# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/141 "2009-01-30T00:29:44Z")
> [@I'm Not Dennis Bergkamp](#): > > Woodchuck is an American cider brand available in most (if not all) grocery stores in the Northern Virginia/DC metro area. I understand it’s widely available elsewhere as well. It’s a good substitute when I can’t find Strongbow. Around Cleveland I’ve sampled Hardcore cider. It’s not too great. Give me a Bulmer’s/Magner’s any day. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/142 "2009-01-30T00:31:22Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > CanDopers—did Winegums ever have wine in them? Dumb question, yes, but inquring minds want to know. From the venerable [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_gum): The name comes from the lingering, subtle fruit flavours that make it “similar to the experience of savouring a fine wine”. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/143 "2009-01-30T00:37:28Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > The name comes from the lingering, subtle fruit flavours that make it “similar to the experience of savouring a fine wine”. \ Hifalutin’ name for jujubes, IMO. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/144 "2009-01-30T00:43:37Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > So I’m confused…why do I see some people squeeze the juice out of oranges into a cup and drink it without adding any tap water to it first? > > Because I’ve seen many people do that before. They take an orange, hold it over a cup, squeeze it, the juice comes out, and they drink it. They don’t add water first, they just drink it as is. Because that’s orange juice. Orange juice naturally has water in it, straight out of the orange, that’s what makes it juice. If you REMOVE that water, you get a pulp (like the stuff in the can), which has to have water ADDED AGAIN to make it juice. So orange juice is not diluted, but if you process it and take the water out, you’ll eventually have to put just as much water back in. ---
**Author:** ![KittenKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kittenkat/32/306_2.png) [@KittenKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KittenKat)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/145 "2009-01-30T02:17:31Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > I think we’re talking about (lololol) apples and oranges, is what I’m starting to think. > > My points (again) are just this: > > 1. Some Orange Juice you don’t have to add water to. Like the kind in cartons. > 2. Some you do. Like the frozen cans of it. > > That’s it. That’s all. Now are numbers 1 or 2 the case or not? Just a simple yes or no will suffice. If yes, then there is no debate about it because that’s all I’m (and have been) trying to say, haha. 🙂 I would say not. What you buy in cartons is orange juice, whether it is from concentrate or not. What you buy in cans from the freezer case is _not_ orange juice, it is orange juice _concentrate_. It may be casually called orange juice, but it is actually orange juice with most of the water extracted. You then add water to it to make it orange juice. See the difference? ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/146 "2009-01-30T02:46:53Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > In the UK, they’re both non-alcoholic. Ginger beer is a common carbonated soft drink. Ginger ale is not carbonated, tastes very different to ginger beer, is mostly used as a mixer for spirits. > [@eleanorigby](#): > > Forgot to put in my post that over here, ginger ale is a carbonated, mild flavored drink (I assume it tastes like ginger–not sure what ginger actually tastes like as I only know it as a dash of flavor in other stuff). Never heard of ginger beer, but I am intrigued. For those who don’t want to read the whole thread, ginger beer started out as a lightly-fermented ginger-based drink. Nowadays, it generally refers to a stronger version of ginger ale - much less sweet, fizzy, and light, it’s a drink in its own right, rather than a mixer. Reeds (the best brand, IMHO) also has Ginger Brew, which is just the next level of gingery goodness. Then there’s Extra Ginger Brew, which is basically Ambrosia. I’ve never actually seen alcoholic Genger Beer (no, that’s a lie, we accidentally got some in Japan, but that was just beer with ginger flavor. Eeeeeeewwwww…) > [@SanVito](#): > > Oh, I forgot to pick up on your ‘savoury’ comment. In my head, all foods are carved up into ‘savoury’ and ‘sweet’. Squash is most certainly savoury, as it’s vegetable (unless some fancy chef turns it into a dessert with added sugar). > > What do you mean by ‘you can add savoury to it’. Surely savoury is an adjective, not an noun? Well, now, there IS an herb known as [savory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savory_(genus)), but I expect that was just shorthand for ‘you can add savory flavors to it’ ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/147 "2009-01-30T04:40:44Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > There are OJs you don’t have to add any water to and OJs you do. It depends on what you mean by “you” when you say “you don’t have to add any water.” The orange juice in a carton does not need water added to it by the consumer, but only because water had _already_ been added to it by the manufacturer. There are supposedly “100%” juices that imply nothing but juice is in them, but even those often have [water added](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=100%25+juice+filtered+water&btnG=Search) to them. In fact, looking through ingredient lists, I couldn’t find any 100% juices that didn’t add filtered water to concentrates. They might exist, but… ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/148 "2009-01-30T05:40:34Z")
Since barley water was mentioned as being pleasant and refreshing, why were the kids in Mary Poppins so adamant that any potential nanny “never smell of barley water”? Our local grocery stores (northern VA) carry barley water in the Merrie Olde England section of the international aisle (along with four kinds of “mushy” peas and canned spotted dick). I’ve been tempted to try a bottle, but am afraid I’ll end up smelling like old nanny. ---
