# 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:** 5
**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, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/81 "2011-12-20T20:50:27Z")
Thanks for the input on my questions, all. Two weird things I thought of: The oddest condiment I ever had was when I was in a casual little place in Frankfurt and asked for ketchup… they look at me oddly but eventually gave me this oversized squeeze bottle from the kitchen. It was sweet and had quite the cinnamon kick to it. I frequent a music bulletin board and the members are from all over the world. Years ago when it was harder to get music digitally we used to arrange to buy cds for each other. One guy in the UK got me a cd and when I asked him what he wanted for it he said he wanted Hidden Valley Ranch packets. Seems he came here on vacation and fell in love with the stuff and it was nowhere to be found where he was… so I went to Costco and got one of those big boxes of packets. I wonder if he used them as currency? 🙂 ---
**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, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/82 "2011-12-20T20:56:35Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Well, I am from Wisconsin where in the 50’s and 60’s, it was almost an all-out war pushing butter (rather than oleo) on folks for all things breadlike. Cars were stopped at the Illinois border to make sure that only pure butter was being brought across state lines (I’m only partially joking.) [Oleo Wars](http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wmh/pdf/wmh_autumn01_strey.pdf) warning: PDF Really wasn’t kidding much. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/83 "2011-12-20T21:23:21Z")
> [@Dr.Righteous](#): > > The oddest condiment I ever had was when I was in a casual little place in Frankfurt and asked for ketchup… they look at me oddly but eventually gave me this oversized squeeze bottle from the kitchen. It was sweet and had quite the cinnamon kick to it. You probably had [curry ketchup](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_ketchup), which is commonly served on sausages and/or french fries. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/84 "2011-12-20T21:24:18Z")
I’m from the midwest and butter is definitely on my list of bread toppings, especially for cold cut sort of deals. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/85 "2011-12-20T21:36:34Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > [Oleo Wars](http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wmh/pdf/wmh_autumn01_strey.pdf) warning: PDF > > Really wasn’t kidding much. :eek: No, no you weren’t. I still can’t quite wrap my head around _coloring_ packets sold with the margarine. I don’t think I’ve seen margarine for about twenty years (or I should say, haven’t noticed it when it’s been served), but haven’t shied away from white butter. Product of the times? Similar to purple catchup? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/86 "2011-12-20T22:16:25Z")
Harissa is a Moroccan hot sauce made of fresh hot red chili peppers puréed with garlic and lemon juice, with a little salt, cumin, and coriander. Topped with a little olive oil. It’s a major flavor bomb. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/87 "2011-12-20T22:45:01Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Is this true? 'Cause a few miles to the north, it’s always used. 😕 The only time I see butter on sandwiches in the US is if I am having an English style tea with scones and little sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![coffinjumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@coffinjumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffinjumper)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/88 "2011-12-20T23:23:16Z")
Checking in from the Eastern US here on the butter on sandwiches issue. The very thought of it is as baffling as if you put whipped cream or coffee grounds on them. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/89 "2011-12-20T23:28:55Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > Isn’t A1 very similar to brown sauce? Yes and no. I always thought HP had a more pronounced fruit flavor than A1, but that could be just me. A1 definitely has a more concentrated taste–I wouldn’t slather a lot of it on something like one might with brown sauce. It’s darker in color, too, which might be a side effect of that. I have a cookbook written by two Torontonians who traveled a lot in southeast Asia. They say a popular condiment is lime juice, salt, and pepper mixed together. I’ve tried it, and it’s really nice on meat or fish. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/90 "2011-12-20T23:32:25Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Brown sauce (HP, etc.) is very common in the UK and not in NA. Isn’t brown sauce just steak sauce? You’re right, it’s not ubiquitous here in the US, but a lot of places that serve meat (steak, ribs…) as the main dish will have a bottle of AI or something on the table. The line from the _Pulp Fiction_ clip about mayo instead of ketchup on fries in Holland is true in France too. Which is fine by me since I don’t like ketchup. Mayo seems to be the main ingredient in all Parisian fast food. I was horrified when they put something like a half-cup of it on a hot sandwich but then I realized that it melts and separates and really improves the flavor. In Canada - Vancouver to be exact - we were offered gravy with our fries rather than ketchup. (When it was just a side of fries, not poutine. They gave us a little cup of gravy to dip the fries in.) I’m Greek-American, and we use tzatziki as a condiment all the time. I don’t know if this is an old world thing or if we just expanded the use of that particular dip/sauce as a condiment because it’s so delicious. The Indian version, raita, appears to be a common condiment at Indian restaurants. (As does green chutney.) When I was in Spain, I noticed that the Spanish don’t really dress their salads. You just get vegetables, and then some olive oil and maybe vinegar to pour on top. ---
