# Lemonade, jelly, and biscuits (and other foods people outside of the US have wrong) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401 "2009-01-28T17:26:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/61 "2009-01-29T00:33:46Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Marrows are huge things, beloved of competitive gardeners but nobody ever talks about eating the things. I always assumed zucchini=courgette, but I may be wrong. If I heard ‘squash’ mentioned by a Brit, by itself, in a culinary context, I’d probably assume butternut. Apparently a zucchini is a type of summer squash, which I didn’t know until just this minute. It’s not the default “squash” that people talk about, though. That’s more like [these](http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=squash&gbv=2). We generally call zucchini and pumpkins by name, even though most people are aware that the latter is a squash. Here’s a question for UK dopers. What are “opal fruit”? Adrien Mole eats them obsessively throughout the book series, but I’m not exactly sure what they are. Like [starburst](http://layoder.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/image50.png) or [jujubes](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1030/768588066_707d327e3c.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/62 "2009-01-29T00:43:30Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > What are “opal fruit”? Adrien Mole eats them obsessively throughout the book series, but I’m not exactly sure what they are. Opal Fruits were rebranded to Starburst about 10 years ago ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/63 "2009-01-29T00:46:53Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Orange juice and pineapple juice are all juice with no added sugar or water. > The generic term is _gelatin_. Jell-O is a brand name. What stuff you been drinkin’? Mine says “from concentrate” most of the time, which means water has been added. Yeah, you can get not from concentrate but OJ can have water in it. And over across the way they call it jelly..which means something different here, was my point. But you’re right on the name. 🙂 > [@Dublin11](#): > > I know what lemon juice is. Lemons and their juice get exported all over the place these days, you know. 😃 > Lemon juice is the juice of a lemon. No explanation neccessary on that one. No sirree. > > The point I was making is that your explanation just didn’t add up. > Saying that lemonade is to lemons what orange juice is to oranges and what pineapple juice is to pineapples made no sense to me. > Does it really make sense to you? Again, yeah. And I see a few others agreeing…but it makes great sense to me. When I was younger my dad used to get this frozen OJ and PJ in a can. You know what you needed to add to it to make it? Water. Even apple juice is made from concentrate. A lot of fruit juices are. Oh, sure, you can just squeeze out the juice from the fruit and drink as is, without any water or sugar..whereas with Lemons you can’t really do this…but my point is that a lot of fruit drinks have water in them or water that you need to mix with them to make them (the frozen ones). Lemonade comes from lemons and water. Orange juice comes from oranges and (in most of my experiences) water. Apple juice comes from apples and (in most of my experiences based on what I buy from the store) water. Yeah, you can get apple juice and OJ that does not have water in them and is 100 percent natural..but there are water-based ones too and that’s what I was refering to with the lemon/OJ comparison. 🙂 I guess I just assumed most others buy that “From concentrate” stuff, too…but I’m probably wrong. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/64 "2009-01-29T00:50:41Z")
Have we discussed milk and cream? Here in the U.S., we have skim (fat-free), 1%, 2%, whole milk, half ‘n’ half, light cream and heavy cream. There is even fat-free half ‘n’ half, which seems like an oxymoron. Every time I go to Europe, I get totally confused with the terminology. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/65 "2009-01-29T00:51:02Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Aren’t “digestives” graham crackers? I don’t know, do people consider them a type of cookie (or biscuit) or a type of cracker? They don’t come to mind when I think of cookies. They’re similar in ingredients but quite different in texture. _Edit:_ Which I now see has already been well discussed. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/66 "2009-01-29T00:52:25Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Apparently a zucchini is a type of summer squash, which I didn’t know until just this minute. It’s not the default “squash” that people talk about, though. That’s more like [these](http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=squash&gbv=2). Yep, some of them are butternut - the others simply aren’t widely available here. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/67 "2009-01-29T00:52:52Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > Orangeade likewise suggests that it isn’t pure orange squeezin’. Snipping mine. I dunno, the juice I buy from the store (even minute maid) says from concentrate on it…yet they’re marketed as orange juice. When I think of orangeade, I think of Sunny Delight..which is good stuff, yeah..but it damn sure isn’t orange juice (why yes, I have an addiction to vitamin c, why do you ask? 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/68 "2009-01-29T00:57:50Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Have we discussed milk and cream? Here in the U.S., we have skim (fat-free), 1%, 2%, whole milk, half ‘n’ half, light cream and heavy cream. There is even fat-free half ‘n’ half, which seems like an oxymoron. > > Every time I go to Europe, I get totally confused with the terminology. You’ve basically got three options, from low-fat to tasty: skimmed, semi-skimmed, whole. You’ll also have the option in a larger store of things such as gold-top channel island milk, with extra naturally-added fat (yum! seriously). ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/69 "2009-01-29T00:59:38Z")
