# What condiments do other cultures and nations use that may seem odd to north Americans **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774 "2011-12-19T21:43:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/41 "2011-12-20T11:33:34Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I’m told it’s called [Miracle Whip](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_Whip)in the USA. There was a whole long thread about that very subject last week. Turns out they’re completely different products. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/42 "2011-12-20T11:47:03Z")
In the USA, Miracle Whippers and Mayonnaisers tend to be in a taste war. If a person likes Miracle Whip, they tend to blech! at mayo and vice versa. Me, I prefer Miracle Whip. I don’t gag at mayo, but I don’t seek it out. For some reason in Oklahoma and parts of Texas, “ranch” dressing is a popular condiment, not just for salad, but to dip things in like potato chips, pizza, breadsticks, fries, lots of stuff. It’s weird how that type of salad dressing became popular. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/43 "2011-12-20T12:26:52Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > In 'Merica we moisten our ham sandwiches with mayonnaise or mustard (or both). **Butter is never used in cold deli sandwiches.** Is this true? 'Cause a few miles to the north, it’s always used. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Teufelblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@Teufelblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teufelblitz)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/44 "2011-12-20T12:35:28Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Is this true? 'Cause a few miles to the north, it’s always used. 😕 I would be baffled to have butter on a cold sandwich, yes. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/45 "2011-12-20T13:00:22Z")
If you mix up flour, water and yeast, then knead it, bake it, slice it, and show the result to a British, Irish, or German person, they’ll scratch their head and say “it looks familiar, but I can’t quite place it.” It’s not until you slather it butter or some butter-like gratuitous fat that they’ll go “oh, bread!” They even butter the bread on a sandwich which usually includes mayo, such as a BLT. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/46 "2011-12-20T13:01:05Z")
The thing about butter is it’s neutral: can be sweet or savoury. So it’s great in a fresh bap with torn ham, cheddar, and just a schmear of biting English mustard (and maybe some Branston Pickle too…), but it’s also a fantastic insulator of the bread for a thickly-spread jam sarny. Mmm. Butter’s the default sandwich spread in much of Europe, though the French and the Italians don’t seem to bother with anything. ETA: > [@kferr](#): > > They even butter the bread on a sandwich which usually includes mayo, such as a BLT. It happens, but I think what you describe should be punishable by death. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/47 "2011-12-20T13:17:36Z")
Yes, I can understand not having butter on a sandwich made with mayo, cos yeuch, but to my mind a ham sandwich needs butter and English mustard not mayo - if it’s good ham, that is. The cheap packs of wafer-thin ham are more palatable with mayo and mustard. Is English mustard much eaten outside the UK? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/48 "2011-12-20T14:01:11Z")
Multiple things: [ol] [li]Other than on fish & chips, what do people use malt vinegar for? I’m here in the U.S. and I do like it on fries, but what else can I put it on? [/li] [li]On the peanut butter note: I think the majority of peanut butter brands you’d find here on supermarket shelves are loaded with sugar, so we tend to think of peanut butter = sweet. I think peanuts are mainly used here in sweet applications, so although they are not sweet on their own that’s mainly how we see them used. It’s only in other cuisines that we get them in a savory application (on noodles, in soups, etc). [/li] [li]I imagine salad cream is like a slightly thinner, slightly more seasoned version of mayo. I’ve never had it, so is this about right?[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/49 "2011-12-20T14:02:34Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Malt vinegar is a table condiment in the UK (and I think Australia and possibly Canada), as a specific accompaniment to fish and chips. In Canada, _white_ vinegar is more common, or at least it used to be. That’s the kind of vinegar you get in packets at McDonald’s, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/50 "2011-12-20T15:59:09Z")
In regards to the Great Peanut Butter Debate, I think most people outside of the US automatically revolt at the idea of a PB&J sandwich because their idea of peanut butter is more of a savory, umami-like dish (correct me if I’m wrong.) It’s possible to buy straight up peanut butter here, as in just ground peanuts with some salt, but the mainstream peanut butters are very sweet and processed with sugar. The main brands I can think of, outside of the generic store brands, are Peter Pan, Skippy, and Jif. I grew up on Jif and it is by far my favorite and much sweeter than the other two, I’ve noticed. There are various combinations of PB&J jars, including peanut butter with honey, peanut butter with white chocolate chips, and chocolate peanut butter. These are a bit more expensive than the normal PBs but really sweet and tasty. Putting the average American PB on a sandwich with jelly makes a very sweet sandwich, almost dessert-like in my opinion. /End PB ramble ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/51 "2011-12-20T16:30:11Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > Is English mustard much eaten outside the UK? Most of our mustards in the US are more German-style, I believe, with French/Dijon styles making inroads in the last 20 years. [Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard](http://www.amazon.com/Gulden-Mustard-12-Ounce-Plastic-Bottles/dp/B000HDD0PC), a popular brand in the US. [Grey Poupon](http://www.amazon.com/Grey-Poupon-Dijon-Mustard-White/dp/B001VWRDJ2/ref=sr_1_9?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1324398455&sr=1-9), a common dijon mustard – in the late-70s-early-80s this brand was synonymous with being posh and worldly. Mustard options (and all foods) have become more varied and numerous since I was a kid but I can’t think of any specific type of “English” mustard I’ve ever had. Coleman’s mustard powder is usually available, but a speciality item, and I have no idea what relationship it bears to prepared mustard. Back on topic; in Costa Rica they have a brown sauce in the savory, A-1/HP family called [Lizano Salsa](http://www.amazon.com/Lizano-Salsa-23-7-fl-oz/dp/tags-on-product/B0002A9UTK), and it is INSANE how tasty it is! You’ll generally always find it on the table in any restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/52 "2011-12-20T16:36:12Z")
