. Read more...- French’s is an American brand of prepared mustard, condiments, fried onions, and other food items. Created by Robert Timothy French, French’s "Cream Salad Brand" mustard debuted to the world at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. By 1921, French’s Mustard had adopted its trademark pennant and begun advertising to the general public. French's was acquired by Reckitt Benckiser Group plc at some point in time, but is now owned by McCormick & Company as of today. Read more...
Maille is a brand of mustards, cornichons, stoneware, salad dressings, kitchen gifts and oils which originated in Marseille, France in 1723. Today the company is a subsidiary of multinational consumer goods company Unilever, which manufactures the mass-produced product at plants in different parts of the world. In addition, the original Maison Maille continues operation making traditional Dijon mustard available for sale through boutiques operating in Dijon, Paris, London, and Bordeaux. Read more...
Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. Besides being used as a cooking oil in South India, it is used as a flavour enhancer in Middle Eastern, African, and Southeast Asian cuisines. It has a distinctive nutty aroma and taste.
The oil from the nutrient-rich seed is popular in alternative medicine, from traditional massages and treatments to the modern day. Read more...
Tartar sauce (spelled tartare sauce in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and other parts of the Commonwealth) is a mayonnaise or aioli-based sauce of French origin, and is typically of a rough consistency due to the addition of diced gherkins or other varieties of pickles.
It is often used as a condiment with seafood dishes. It is most commonly used with clam strips, fried oysters, fish and chips, fish sandwiches, and fish fingers, among many other dishes. Read more...- Colo-colo is a type of hot and spicy condiment commonly found in Maluku cuisine of Maluku archipelago, Indonesia. It is believed to be originated from Ambon city. Colo-colo is similar with Manado's dabu-dabu, as they both uses a lot of chopped red chili peppers, bird's eye chili, shallots, red and green tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and sugar, mixed with fresh calamansi juice or locally known as lemon cui or jeruk kesturi. (sometimes replaced by kaffir lime or lemon juice). The main difference is colo-colo recipe often added further with additional ingredients, such as chopped lemon basil, kenari nut, and tahi minyak or ampas minyak (black-colored cooking coconut oil residue), or caramelized rarobang (watery residue of coconut oil-making process). As the result colo-colo is darker and more oily than dabu-dabu.
However today, because of the rarity and difficulty to acquire traditional cooking oil residue and caramelized rarobang, this oily agent is often replaced by widely available and practical kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) mixed with margarine, coconut oil or cooking oil. As the result today colo-colo is often mistaken as Indonesian common sambal kecap. Read more...
A dip or dipping sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, cut-up raw vegetables, fruits, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, falafel, and sometimes even whole sandwiches in the case of au jus. Unlike other sauces, instead of applying the sauce to the food, the food is typically put, dipped, or added into the dipping sauce (hence the name).
Dips are commonly used for finger foods, appetizers, and other food types. Thick dips based on sour cream, crème fraîche, milk, yogurt, mayonnaise, soft cheese, or beans are a staple of American hors d'oeuvres and are thinner than spreads which can be thinned to make dips. Alton Brown suggests that a dip is defined based on its ability to "maintain contact with its transport mechanism over three feet of white carpet". Read more...
Steak sauce is a dark brown sauce commonly served as a condiment for beef, in the United States. The original sauce from which "steak sauce" is derived is known in Britain as "brown sauce". Read more...
Mayonnaise (/ˈmeɪəneɪz/, /ˌmeɪəˈneɪz/, also US: /ˈmæneɪz/), informally mayo (/ˈmeɪoʊ/), is a thick cold sauce or dressing usually used in sandwiches and composed salads. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk, and acid, either vinegar or lemon juice. There are many variants using additional flavorings. The proteins and lecithin in the egg yolk serve as emulsifiers in mayonnaise (and hollandaise sauce). The color of mayonnaise varies from near-white to pale yellow, and its texture from a light cream to a thick gel.
Commercial egg-free varieties are made for vegans and others who avoid chicken eggs or dietary cholesterol. Read more...
Pickled fruit refers to fruit that has been pickled. Pickling is the process of food preservation by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. Many types of fruit are pickled. Some examples include peaches, apples, crab apple, pears, plums, grapes, currant, tomato and olives. Vinegar may also be prepared from fruit, such as apple cider vinegar. Read more...
