Talk:International English food terms

Dubious English
I can't speak for Australian or Canadian English, but I notice the UK English is by far more accurate than the US English, which is bizarre considering wikipedia's usual americentric viewpoint:

-We also OCCASIONALLY say "mince-meat"

-I've NEVER heard a yankee say "scallion" and I hear "green onions" constantly

-Why is "chutney" on there when it's the same in the UK, US, Canada and Aussiestan? Why not put "water" on there as well? Or "soup"?

-I've never heard "apple crumble" or "apple crisp" called "Crisps". Americans I know who OBJECT to British English would identify "crisps" as "That British way of saying chips"

-Americans use "chips" in the context of "Fish and Chips" should this be noted?

-SUPERFINE SUGAR? IS THAT THE NAME OF A CHICK FROM A BLAXPLOITATION FLICK? WE SAY GRANULATED SUGAR OR JUST SUGAR

-Clear lemon soda? Never heard of it. "Lemon-lime soda" is pretty much all I've ever heard, sometimes the name of a brand ("Sprite" "7up") and sometimes I've heard "Generic lemon-lime soda" but NEVER "clear lemon soda"

-Why is "cookie" on there twice? It goes "cookie", "biscuit" and then a less detailed version of the first "cookie"

-Graham cracker has been included just to point out we don't know what Aussies call it? How useless is that?

-Why are American and Canadian different for "Grill/Broil"? I hear "grill" all the time in America.

I'm not being nitpicky, this is what I've heard in American English having lived most of my life there. I omitted such obscure things as that I enjoy calling soda "phosphate" or "mineral" so I suggest you look into some of these changes. Or I'll vandalise the crap out of this article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.31.9.188 (talk) 16:42, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

Okay, so I see this article has been unedited for ages, so I reckon I'ma make most of these changes, I'll try and be respectful of the old version, but I can't make any promises. Please add your two cents if you really care. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.31.9.188 (talk) 16:50, 19 January 2008 (UTC)


 * "Scallions" is what they're called in the northeast. "Green onions" is more a southern term. Which brings up a whole other problem... FiveRings (talk) 19:02, 19 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Let me add another: I haven't lived in the US for years, but I had lived in a number of parts of the country for most of my life, and I've never heard an American refer to anything as a "digestive cookie". The word "digestive" is just simply not used in American cullinary usage.  To American ears "digestive" sounds like you're talking about some sort of medicine.


 * I've never in my life either seen anything called "superfine sugar" for sale in the US. Maybe in some place like whole foods?  Powdered sugar is ubiquitous.


 * I've never heard of "steamed sponge pudding". Or "sponge pudding" in general.  Sponge cake is a thing, though. -- Rei (talk) 22:23, 14 July 2016 (UTC)

Dubious foods
What on earth are cheerios or lil' smokies? I'm from Australia, and I've never heard any of the terms. It doesn't seem to me that it they belong in this chart.

I've changed a number of things here that don't agree with Australian usage. For example, chard is silver beet, not spinach. Since that leaves us with no differences in the word "spinach" (I'm sure the name's the same in the USA too; what about Popeye?), I've removed that line.

I resisted removing the vermouth/martini row; one's the drink, the other a popular brand. The word "vermouth" is definitely in use both in the UK and Australia.

It's true that "pudding" is used in the UK to describe any dessert, but it's also used to describe pudding. But a pudding isn't a "creamy dessert"; is a North American difference in definition hiding here? Still, a row with the same word in each column is a bit of a waste of time, so I've removed it.

07:22, 5 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Lit'l Smokies®  But that's a brand name...  it's been genericized, to be sure, but there is a proper generic name in the U.S., that being cocktail weiners.  VermillionBird 05:53, 7 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I also found the lit'l smokies/cheerios line odd. Lit'l smokies is a brand name, but not a brand name of Oscar Mayer, the article it's linked to.  But I don't know any generic name for them in the US other than "little sausages".  (While they are about the same size, they are not at all the same thing as cocktail weiners.)  I could find no evidence on the web for "cheerios" being used in Australia for anything other than the cerial, and a reality check with an Australian friend I know from MIT got a quizzical look.  I'm deleting the line.  Alex 16:41, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

What about other English speaking countries?
South Africa, for instance. How do I go about adding our food terms to the chart? Jo


 * I'm no expert, Jo, but the syntax seems fairly straightforward. Add South Africa to the list of column headings, then add your synonyms to the row definitions. If in doubt you can have a play in the sandbox first. Copy some of the table into the sandbox and make changes until you're happy with it. Then do it for real here. Rachel Pearce 09:53, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Oven temperatures
After some research, I've just figured out that the British term "moderately cool oven" is 160º C or 325º F. Could temperature terms somehow be added? It's not a matter of converting numbers to/from metric; it's word terms that cause the confusion. -- Anne, 29 October 2006

The listing for Cantaloupe *US* does not include Muskmelon, not does it mention the fact that the European cantaloupe and the North American cantaloupe are not the same fruit.

The Pickle under *US* should include "(gherkin refers specifically to a "dwarf" pickle, usually sweet)".

Under *US*, "cane syrup, corn syrup, or karo syrup" is one entry, but cane syrup is a completely defferent product & Karo syrup is a brand name & should be capitalized.

Under *US* "Powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar" is one entry, btu they are not the same thing, even though they are frequently used interchangeably.

The Popover listed under *US* is not equivalent to Yorkshire pudding, although there are strong similarities.

The Biscuit listed under *US* is not equivalent to a Scone, although there are strong similarities.

Under *US* & *Canada*, "grilling or broiling" is one entry, yet they are different cooking methods and definitely not equivalent to each other.

moved from main pageGigemag76 (talk) 15:36, 21 October 2010 (UTC)

Egg??
What on earth is the 'large egg' and 'medium egg' distinction for? It seems patently bizarre to compare egg sizes when they're never consistent anyway. Steepleman (t) 07:06, 6 August 2019 (UTC)