[quote=“Dr.Righteous, post:48, topic:606774”] Multiple things: [ol] [li]Other than on fish & chips, what do people use malt vinegar for? I’m here in the U.S. and I do like it on fries, but what else can I put it on? [/li][/QUOTE] Not sure, in the UK it’s only really used on battered fish and chips (and chips.fries on their own). [ > [@Dr.Righteous](#): > > [li]I imagine salad cream is like a slightly thinner, slightly more seasoned version of mayo. I’ve never had it, so is this about right?[/li][/ol] That’s a pretty good guess! It’s quite sharp and vinegary, like mayo mixed with salad dressing. It’s a much loved guilty pleasure from childhood - my particular favourite is salad cream and lettuce sandwiches. In British pubs where you help yourself to cutlery and condiments, you will genrally find sachets of the following: ketchup Brown sauce salad cream and / or mayo tartare sauce (for fish) english mustard malt vinegar and an abomination called ‘french mustard’, a mild dark brown mustard that no french man would recognise. If you’re lucky, the pub might have upgraded to dijon mustard. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/53 "2011-12-20T16:37:22Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > fresh bap with torn ham…jam sarny English please? ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/54 "2011-12-20T16:40:19Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Most of our mustards in the US are more German-style, I believe, with French/Dijon styles making inroads in the last 20 years. > > [Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard](http://www.amazon.com/Gulden-Mustard-12-Ounce-Plastic-Bottles/dp/B000HDD0PC), a popular brand in the US. > > [Grey Poupon](http://www.amazon.com/Grey-Poupon-Dijon-Mustard-White/dp/B001VWRDJ2/ref=sr_1_9?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1324398455&sr=1-9), a common dijon mustard – in the late-70s-early-80s this brand was synonymous with being posh and worldly. > > Mustard options (and all foods) have become more varied and numerous since I was a kid but I can’t think of any specific type of “English” mustard I’ve ever had. Coleman’s mustard powder is usually available, but a speciality item, and I have no idea what relationship it bears to prepared mustard. > > Back on topic; in Costa Rica they have a brown sauce in the savory, A-1/HP family called [Lizano Salsa](http://www.amazon.com/Lizano-Salsa-23-7-fl-oz/dp/tags-on-product/B0002A9UTK), and it is INSANE how tasty it is! You’ll generally always find it on the table in any restaurant. Colman’s is THE brand of ‘english mustard’, and comes in either powder or paste form. It’s strong stuff, kind of on a par with wasabi in ‘blowing flames through your nose’ strength. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/55 "2011-12-20T16:42:03Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > English please? Bap = soft bread roll Sarny = sandwich ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/56 "2011-12-20T16:43:21Z")
To me, basic PB&Js are childrens food. Like Kraft macaroni. I might eat it in a pinch when the cupboards are extremely bare but never really by choice. But I always have peanut butter in the house, it has just been years since I’ve eaten peanut with jelly. But I also prefer one of those grocery store grinders of whole roasted peanuts over any of the brand stuff (though there’s usually a jar of it sulking around). On toast, with a sliced green apple, and with wheat thins and cheese are my standard uses of peanut butter. And I say that as a proud flag waving (ignore my comments in the state loyalty thread for the moment) American. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/57 "2011-12-20T16:56:17Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Colman’s is THE brand of ‘english mustard’, and comes in either powder or paste form. It’s strong stuff, kind of on a par with wasabi in ‘blowing flames through your nose’ strength. Is this one of those “british people think basil is spicy” things? Or one of those “You American lot don’t get the REAL thing” things? Because Coleman’s mustard powder is not strong. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/58 "2011-12-20T17:00:03Z")
Many restaurants in St Martin have homemade spicy sauce on the table. It is diced/chopped onions, peppers, whatever, in some sort of vinegar. It can be anywhere from mild to outrageous. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/59 "2011-12-20T17:04:51Z")
> [@Teufelblitz](#): > > I would be baffled to have butter on a cold sandwich, yes. I grew up in the American midwest and butter on cold sandwiches and hamburgers has always been a staple of my dining experience. It’s been our bread and butter, frankly. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/60 "2011-12-20T17:10:38Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Is this one of those “british people think basil is spicy” things? Probably, because despite being a country that has taken to Indian cuisine like a duck to water, to the point where some of the best known “Indian” curries actually come from the UK, we do indeed actually think Basil is really very, very spicy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774.md?page=4)