More

A Secret History Of Condiments


First Posted: 09/09/10 01:53 PM ET Updated: 05/25/11 06:35 PM ET

Secret History Condiments

Tom Nealon at HiLobrow.com:

Condiment: from L. condimentum "spice, seasoning, sauce," from condire "to preserve, pickle, season" (variant of condere "to put away, store"). As its etymology suggests, a condiment must have a shelf life -- which, until recently, means it was vinegar-, salt-, or sugar-based. Also, it must be at least slightly more complicated, and moister, than a seasoning.


However, though preserved, pickles aren't condiments: pickled beets can be lovely with falafel, but they're still a vegetable. As for the "usage" folks, who define anything added to prepared food as a condiment, they're quite mad: even if you dip fish sticks into it, hollandaise is a sauce, not a condiment.

Read the whole story
FOLLOW HUFFPOST FOOD

Related News On Huffington Post:
 

Read more from Huffington Post bloggers:
Meathead

Meathead: The Zen of Burger Condiments

I'm all about perfecting the old tried and true, so I keep the condiments simple and let the beef shine through. READ MORE How to Grill Great Steakhouse Steaks The Ultimate Grilled Corn On The Cob A Taxonomy Of Regional American Barbecue Sauces & Recipes The Most Important BBQ Concept For Backyard Cooks
Big Girls, Small Kitchen

Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Ketchup, the Best Condiment (RECIPE)

Though my homemade ketchup doesn't have the delightful undertones of Artificial Secret Ingredient #1 and Mystery Chemical #2, its saucy, tangy, and sweet-and-sour-ness will satisfy all your Heinzian needs.

Filed by Colin Sterling  |  Report Corrections

More in Food...


 
 
  • Comments
  • 7
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Recency  | 
Popularity
photo
kapalabhati
Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu
1057 Fans
04:19 PM on 09/20/2010
Ha! My network administrator tool (pun intended) wouldn't let me click the article as "pornogra phy" Like Beavis and Butt Head, "Heh heh, he said condiment"
Permalink  |
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
tercio
Say NO to War.
107 Fans
04:18 AM on 09/13/2010
They forgot to mention that Cristopher Columbus was really looking for an alternative route to Asia and India, where most of spices came from, in order to stablish commerce. In fact, American natives were called Indians because Columbus thought he had arrived to India.
Permalink  |
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
c-tom
Badges we don't need no stinking badges
161 Fans
01:15 PM on 09/11/2010
Interesting but a bit unclear, for instance- why can mayonnaise be a condiment but hollandaise cannot and did Europe really stop using salt when the Roman Empire collapsed?
Permalink  |
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
LastTexasRose
178 Fans
03:23 PM on 09/13/2010
mayonnaise is not cooked, hollandaise is?
I'm guessing here, but mayonnaise is an emulsion like most salad dressings, sauces like hollandaise contain fat and flour to thicken them
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Vivian Alicia Evans
615 Fans
 
09:17 PM on 09/10/2010
The history of Salt is an interesting read.
Permalink  |
photo
newtom
eschew obfuscation
319 Fans
01:41 PM on 09/10/2010
The history of condiments. Who would have thought so much study went into such things? Graphs and charts, governments, churches and monarchs... something I must admit I hadn't given that much thought to.
Permalink  |
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
LastTexasRose
178 Fans
03:23 PM on 09/13/2010
101 things to do with a liberal arts degree?
Permalink  |