PASS THE FISH SAUCE

Tired Of Mayonnaise & Ketchup? Here Are 10 New Condiments For You!

Image: JACQUELINE BRANDWAYN

Sure, there is nothing wrong with good old mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup. But those classic flavors would be even more appreciated if given a rest for a while. And, in the meantime, here are ten condiments from all over the world that have been waiting on the benches for their day on the spotlight on your diner table. Did you ever hear about oyster sauce? Or lingonberry jam? Take a quick look and see if any of these flavor enhancers tempt you!

Image: Davide Cantelli

Let us start this list with a sauce that is served throughout the Balkan nations as a relish or a side dish. The so-called "Serbian Salsa", ajvar is a condiment made principally from sweet bell peppers and eggplants.

The relish became a popular side dish throughout Yugoslavia after World War II and is made of roasted peppers. Ajvar can be consumed as a bread spread or as a side dish. Ajvar has a few variations. One variation contains tomato and eggplant, and another green bell peppers and oregano.

Image: Viviana Rishe

Hoisin sauce gives a tangy glaze to any dish. Essentially a Chinese barbecue sauce, this condiment lies at the intersection of brown sauce and hot sauce. Peking ducks are almost always dressed with hoisin sauce.

This is a thick, fragrant sauce commonly used as a glaze for meat, an addition to stir fry, or as a dipping sauce. It is dark-colored, sweet, and salty. Although regional variants exist, hoisin sauce usually includes soybeans, fennel, red chili peppers, and garlic.

Image: Nick Karvounis

A Korean sauce, gochujang is a savory and spicy hot pepper paste that gives many dishes from its country of origin their unique taste. It is made from chili, fermented soybeans, sticky rice, and salt, it’s mostly combined with other condiments when used.

Traditionally, it would be naturally fermented over years in ceramic vessels on an elevated stone platform in the backyard but these days it is prepared in a more industrial environment.

Image: Caroline Attwood

As the name implies, fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish. Its pungent smell may come as a shock to the first-time user but it is a flavor one gets used to. It helps enhance the taste of the ingredients it touches.

It is mixed with sugar, chili, lime juice, and garlic, and due to its ability to add a savory umami flavor to dishes, it has been embraced globally by chefs and home cooks. It can be used as a seasoning during or after cooking and as a base in dipping sauces.

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A familiar name to many, chutney is made of fruit or vegetable marinated in vinegar, spices, and sugar, chutneys can be sweet, savory, or spicy. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion, or mint dipping sauce.

Vinegar was added to the recipe for English-style chutney that traditionally aims to give a long shelf life so that autumn fruit can be preserved for use throughout the year or to be sold as a commercial product. In Western cuisine, chutney is often eaten with hard cheese or with cold meats.

Image: Ashim D’Silva

Miso is a byproduct of soy sauce, but it has a life of its own. Apart from being used to make soup, the paste can be served directly as a topping on rice.

High in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, it is used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables, fish, or meats. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savory.

Image: Kiyoshi

Another familiar name on the list, aioli begins with a ground garlic paste before whipping in egg yolk, olive oil, and mustard. The emulsion is sometimes seasoned with lemon juice, saffron, or chili. It is a perfect dip for seafood, veggie crisps, or french fries.

The names mean "garlic and oil" in Catalan and Provençal. It is found in the cuisines of the Mediterranean coasts of Spain and France.Some versions of the sauce are closer to a garlic mayonnaise, incorporating egg yolks and lemon juice, whereas other versions lack egg yolk and contain more garlic.

Image: Tyson

Perhaps it is more than "just" a condiment, as it also has steamed, fried sausage, usually pork, typically cut into bite-sized chunks. But in this case, we are highlighting the curry ketchup that goes with it.

Currywurst sauce is based on spiced ketchup or tomato paste topped with curry powder, or a ready-made ketchup seasoned with curry and other spices. The dish is often served with french fries.

Image: Raphael Nogueira

As exotic as the name sounds, it is not a rare condiment. Oyster sauce is a viscous dark brown condiment thickened with corn starch, made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt, and water.

Oyster sauce is saltier and is used more often in everyday cooking than hoisin sauce. It’s as suitable for marinating a steak at home as it is for dressing boiled choi sum.

Image: Fábio Alves

Lingonberries grow on a short evergreen shrub in the Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Eurasia to North America. And, in Sweden, these little berries are used to make delicious jam that is used as a condiment for meat courses, such as meatballs, beef stew, or fried herring.

Traditional dishes such as potato pancakes, spinach pancakes, and black pudding are commonly combined with lingonberries. The jam can also be paired with oatmeal porridge, mashed potatoes, and some desserts.

LINGUISTIC ROOTS

Uncover The Native Roots Of 13 English Terms

Image: Boston Public Library

The rich tapestry of Native American languages has woven itself into the linguistic fabric of modern English. From everyday words to the names of places and people, Native American contributions are ubiquitous yet often overlooked.

Let's explore thirteen instances where Native American languages left an indelible mark on the English language.