Kaymak is a creamy dairy product similar to clotted cream, made from the milk of water buffalos, cows, sheep, or goats in Central Asia, some Balkan countries, Turkic regions, Iran and Iraq.
The traditional method of making kaymak is to boil the milk slowly, then simmer it for two hours over a very low heat. After the heat source is shut off, the cream is skimmed and left to chill (and mildly ferment) for several hours or days. Kaymak has a high percentage of milk fat, typically about 60%. It has a thick, creamy consistency (not entirely compact due to milk protein fibers) and a rich taste. Read more...- Miracle Whip is a sauce condiment manufactured by Kraft Foods and sold throughout the United States and Canada. It is also sold by Mondelēz International (formerly also Kraft Foods) as Miracel Whip throughout Germany. Read more...
Lethocerus indicus is a giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae, native to South and Southeast Asia, as well as southeast China, Korea, the Ryukyu Islands and New Guinea. It was originally described as Belostoma indicum but is no longer placed in that genus.
This insect is well known as an edible species in a number of different Southeast Asian cuisines. The taste of the flight muscles is often compared to sweet scallops or shrimp. Read more...
Cheese is a dairy product derived from milk that is produced in a wide range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, the milk is usually acidified, and adding the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into final form. Some cheeses have molds on the rind, the outer layer, or throughout. Most cheeses melt at cooking temperature.
Hundreds of types of cheese from various countries are produced. Their styles, textures and flavors depend on the origin of the milk (including the animal's diet), whether they have been pasteurized, the butterfat content, the bacteria and mold, the processing, and aging. Herbs, spices, or wood smoke may be used as flavoring agents. The yellow to red color of many cheeses, such as Red Leicester, is produced by adding annatto. Other ingredients may be added to some cheeses, such as black pepper, garlic, chives or cranberries. Read more...- Rémoulade (English: /reɪməˈlɑːd/; French: [ʁemulad]) is a condiment invented in France that is usually aioli- or mayonnaise-based. Although similar to tartar sauce, it is often more yellowish (or reddish in Louisiana), sometimes flavored with curry, and sometimes contains chopped pickles or piccalilli. It can also contain horseradish, paprika, anchovies, capers and a host of other items. While its original purpose was possibly for serving with meats, it is now more often used as a condiment or dipping sauce, primarily for sole, plaice, and seafood cakes (such as crab or salmon cakes). Read more...
- Fruit ketchup is a condiment prepared using fruit as a primary ingredient. Various fruits are used in its preparation, and it is also used as a spread and marinade, among other uses. Banana ketchup is a type of fruit ketchup that is common in the Philippines. Some companies mass-produce fruit ketchup, such as Philippines-based Jufran, and Chups, a small company based in Washington, D.C., United States. Read more...
Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, often a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment.
It is a significant source of some B-complex vitamins and contains trace amounts of several other vitamins and minerals. Sometimes nutritional yeast is fortified with vitamin B12. Read more...
An open pot of Gentleman's Relish anchovy paste
Anchovy paste is a fish paste food product prepared using anchovies as a primary ingredient. It is used as a condiment and as an ingredient in various dishes, such as Scotch woodcock, and is a mass-produced product. It has been used for centuries to provide flavor to foods and as a source of nutrients, and it is a part of the cuisines of Great Britain, Italy, the Philippines and Vietnam. It is a major export product of Morocco. Read more...
A jar of yuja-cheong
Cheong (청; 淸) is a name for various sweetened foods in the form of syrups, marmalades, and fruit preserves. In Korean cuisine, cheong is used as a tea base, as a honey-or-sugar-substitute in cooking, as a condiment, and also as an alternative medicine to treat the common cold and other minor illnesses.
Originally, the word cheong (청; 淸) was used to refer to honey in Korean royal court cuisine. The name jocheong (조청; 造淸; "crafted honey") was given to mullyeot (liquid-form yeot) and other human-made honey-substitutes. Now, honey is rarely called cheong in Korean, but is instead called kkul (꿀), which is the native (non-Sino-Korean) name for honey. The name kkul was used in the past, outside the royal court. Read more...- Tewkesbury mustard is a blend of mustard flour and grated horseradish root. The mustard was developed in the English town of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, and gained a certain notoriety in the 17th century, becoming a staple condiment of the kitchens of the time.
Shakespeare mentions the mustard in Henry IV, Part 2, in which Falstaff has the line: “his wit's as thick as Tewkesbury Mustard” (Act 2, Scene 4, Line 244), describing the character of his friend Ned Poins. Read more...
