I know ketchup is a staple here, but I have found that sour cream goes good with about any meat and/or barbecue sauce go well with tons of things. Rice plus A1 or bbq sauce is great. Macaroni & cheese with sour cream is good too. People don’t seem to appreciate my creativity with steak sauce and sour cream it the way I do though.
I’ve heard the French use mayo pretty heavily on their food, is that true? Do any cultures use oils (olive, canola, etc) as a table condiment the way we use ketchup, mustard and bbq sauce?
is there anywhere where mustard is considered a staple (rather than a secondary) condiment?
No idea. Conversely, which condiments do Americans use which seem odd to other countries? (Other than putting peanut butter and jelly [is that jam?] in a sandwich, which sounds like the most disgusting thing I can possibly imagine!)
PB and J is delicious and I won’t hear a word against it. And I’ve tried your marmite and your vegemite so really y’all haven’t got a leg to stand on when it comes to weird bread toppings.
In Japan many places have salt, pepper and hot chilli pepper shakers, and usually shoyu (soy), and sometimes vinegar.
In Hong Kong many places have salt, chilli oil, cheap-ass soy sauce disguised to look like shoyu, and rice wine vinegar.
Many meals I have eaten in Hungary have a pot of sour cream in the middle of the table as a condiment.
Many meals I have eaten in Italy have had no condiments provided at all.
Candyman74 don’t knock PB&J until you’ve tried it (jelly is sieved jam - and we have similar jelly in the UK - see redcurrant jelly in your local Tesco’s). It’s an acquired taste, but a delicious combination of flavours.
Sorry man. That sounds like beef and custard, or potatoes with sugar on to me. Two things I can’t imagine why I’d mix them together. Ice cream and gravy.
That’s probably because in the UK we generally regard peanut butter as savoury. Major peanut butter brands in the US are significantly more sweet. But if you’ve ever had a [del]Marathon[/del] Snickers, you’ll realise peanuts can be successfully sweet. Taste is subjective of course, and like I say, by all means knock it - but IIMO you only get that privilege if you’ve actually tried it.
It really depends on the type of restaurant (as in other countries). At a high-class traditional restaurant or hotel, you probably won’t find any condiments - everything brought to the table is already properly seasoned. At a noodle place you’d find shichimi togarashi (“7-flavor chilli”) which I think is what you’re referring to. In a ramen/gyoza place you may find vinegar. Perhaps the oddest one is pizza and spaghetti places (Japanized Italian restaurants) - they usually have Tabasco sauce. Equivalent to the crushed red peppers in American pizza places, I suppose.
Tartar sauce on French fries is a staple of the Pacific Northwest. Fry sauce (ketchup and mayonnaise) can be found around Mormon country in southern Idaho and Utah.
(I know both these examples can really be found all over, but it is pretty noticeable in these areas.)
It’s quite common here in Rhode Island. Most places that serve fries will have vinegar on the table, or included on their condiment tray. I remember my surprise as a kid, upon finding it unavailable in other states.
In Thailand (especially in noodle places) you tend to find four condiments on the table, covering all the major tastes:
Dried red chili flakes (hot);
Vinegar with sliced fresh large red chilies (hot and sour);
Fish sauce with sliced small green/red chilies (hot, salty and savory);
Sugar (sweet).
It’s expected that you’ll “tweak” the flavor of your food to taste. It’s also not uncommon to find Maggi sauce or some other equivalent on the table, in a little bottle.
I looooooooooooooooooove Maggi sauce. Goes great on almost everything - particularly nice on eggs.
The Thai version is different from other places: it’s made of hydrolyzed soy protein, while other countries use hydrolyzed wheat protein. There’s a distinctly different taste. So one year I packed my suitcase with six bottles of Thai Maggi to bring back to the UK.