Image: Avin CP

The undisputed king of salads everywhere is a plant native to South and Central America, so it should come as no surprise that its name shares the same geographical origin, too. This plump, umami-rich berry was first domesticated by the indigenous people of Mexico, who called it tomatl, literally meaning "swelling fruit." As with many indigenous words, it was slightly altered when it was assimilated into the English language, becoming the familiar tomato.

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

This medium-sized mammal native to North America derives its modern name from the Algonquian arahkun, meaning "animal that scratches with its hands." Kind of a cute name if you ask me! The word went through many successive translations, from the original Algonquian word to interpretations like _raugroughcum_—that sort of sounds like a growling animal, you gotta give it to them—to arocoun around the year 1600, before eventually settling as raccoon.

Image: SaiKrishna Saketh Yellapragada

Grab your oars and get ready to paddle into the rivers of language because canoe is also a word of Native American origin! It comes from the Arawakan canaoua, and it refers to the dugout boats made by the indigenous inhabitants of what now is Haiti. It first came into English from the Spanish version of the word canoa. Afterward, the word went through many variations, like cano and canow, before settling in the modern spelling.

Image: Tarah Dane

The term moccasin, referring to a comfy type of soft leather shoe, has its roots in the Algonquian word makasin, meaning "shoe." While the versatile footwear has a Native American origin, it transcended cultural boundaries, finding utility as the footwear of various indigenous North American communities, as well as hunters, traders, and European settlers.

Image: Alexey Demidov

The term hurricane has a fascinating linguistic journey, originating in the Spanish term huracan, itself derived from an Arawakan word. As with many Native American words, it first came to English through Spanish during the Age of Exploration.

According to the Taino people, indigenous to the Caribbean, Huricán was a god of destruction linked to wind, storm, and fire. Spanish explorers in the Caribbean adopted the term as huracán, eventually evolving into the modern hurricane by the 16th century.

Image: Virgil Cayasa

First domesticated by the indigenous inhabitants of Mexico about 10,000 years ago, maize (i.e. corn) remains a staple food to this day, with its total production even surpassing that of wheat and rice. The word maize comes from the Spanish adaptation of the indigenous Taino term mahiz. Although it is more commonly called corn in the United States, most countries derive their word for the crop from the Taino term. Botanist Carl Linnaeus even incorporated it into the species name, Zea mays.

Image: Timothy K

Just like a real-life mangrove growing in brackish water, languages thrive in complex environments! And the etymology of mangrove is no exception, as it likely entered English through Portuguese mangue or Spanish mangle. However, its etymological roots delve deeper into South American and Caribbean indigenous languages, such as Taino. While some suggest a Malay origin, the use of the term for the American plant at that time remains challenging to explain.

Image: Austin Neill

The etymology of buccaneer is quite intriguing, originating from the Caribbean Arawak word buccan. This term referred to the wooden frames used by the indigenous people of the region for the slow-roasting or smoking of meat. You might wonder, how exactly did this term end up being used to refer to 18th-century privateers? Well, originally, the designation applied to landless hunters on the islands who were adept at smoking meat in the Caribbean way. As local corsairs often bought their smoked goods, the term eventually expanded to encompass the corsairs and privateers themselves.

Image: Estevao Gedraite

A savanna, a woodland-grassland mix with widely spaced trees, gets its name from the Spanish sabana, also borrowed from the Taino language, meaning "treeless grassland." The change in pronunciation of the letter b from Taino to Spanish carried over into English, becoming a v. In the U.S., particularly in Florida, "savannah" historically referred to the low-lying marshy ground since the 1670s, with the term "savannah-grass" documented by 1756. To be fair, the Taino people really made a huge contribution to our modern vocabulary!

Image: Jenn Kosar

The name of this coveted snack actually comes from the Portuguese caju, derived from the Tupian word acajú, meaning "nut that produces itself." What does that mean, exactly? We’re not sure. But what's clear is that cashews, despite their colloquial classification as nuts, are not true nuts but rather a type of drupe, akin to olives and dates. As you finish this read, consider indulging in some cashews—not only are they a delightful snack, but they also offer many brain-boosting benefits!

Image: Joshua Sukoff

The seemingly strange term caucus, signifying a political gathering, likely first originated in the British colonies of North America, notably Boston. While its etymology is debated, one of the leading theories links it to the Algonquian caucauasu, meaning "counselor." Others suggest a connection to the Greek word kaukos, meaning "drinking cup," in connection to private drinking clubs.

Image: Danny de Jong

Are you ready to grill? Well, the Arawak peoples of the Caribbean are! The English word barbecue and its counterparts in various other languages have their roots in the Spanish term barbacoa, which, in turn, happens to originate from an Arawak word, barabicu. The words can be roughly translated as a "framework of sticks set upon posts," technically what we would now call a grill.

Image: Abigail Lynn

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck? Probably not much. But did you know that the word for the beloved woodchuck (also known as a groundhog) stems from an Algonquian word? The etymology of the name woodchuck is completely unrelated to wood or chucking, and instead is derived from the Algonquian name for the animal: wuchak. The amusing twist in the name's origins might be attributed to a misunderstanding of the original name, or maybe just the work of a prankster. In any case, it stuck.