Just what is barley water? I think it’s probably different than the barley water Georgette Heyer’s characters are always [del]swilling[/del] sipping, but seriously–what does it taste like? Ginger ale? (do you have ginger ale over the Pond?). Digestive biscuit does not sound tempting to me. IMHO, no one can do a cookie like America (haven’t ever had a Tim Horton’s cookie, so dunno bout Canucks). Even if the cookie started in Holland, we have tweaked, enhanced, supersized, enriched and made cookies into bloviated pieces of fat and sugar that I love. After that, nothing called “digestive” is going to appeal… what do you all call ice cream again? Like an ice cream cone? I know you all call lollipops something different as well. (lollies?). I’ve always wanted to try Milk Tray or Emmenthal (that’s a bar o chocolate, right–and not a wedge of cheese?) They have m & m’s in vending machines on the Metro and train platforms in France–they’re the same as in America. I brought home from UK a love of vinegar with fries (chips). I haven’t quite found the same vinegar as I had over there, but it’s ok. Just never, never, never ask me to eat a cauliflower cheese again–blech! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/70 "2009-01-29T01:03:36Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Candy is VERY American. ‘Candy’ does have authentic British usage, but it’s pretty marginal and somewhat archaic - it used to refer to hard confectionery made from sugar that was melted and set again (often known as ‘boiled sweets’). Going a little further back, ‘candy’ was the form in which culinary sugar was purchased - a solid cone of melted and recrystallised sugar that had to be broken up or crushed before use. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/71 "2009-01-29T01:24:54Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Just what is barley water? I think it’s probably different than the barley water Georgette Heyer’s characters are always [del]swilling[/del] sipping, but seriously–what does it taste like? Ginger ale? (do you have ginger ale over the Pond?). Imagine a rather crisp, acidic fruit juice, but dilute enough to be genuinely refreshing. > [@](#): > > Digestive biscuit does not sound tempting to me. Remember that they are the best item on the planet for soaking up tea (or milk or hot chocolate) when dunked. Or you just buy the chocolate-coated ones. > [@](#): > > what do you all call ice cream again? Like an ice cream cone? I know you all call lollipops something different as well. (lollies?). Just ‘an ice cream’, although regional differences will come into play I’m sure. ‘Lolly’ is just an abbreviation, we all know it means lollipop. > [@](#): > > I’ve always wanted to try Milk Tray or Emmenthal (that’s a bar o chocolate, right–and not a wedge of cheese?) Wrong! And I won’t be making anything with cauliflour, don’t worry, I find the thing(s) repulsive. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/72 "2009-01-29T01:26:40Z")
> [@](#): > > ‘Candy’ does have authentic British usage, but it’s pretty marginal and somewhat archaic - it used to refer to hard confectionery made from sugar that was melted and set again (often known as ‘boiled sweets’). Often with food coloring added, and maybe a trace of nominal flavoring that loosely corresponds to the color? That’s what we’d call “hard candy”, if we wanted to be specific, but could also be just “candy”. If a kid said “Mom, can I have some candy?”, or “…a piece of candy?”, he’d probably be referring to hard candy, but if it’s a candy _bar_, it’s almost certainly chocolate-based. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/73 "2009-01-29T01:28:42Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Imagine a rather crisp, acidic fruit juice, but dilute enough to be genuinely refreshing. Sounds great for a hot summer day! > [@](#): > > Remember that they are the best item on the planet for soaking up tea (or milk or hot chocolate) when dunked. Or you just buy the chocolate-coated ones. Hmmm.. Jury is still out on this one. I’ll try it, I guess. :dubious: > [@](#): > > Just ‘an ice cream’, although regional differences will come into play I’m sure. ‘Lolly’ is just an abbreviation, we all know it means lollipop. Then what’s an iced lolly? Isn’t there some kind of iced cream confection that you all call by number and it’s supposed to be fantastic? > [@](#): > > Wrong! Emmenthal is CHEESE? God help us–Bridget Jones’s Diary will need adjusting in my head. > [@](#): > > And I won’t be making anything with cauliflour, don’t worry, I find the thing(s) repulsive. What time is dinner? I’ll be over soon! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/74 "2009-01-29T01:37:13Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Then what’s an iced lolly? Isn’t there some kind of iced cream confection that you all call by number and it’s supposed to be fantastic? A 99. That’s an ice cream cone with a chocolate flake in it. An iced (or ice) lolly is something sweet and frozen on a stick. Could be fruit juice based, could be ice cream based. A fudgesicle is an ice lolly. Lollipop is reserved for non-frozen sweet things on a stick - Chupa Chups, for example, are a type of lollipop. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/75 "2009-01-29T01:43:17Z")
Oh, and another term is ‘sucker’, but for the life of me I can’t remember if that’s used for ice lollies or lollipops. One more difference between the UK and US: The flavour of purple. Over there purple candies tend to be grape, over here purple sweets tend to be blackcurrant. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/76 "2009-01-29T01:43:50Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > What stuff you been drinkin’? Mine says “from concentrate” most of the time, which means water has been added. Yeah, you can get not from concentrate but OJ can have water in it. Do you know how they make orange juice concentrate? Really, no shit, what they do is they take orange juice, and they remove something from it. You’ll never guess what they remove from it to make concentrate: water ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/77 "2009-01-29T01:48:01Z")
To add to the explanation of barley water, it’s made from fruit mixed with water that pearl barley has been boiled in. It’s sold alongside our fruit squashes (or ades, if you prefer), in bottles of concentrate that you dilute with water. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/78 "2009-01-29T02:38:19Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > A 99. That’s an ice cream cone with a chocolate flake in it. An iced (or ice) lolly is something sweet and frozen on a stick. [This delightful clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHMFooKZsFs&feature=channel_page) shows what a “99” is. The whole thing’s worth watching, but he asks for a 99 at about 2:24. I love this movie. “Hello folks!” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/79 "2009-01-29T02:58:50Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > [This delightful clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHMFooKZsFs&feature=channel_page) shows what a “99” is. The whole thing’s worth watching, but he asks for a 99 at about 2:24. > > I love this movie. > > “Hello folks!” This whole “99” explanation suddenly makes some of the lyrics to “Justified and Ancient” by KLF make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/80 "2009-01-29T03:00:07Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > Oh, and another term is ‘sucker’, but for the life of me I can’t remember if that’s used for ice lollies or lollipops. Suckers are lollipops. (The word lollipop is also used here, but considered childish.) Ice lollies are popsicles (rhymes with tickles). It’s one of those brand names that came to be used generically, like Xerox or Kleenex. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401.md?page=5)