# Foods/dishes whose name does not compute **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [April 3, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092 "2023-04-03T16:11:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/81 "2023-04-05T17:47:58Z")
> [@bump](#): > > What sort of sauce called “chili” could you just eat out of a jar? That’s a new one for me. Such things do exist, I assure you. > [@bump](#): > > I’m not exactly sure what this means; I mean, if I ordered a dish called “ julienne”, I’d expect it to be made of whatever it is, finely cut into little sticks, and likely cooked in some fashion. They expect raw mushrooms finely cut into little sticks and mixed into a salad, but this ain’t what they get. They sit there staring at the dish and going “What’s _this_?!?” I don’t know who decided to call it “julienne” or why they did, but it seems to be common in the former USSR. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/82 "2023-04-05T18:12:22Z")
My wife makes an epic mince pie, she also makes epic mince pies. One contains meat, the other does not (though it does ideally contain the finest shredded beef suet, which is the bubbly, flakey fat that surrounds a cows kidneys) One of my favourite tasks in my first job out of school was the breaking up, shredding and rendering of suet. A tactile and olfactory treat. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/83 "2023-04-05T21:03:13Z")
A mushroom swiss burger is not a burger made from mushrooms (or swiss). Several years ago a bunch of us from work went out for lunch. A woman who was from India ordered a mushroom swiss burger, thinking it was a mushroom burger with swiss cheese. The entire table erupted pretty much in unison with “Noooooo!” ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/84 "2023-04-05T22:28:57Z")
That reminds me of an incident when I was part of a tour group in Australia. The tour included lunch at some restaurant in some small Outback town. The options were a regular hamburger or cheeseburger or a burger loaded with a bunch of toppings, including cheese and bacon. There were two Jewish girls in the group, who both wanted the one with all the toppings, except without the cheese and bacon to comply with kosher rules. So our guide called in the order, and asked for two with “no dairy, no pork.” When we got to the restaurant and got our food, two of the burgers had no cheese, but still had bacon on them. When our guide pointed out that they were supposed to leave off the pork as well, the waitress replied “That’s not pork, it’s bacon.” He had to explain that bacon _is_ pork. Any meat from a pig is pork. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/85 "2023-04-05T22:43:13Z")
My wife has taught me how to prepare awesome [hedgehog](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_slice). ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/86 "2023-04-05T22:57:30Z")
Hey, that’s “Kalter Hund”, “cold dog” in German. A favorite at children’s birthdays in my childhood (the seventies). Very heavy of fat (and sugar!) though, if you ate too much you got sick fast. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/87 "2023-04-05T23:29:14Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > A mushroom swiss burger is not a burger made from mushrooms (or swiss). Neither is Swiss cheese necessarily made in Switzerland. (But I’ll bet almost all American cheese is made in America.) In my experience, a “hedgehog” (in addition to being a cute little critter) is a meatball consisting of ground beef/veal/pork and grains of rice. I like to serve them with marinara sauce and grated cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/88 "2023-04-06T04:34:51Z")
> [@bump](#): > > What sort of sauce called “chili” could you just eat out of a jar? That’s a new one for me. Here you go: > **[Chili Sauce - Products - Heinz®](https://www.heinz.com/products/00013000001120-chili-sauce/)** > > Heinz Chili Sauce is made with vine ripened tomatoes, garlic and aromatic spices for a fresh and natural taste. Great for adding a kick of flavor to burger and fries. It’s a thicker and “zippier” sauce than plain old ketchup, and it can be used pretty much anywhere that ketchup can, and in a few other places. But if you look at the ingredients on the website, or on the bottle, you’ll see that there are no chilis in it. My grandmother used to make homemade chili sauce back in the day, and she probably wouldn’t have known what a chili was. But her chili sauce was great! Hey, maybe chili sauce is a good candidate for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/89 "2023-04-06T05:20:18Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In my experience, a “hedgehog” (in addition to being a cute little critter) is a meatball consisting of ground beef/veal/pork and grains of rice. Those are also called porcupines. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/90 "2023-04-06T07:35:29Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Neither is Swiss cheese necessarily made in Switzerland. Good luck ordering Swiss cheese in Switzerland, for that matter. [Toast Hawaii](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_Hawaii) did not come from Hawaii, but it does contain pineapple. There are no worms in vermicelles. > **[Vermicelles - A Traditional Chestnut Dessert from Switzerland](https://newinzurich.com/2019/12/vermicelles-a-traditional-chestnut-dessert-from-switzerland/)** > > Traditional Swiss Food - Vermicelles Dessert. Vermicelles is a typical Swiss dessert mostly seen in Autumn & Winter made of Chestnut puree ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/91 "2023-04-06T12:07:40Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Good luck ordering Swiss cheese in Switzerland, for that matter. Isn’t it just called ‘cheese’ in Switzerland? 😏 Similarly, I don’t believe you’ll find anything called ‘Canadian Bacon’ in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/92 "2023-04-06T13:13:17Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Similarly, I don’t believe you’ll find anything called ‘Canadian Bacon’ in Canada. They call it “back bacon.” The McKenzie Brothers of “SCTV” once suggested that, by that logic, Americans should call American cheese “back cheese.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/93 "2023-04-06T21:17:30Z")
> [@solost](#): > > > [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > > > Good luck ordering Swiss cheese in Switzerland, for that matter. > > Isn’t it just called ‘cheese’ in Switzerland? 😏 > > Similarly, I don’t believe you’ll find anything called ‘Canadian Bacon’ in Canada. Believe it or not, I have a package labeled “Canadian bacon” in my fridge right now. I got it at a Canadian supermarket, and it’s the same meat you’d find in an Egg McMuffin. I think they call it “Canadian bacon” to differentiate it from “back” and “peameal” bacon. In my experience, what Americans call “Swiss cheese” is labeled “Emmentaler” in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/94 "2023-04-06T21:32:18Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I think they call it “Canadian bacon” to differentiate it from “back”… I thought “Canadian” and “back” bacon were the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/95 "2023-04-06T21:55:56Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In my experience, what Americans call “Swiss cheese” is labeled “Emmentaler” in Europe. I think we have cheese labeled with both around here. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone noticed people may pay more for an exotic-sounding cheese and just put the same Swiss cheese in a different wrapper and charge more for it. It’s the American way. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/96 "2023-04-06T21:56:00Z")
Canadians don’t call back bacon “Canadian bacon.” Americans do. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/97 "2023-04-06T22:31:16Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In my experience, what Americans call “Swiss cheese” is labeled “Emmentaler” in Europe. Correct. But the Swiss also offer the lovely Gruyere, and Raclette so it is important to know the names. I prefer Gruyere and often use in place of generic “Swiss” cheese as Emmentaler is not my thing. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/98 "2023-04-06T22:45:22Z")
What Americans call “Swiss cheese” is a very specific type, regardless of how it’s packaged or where it’s made. It’s very pale yellow (or even white) with large holes formed by bubbles as it cures. It normally is quite bland, unless it’s been smoked or otherwise treated. Gruyere is different altogether. It’s hard and nutty, and good for grating and melting. I use it to top Oysters Rockefeller and French Onion soup. Swiss I use mainly to make ham-and-cheese and Reuben sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/99 "2023-04-06T22:49:10Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Canadians don’t call back bacon “Canadian bacon.” Americans do. Yeah, I know that. But they are the exact same cut of meat, right? I was confused as to why “Canadian” and “back” bacon would need to be differentiated. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092/100 "2023-04-06T22:51:43Z")
Is back bacon in Canada typically smoked, or is it just cured? American Canadian bacon is cured and smoked and usually cut into a circular shape. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-dishes-whose-name-does-not-compute/982092.md?page=6)