**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 30, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/149 "2009-01-30T06:26:15Z")
I guess it’s just personal views then. I always thought of (and called) the stuff in the frozen cans orange juice as well. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/150 "2009-01-30T06:41:25Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > On to other things: why d’you call 'em _swedes?_🙂 Because [they came from Sweden.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/151 "2009-01-30T13:26:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Re referring to 7-Up and Sprite as “lemonade”, I have never heard that. If I asked for a lemonade and was given Sprite, I would be slightly confused. Apparently “lemonade” was used in many parts of Europe as a classification for non-alcoholic fruit-based drinks about a hundred years ago or so. According to Cunningham’s book **For God, Country, and Coca Cola** an excellent history of Coke), the Coca Cola company fought for years to have itself reclassified in France. It pissed them off to be called a “limonade”. ---
**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 30, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/152 "2009-01-30T14:16:25Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I couldn’t find any 100% juices that didn’t add filtered water to concentrates. They might exist, but… (Sigh) But they were adding water to _ **CONCENTRATES** _, replacing the water that had previously been removed, returning it to the consistency (if not the taste) of pure juice. And by the way, there are plenty of juices in cartons that are not from concentrates. They say on the label: NOT FROM CONCENTRATE. And if they say “orange juice,” not “orange drink,” then they are pure orange juice with nothing added. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/153 "2009-01-30T16:03:08Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > My British FIL made those last night–just mased up some potatoes, with no milk or anything. Bland as hell, with no salt even. Waste of a good potato. That’s because your FIL is a crap cook. Nothing to do with national cooking. Mashed potatoes have as many and varied manifestations as there are cookery imaginations in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/154 "2009-01-30T18:48:46Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Take lemonade for example. Here (in the US) it’s a drink made with water, sugar and lemons. It’s lemon-flavored. It is not carbonated…_ **it’s sort of like orange juice is to oranges and pineapple juice is to pineapples. Lemonade is to lemons.** _ I think this (the bit I bolded/italicised) is where you confused people…you kind of imply that lemonade is like orange or pineapple juice. I think we can all agree that the difference is that some juices are good to drink freshly squeezed, whereas some need to be diluted and sweetened to be palatable. There is a difference between diluting a fresh juice and reconstituting something that’s been processed. ---
**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 31, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/155 "2009-01-31T22:19:21Z")
You’re right. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/156 "2009-02-01T00:30:17Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I don’t know what Graham’s crackers are, but ‘digestives’ are sweet, so would always be biscuits (cookies), whereas crackers tend to be a savoury biscuit you have with cheese Here’s a bit of a thing, and one way to look at it… in my experience, I have found that in the UK and on the continent in parlance and specificity you have a few different classifications for what we have one single blanket term for. A digestive is a cookie, a biscuit is a cookie, sometimes those things you think of as “cakes” are cookies. Cookie probably comes from the Germanic “Kekse” and is the diminuitive for cake. A cookie is a small sweet cake everytime. A biscuit is never sweet in America. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/157 "2009-02-01T00:49:12Z")
Well, Dutch anyways… _koekje_. It’s the egalitarian, no-nonsense, Teutonic classification for sweets. You have simply Frenchified the system with foo foo digestifs and buisquits and made it much more complicated than it should be. ---
**Author:** ![QuercusMax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/8baadc/32.png) [@QuercusMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuercusMax)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/158 "2009-02-01T01:24:56Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Well, Dutch anyways… _koekje_. It’s the egalitarian, no-nonsense, Teutonic classification for sweets. You have simply Frenchified the system with foo foo digestifs and buisquits and made it much more complicated than it should be. I would hazard a guess that the significant Dutch and German influences on American language and food are probably where a lot of these from British terms come from. And in fact, wikipedia’s page on cookie confirms this, that it comes from “koekje”, as you indicated. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/159 "2009-02-01T01:34:07Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I don’t know what Graham’s crackers are, but ‘digestives’ are sweet, so would always be biscuits (cookies), whereas crackers tend to be a savoury biscuit you have with cheese Graham crackers are definitely sweet, and my favorite way of eating them is in a bowl, broken up, with milk added, like cereal (no need to add sugar). ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401/160 "2009-02-01T01:41:08Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Apparently “lemonade” was used in many parts of Europe as a classification for non-alcoholic fruit-based drinks about a hundred years ago or so. According to Cunningham’s book **For God, Country, and Coca Cola** an excellent history of Coke), the Coca Cola company fought for years to have itself reclassified in France. It pissed them off to be called a “limonade”. Hundreds of years ago? 20 years ago it was convention in Germany, “limonade” was pretty commonly interchangeable with “soft drink”. I think a comparable English/American phenomenon would be the use of “Coke” in the South to denote any kind of carbonated drink, whether or not it is actually a Coca-Cola. There was this Great Chinese Canadian Cook that had a PBS series several years ago, quite an unusal accent and odd fellow. Anybody know his name? I like to think of him as the Canadian (and Chinese) Mr. Sulu. He had a very Posh accent, a Hong Kong dialect cum Toronto I do believe, made some incredible authentic chinese dishes… Anyway, he would always mess me up with the addition of _ground nuts_ or “ground nut oil” and something called “aubergines”. Do you Brits also eat Ground Nut Butter and Jam? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lemonade-jelly-and-biscuits-and-other-foods-people-outside-of-the-us-have-wrong/483401.md?page=9)