Guk-ganjang (Korean: 국간장) or soup soy sauce is a type of Korean soy sauce (ganjang) made entirely of fermented soybean (meju) and brine. It is also a byproduct of doenjang production. Both lighter in colour and saltier than other Korean ganjang varieties, soup soy sauce is used mainly in guk (soup) and namul (a seasoned vegetable dish) in modern Korean cuisine. Read more...- Strawberry jam, one type of common fruit preserve
Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits, vegetables and sugar, often stored in glass jam jars.
Many varieties of fruit preserves are made globally, including sweet fruit preserves, such as those made from strawberry or apricot, and savory preserves, such as those made from tomatoes or squash. The ingredients used and how they are prepared determine the type of preserves; jams, jellies, and marmalades are all examples of different styles of fruit preserves that vary based upon the fruit used. In English, the word, in plural form, "preserves" is used to describe all types of jams and jellies. Read more...
Blue cheese dressing and fried pickles
Blue cheese dressing is a popular salad dressing and dip in the United States. It is usually made of some combination of blue cheese, mayonnaise, and either or all buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt, milk, vinegar, onion powder, and garlic powder. There is a blue cheese vinaigrette that consists of salad oil, blue cheese, vinegar, and sometimes seasonings.
Most major salad dressing producers and restaurants in the United States produce a variant of blue cheese dressing. It is commonly served as a dip with Buffalo wings or crudités (raw vegetables). Read more...
Gravy is a sauce often made from the juices of meats that run naturally during cooking and thickened with wheat flour or cornstarch for added texture. In the United States and Singapore, the term can refer to a wider variety of sauces. The gravy may be further colored and flavored with gravy salt (a simple mix of salt and caramel food colouring) or gravy browning (gravy salt dissolved in water) or ready-made cubes and powders can be used as a substitute for natural meat or vegetable extracts. Canned and instant gravies are also available. Gravy is commonly served with roasts, meatloaf, rice, and mashed potatoes. Read more...
Sauces for salads are often called "dressings". The concept of salad dressing varies across cultures.
In Western culture, there are two basic types of salad dressing:- Vinaigrettes based on a mixture (emulsion) of salad oil and vinegar, often flavored with herbs, spices, salt, pepper, sugar, and other ingredients.
- Creamy dressings, usually based on mayonnaise or fermented milk products, such as yogurt, sour cream (crème fraîche, smetana), or buttermilk;
Balsamic vinegar (Italian: aceto balsamico), occasionally shortened to balsamic, is a very dark, concentrated, and intensely flavoured vinegar originating in Italy, made wholly or partially from grape must. Grape must is freshly crushed grape juice with all the skins, seeds and stems.
The term "aceto balsamico" is unregulated, but there are three protected balsamic vinegars: "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena" (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena), "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia" (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia), and "Aceto Balsamico di Modena" (Balsamic Vinegar of Modena). The two traditional balsamic vinegars are made the same way from reduced grape must aged for several years in a series of wooden barrels, and are produced exclusively in either the province of Modena or the wider Emilia region surrounding it. The names of these two vinegars are protected by the European Union's Protected Designation of Origin, while the usually less expensive Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (Aceto Balsamico di Modena) is made from grape must blended with wine vinegar, and produced exclusively in either Modena or Reggio Emilia, with a Protected Geographical Indication status. Read more...- Honey mustard, as its name suggests, is a blend of mustard and honey, typically mixed in a 1:1 ratio. It is commonly used both on sandwiches and as a dip for finger foods such as chicken strips. It can also be combined with vinegar or olive oil to make a salad dressing.
Combinations of English mustard with honey or Demerara sugar are used in British cuisine to coat grilled lamb cutlets or pork chops. Read more...
Piccalilli is an English interpretation of South Asian pickles, a relish of chopped pickled vegetables and spices; regional recipes vary considerably. Read more...
Chutney is a sauce or a dry base for a sauce in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent that can include such forms as a spicy coconut dip, a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish or a dahi (yogurt), cucumber, and mint dip.