**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, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/91 "2011-12-20T23:47:56Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > Isn’t brown sauce just steak sauce? You’re right, it’s not ubiquitous here in the US, but a lot of places that serve meat (steak, ribs…) as the main dish will have a bottle of AI or something on the table. I’ve never had A1 (although I have seen it in the speciality import aisles of supermarkets here), but I think there may well be more similarity than I expected. I went to Wikipedia to find out about A1 and to my surprise it turns out A1 is originally British! I always considered it to be an American thing … > **[A.1. Sauce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A1_steak_sauce)** > > A.1. Sauce (formerly A.1. Steak Sauce and sometimes stylized as A1 Sauce in certain markets) is a brand of brown sauce produced by Brand & co, a subsidiary of Premier Foods in the United Kingdom (as "Brand's A.1. Sauce") and in North America by Kraft Heinz. Sold from 1831 as a condiment for "fish, meat, fowl and game" dishes in the United Kingdom, the makers introduced the product to Canada, and later to the U.S. where it was later marketed as a steak sauce. > In 1824, Henderson William Brand, ... > [@](#): > > A1 is a steak sauce and condiment for use with meat or game dishes. It was developed in the United Kingdom as a brand in the year 1831 and was later introduced to the United States by G.F. Heublein and (&) Bros., and was officially registered as a trademark in North America in 1895. There’s a generic page for steak sauce/brown sauce, implying that they are very similar if not even more or less the same thing, with the difference between the US and other countries being what you do with it, rather than the sauce itself. > **[Steak sauce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_sauce)** > > Steak sauce is a tangy sauce commonly served as a condiment for beef in the United States. Two of its major producers are British companies, and the sauce is similar to the "brown sauce" of British cuisine. > Steak sauce is normally brown in color, and often made from tomatoes, spices, vinegar, and raisins, and sometimes anchovies. The taste is either tart or sweet, often peppery, with some similarities to Worcestershire sauce. > Three major brands in the U.S. are the British-originated A1, domest... ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/92 "2011-12-20T23:55:09Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > I hear far more Americans expressing a distaste for spicy foods on this board than Brits, and as has been mentioned, variations of Indian food (which in many cases are served far spicier than they would be in India) are popular enough here to be considered a national dish. But how old is this meme of Indian as the dominant British cuisine? And is it _national_ or more specific to London and other large cities? I ask because a friend’s then girlfriend ( later wife ) was English and visiting the States back in ~1987 and she thought what to me was unremarkable Mexican food was searingly spicy. Virtually inedible for her. Further she claimed that spicy food was not the norm in England. I believed her and filed that bit of trivia away, only to hear years later that it wasn’t true, with the “Indian is the national cuisine” being trotted out as a rebuttal. So I wonder if a shift in palates has occurred over the last couple of decades or if she was just clueless. As to spicy in the States, in the past it was very regional. Texas and the American Southwest was known for their fondness for spicy peppers. While places like the American Midwest were stereotypically adverse to them. These days I believe there has been a shift in palates towards a more universal embrace of spicy foods. Especially with the spread of ethnic cuisines like Thai, Mexican and Indian beyond narrow geographic regions. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/93 "2011-12-21T00:07:46Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > But how old is this meme of Indian as the dominant British cuisine? And is it _national_ or more specific to London and other large cities? > > I ask because a friend’s then girlfriend ( later wife ) was English and visiting the States back in ~1987 and she thought what to me was unremarkable Mexican food was searingly spicy. Virtually inedible for her. Further she claimed that spicy food was not the norm in England. I believed her and filed that bit of trivia away, only to hear years later that it wasn’t true, with the “Indian is the national cuisine” being trotted out as a rebuttal. So I wonder if a shift in palates has occurred over the last couple of decades or if she was just clueless. > > As to spicy in the States, in the past it was very regional. Texas and the American Southwest was known for their fondness for spicy peppers. While places like the American Midwest were stereotypically adverse to them. These days I believe there has been a shift in palates towards a more universal embrace of spicy foods. Especially with the spread of ethnic cuisines like Thai, Mexican and Indian beyond narrow geographic regions. Nope, it’s national - you would struggle to find a town in the UK without at least at one curry house. The small northern costal town I grew up in had a “curry mile” - every other business on the long road leading to the beach was an Indian restaurant (the rest were B & Bs). Not sure how long they been there, but at least since the 70s as I remember them from my childhood. An Indian meal is a staple part of a good night out for many Brits - failing that, you’ll often pick up a kebab, complete with chilli sauce, on your way home to soak up the beer instead, so it’s definitely not the case to say Brits don’t eat spicy food. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/94 "2011-12-21T00:08:17Z")
Not so much. Altho it is true some American P-nut butter has sugar, the stuff I like has P-nuts & salt. This makes a P-nut butter & Jam sandwich more a salty and sweet mix, which works. Note that generally kids tastes run to soft white bread, very sweet grape or strawberry jelly and sweetened p-nut butter, whilst adults like a hearty nutty brown bread, a jam like blackberry and a p-nut butter w/o sugar. Note that blackberry is more tart that sweet, so we have savory, salty, tart & sweet all going at once. Big divide is chunky vs smooth. So, if you want to try what the kids like (and some adults like it for Proustian reasons still, of course, like I still like Kraft Mac & Cheese) get Welchs grape, Wonder Bread and Peter pan (smooth) To try a more adult PB&J try a pure chunky P-Nut butter, boysenberry jam, and a good nutty wheat bread. Really, try both. I have tried Vegemite, etc, so try this. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/95 "2011-12-21T00:22:11Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > You have to like peanut butter for it to work. In America, if you buy a jar of peanut butter, chances are it’s going to be used mostly for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. What else is it good for? I eat slices of bread with peanut butter on it. Peanut butter and jelly is fucking gross. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/96 "2011-12-21T00:29:15Z")
I’ll back up the butter on cold sandwiches in the Midwest (Wisconsin). A standard brown bag school lunch for me was a cold cut sandwich (ham, sometimes summer sausage, yum) with butter (or unholy fake butter equivalent). Then around the time I was 8, I decided I didn’t like butter (or its unholy fake equivalents) and I had dry sandwiches the rest of my brown bag life. ---
**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 21, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/97 "2011-12-21T00:36:21Z")
> [@coffinjumper](#): > > Checking in from the Eastern US here on the butter on sandwiches issue. The very thought of it is as baffling as if you put whipped cream or coffee grounds on them. You don’t like butter on bread? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/98 "2011-12-21T00:42:10Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > In 'Merica we moisten our ham sandwiches with mayonnaise or mustard (or both). Butter is never used in cold deli sandwiches. I’ve seen that pretty widely in Continental Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/99 "2011-12-21T00:45:02Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > But how old is this meme of Indian as the dominant British cuisine? And is it _national_ or more specific to London and other large cities? I’ve never seen a town without a plethora of curry houses. > [@](#): > > I ask because a friend’s then girlfriend ( later wife ) was English and visiting the States back in ~1987 and she thought what to me was unremarkable Mexican food was searingly spicy. Virtually inedible for her. Further she claimed that spicy food was not the norm in England. I believed her and filed that bit of trivia away, only to hear years later that it wasn’t true, with the “Indian is the national cuisine” being trotted out as a rebuttal. So I wonder if a shift in palates has occurred over the last couple of decades or if she was just clueless. So your friend’s girlfriend didn’t like spicy food. Neither does my mother. These people do exist! ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-condiments-do-other-cultures-and-nations-use-that-may-seem-odd-to-north-americans/606774/100 "2011-12-21T00:52:16Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Harissa is a Moroccan hot sauce made of fresh hot red chili peppers puréed with garlic and lemon juice, with a little salt, cumin, and coriander. Topped with a little olive oil. It’s a major flavor bomb. Similarly [dukka](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duqqa), which is a dry powder of mixed nuts, herbs and spices. You dip bread in oil then in the dukka, and it’s utterly delicious. [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=4) [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=6)