An offshoot that took root in Anglo-Indian cuisine is usually a tart fruit such as sharp apples, rhubarb or damson pickle made milder by an equal weight of sugar (usually demerara or brown sugar to replace jaggery in some Indian sweet chutneys). Vinegar was added to the recipe for English-style chutney that traditionally aims to give a long shelf life so that autumn fruit can be preserved for use throughout the year (as are jams, jellies and pickles) or else to be sold as a commercial product. Indian pickles use mustard oil as a pickling agent, but Anglo-Indian style chutney uses malt or cider vinegar which produces a milder product that in western cuisine is often eaten with a hard cheese or with cold meats and fowl, typically in cold pub lunches. Read more...- French fries are almost always salted just after cooking. They are then served with a variety of condiments, notably ketchup, curry, curry ketchup (mildly hot mix of the former two), hot or chili sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, honey mustard, bearnaise sauce, tartar sauce, tzatziki, feta cheese, garlic sauce, fry sauce, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, gravy, brown sauce, vinegar (especially malt vinegar), lemon, piccalilli, pickled cucumber, gherkins, very small pickled onions, fresh cheese curds (especially Canada), or honey. Read more...
Ajvar ( [ǎj.ʋaːr], Albanian: ajvari; Bulgarian: aйвар; Macedonian: aјвар; Serbian Cyrillic: ajвар) is a pepper-based condiment made principally from red bell peppers and oil. Ajvar is used in the Balkans in Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, and to a small degree the Slovenian cuisine. In Serbia, it was long known as "Serbian salad" or "Serbian vegetable caviar". It became a popular side dish throughout ex-Yugoslavia after World War II and is nowadays popular in Southeastern Europe.
Homemade ajvar is made of roasted or cooked peppers. Depending on the capsaicin content in bell peppers and the amount of added chili peppers, it can be sweet (traditional), piquant (the most common), or very hot (ljutenica). Ajvar can be consumed as a bread spread or as a side dish. There are few variations of ajvar. If it contains tomato, then it is called pindjur or if it contains eggplant is called malidzano. Read more...
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana, syn. Cochlearia armoracia) is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, and cabbage). It is a root vegetable used as a spice.
The plant is probably native to southeastern Europe and western Asia. It is popular worldwide. It grows up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) tall, and is cultivated primarily for its large, white, tapered root. Read more...
Kyopolou (Bulgarian: Кьопоолу, more often Кьополу; Turkish: Köpoğlu) is a popular Bulgarian and Turkish spread, relish and salad made principally from roasted eggplants and garlic.
Common recipes include further ingredients such as baked bell peppers, baked kapia red peppers, tomatoes, tomato juice or tomato paste, onions, parsley, black pepper, and laurel leaves. Hot peppers may also be added. Taste can vary from light and sweet to hot and peppery. It is usually oven-cooked in pots or casseroles. Read more...
Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt and water thickened with corn starch. Some versions may be darkened with caramel, though high-quality oyster sauce is naturally dark. It is commonly used in Cantonese, Thai, Vietnamese and Khmer cuisine. Read more...
Beurre Maître d'Hôtel, also referred to as Maître d'Hôtel butter, is a type of compound butter (French: "Beurre composé") of French origin, prepared with butter, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper. It is a savory butter that is used on meats such as steak (including the chateaubriand sauce for chateaubriand steak), fish, vegetables and other foods. It may be used in place of a sauce, and can significantly enhance a dish's flavor. Some variations with a sweet flavor exist. It is usually served cold as sliced disks on foods, and is sometimes served as a side condiment. Read more...
Fish sauce is a condiment made from fish coated in salt and fermented from weeks to up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in various cuisines in Southeast and East Asia, particularly Indonesian, Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Thai, Lao, and Vietnamese. Upon widespread recognition of its ability to impart a savory umami flavor to dishes it has become embraced globally by chefs and home cooks.
Fish sauce is both added to dishes as a seasoning and used as a base in dipping sauces. The umami flavor in fish sauce is due to its glutamate content. Soy sauce is regarded by some in the West as a vegetarian alternative to fish sauce. Read more...
Guacamole (Spanish: [(ɡ)wakaˈmole] (
listen), see below for more; informally shortened to guac in English-speaking territories since the 1980s) is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed by the Aztecs in what is now Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international and American cuisine as a dip, condiment and salad ingredient. Read more...
Did you know...
- ... that Campanino apples are used to make a sweet-and-hot condiment, mostarda di Mantova, that has been eaten since the Middle Ages?
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Selected images
Tkemali (Georgian sauce made of sour cherry plums)
Ajika, spicy sauce in Caucasian cuisine
Common Chinese condiments: soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, white pepper
Packets of duck sauce
Chrain (horseradish sauce)
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