It's now the turn of condiments to do battle! I thought this would be an easy poll to compile as I believed I knew what a condiment is and what condiments are popular. How wrong I was!
A condiment, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is "something used to enhance the flavor of food." And, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, a condiment is "a substance such as salt or pepper, used to flavour food." More expansively Marky's, a gourmet food company, stated on its website:
"A condiment is a sauce or other preparation that is added to food to enhance its flavor or appearance. Condiments are usually added after the food has been cooked and can be either dry or wet. Common condiments include salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise."
It seems, much to my surprise and maybe your surprise too, that a condiment includes sauces, dips, herbs, seasonings, spices and even oils that are added to food to enhance its flavour. This definition doesn't leave much out! I just thought condiments are what's on a restaurant table which may vary from restaurant to restaurant and from country to country. Here, it's usually salt, pepper, ketchup and vinegar. Or it's a condiment, like chilli flakes and olive oil, that you can order free of charge to accompany the ordered dish.
But I will go with the expert definition of a condiment even though I've never considered, for example, butter, coleslaw, gravy, guacamole, salsa and sour cream as condiments. And though I've long regarded salt and pepper as condiments, others may not. But what do I know about food!
However, I'm only including condiments that normally accompany savoury foods; I'm excluding condiments that accompany sweet foods like chocolate sprinkles, cinnamon, marmalade, raspberry coulis and sugar.
Also, even though mayonnaise can be regarded as a salad dressing, I'm giving it a separate poll option as mayonnaise is widely used as a condiment with non-salad dishes.
My favourite condiments that I've tried are aioli, brown sauce (especially on sausages), chilli powder/flakes (particularly if generously sprinkled on a pizza), chilli sauce (particularly sweet chilli sauce with a fish dish), English mustard (essential with a good steak; neither the American nor French versions cut the mustard in my book), guacamole, hoisin sauce (crispy shredded duck is nothing without this plum sauce), horseradish sauce (a must with roast beef), ketchup (has to be Heinz though), mango chutney (perfect with an Indian papadum), mint jelly (great with roast lamb ), sour cream, tzatziki (fantastic with Greek grilled food), vinegar (on fish and chips) and Worcestershire sauce (an essential with cheese on toast or Welsh rarebit if you want to be posh), with white pepper being my best condiment (it gives a much bigger kick than black pepper) - see photo below. I sprinkle white pepper on almost every dish before tasting it.
White pepper:
My least favourite condiments are cranberry sauce, lime pickle, miso and salad cream (a disgusting British synthetic concoction trying to resemble a salad dressing), with tartar sauce being my worst condiment - see photo below. The flavour of fish, in my book, is not enhanced by this very tart sauce, unless enhancement takes the form of making fish taste better in comparison to the disgusting taste of tartar sauce. Tartar sauce needs to be banned from kitchens; the United Nations needs to act now!
What is your most and least favourite condiments?
Do you agree with the definition of condiments I've taken with this poll? If not, why not?
Do you routinely add condiments to a dish before tasting the food?
I regularly add condiments to a dish before tasting the dish. The exception is salt which I only ever add if I feel it needs adding after first tasting the dish.
Below is a poll where you can anonymously select your most favourite condiment. Unfortunately only one pick is allowed in the poll. I fully realise that one's choice of condiment is highly dependent on the dish being eaten. But this poll is about your favourite condiment regardless of what dish is being served.
But a poll on this site can only have 20 answer options. There was no room for ajika (a Georgia hot, spicy dip), ajvar (a Balkan condiment), alfredo sauce, anchovy paste, béarnaise sauce, béchamel sauce, brown sauce (eg HP sauce), butter, chimichurri (a South America meat sauce), cocktail sauce (aka seafood sauce), coleslaw/slaw, cranberry jelly/sauce, furikake (a Japanese condiment), garum (a fermented fish sauce), ginger oil/paste/powder, hoisin sauce (a Cantonese sauce), Hollandaise sauce, honey, horseradish sauce (including khrenovina sauce and wasabi), hummus, kawal (a fermented leaves condiment often eaten in Chad and Sudan), lemon juice, mắm nêm (a Vietnamese fermented fish sauce), maple syrup, marinara sauce, mignonette sauce, mint jelly/sauce, miso (a Japanese paste), monkey gland sauce (a South African sauce not made from monkey glands), muhammara (a Syrian hot pepper dip), nước chấm (a Vietnamese dipping sauce), oyster sauce, raita, redcurrant jelly/sauce, salad cream, sesame oil/seeds, shichimi (a Japanese spice mix), ssamjang (a Korean spicy paste), sumbala (a West African fermented bean paste), tahini, taioro (a coconut-based condiment), taramasalata, tartar sauce, teriyaki sauce, tkemali (a Georgian plum sauce), truffle oil, tương (a Vietnamese bean paste), tzatziki, umami paste (a Japanese condiment), velouté sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
I think ketchup will win the poll. But mayonnaise, pepper, salad dressing, salt and vinegar may feature in the poll.
I want to thank @EnigmaInitiative for her helpful advice in compiling this poll. For the record, she disowned my approach to this poll. Obviously, any mistakes with the poll are my mistakes.
Please see the first comment below to see what has won each battle of the food and drinks so far. STOP PRESS: after some last-minute voting, green tea has edged out English breakfast tea to win THE BATTLE OF THE TEAS.
Tartar sauce:
48 comments
I chose Ketchup...but there are so many more that i love.....garlic sauce..buffalo sauce n hot sauce. I too love pepper....all the peppers...white...black...chilli etc
My least fave from your list would be sour cream. Never use it.
I distinguish seasonings from condiments. Condiments in my minds eye...you pour or scoop or spread. Seasonings one sprinkles ~
and here condiments are put on after cooking as an enhancement .....
Louisiana brand hot sauce is my go to condiment. Goes great on everything except cold cereal with milk.
@spunkycumfun what a shame. I don't think I'd enjoy eating near as much without it
@spunkycumfun never really tried Indian food. Heard its pretty spicy
Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce
I don't use condiments all that much, but if I have to pick one out of this poll, I'd say pepper, although, personally, I'd put pepper in the spices category rather than condiments.
I could have sworn I already voted for barbeque sauce in a past poll. I looked at your ever growing historical comment and discovered that was the "cool saucy dips" category. How long are you going to stretch out this endeavor spunky? 😂
I agree with you that tartar sauce is disgusting.
@spunkycumfun blog about whatever you wish to blog about. I just find the um, granularity kind of amusing and had to tweak you a bit. Feel free to tweak me about any of my repetitive topics. 😊
My most common condiments are hot sauce(Cholula) and horseradish. The horseradish is usually mild, but when I need my sinuses cleaned out it's spicy.
When I'm told "there is nothing to eat" my signature dish it to take all those bit and drabs of leftovers, add some barbecue sauce, and VIOLA dinner!
That, or gravy!! Mmmm, mmmmmm!!
Depends what you’re putting it on
This was tough.
Nice optipns. How about Ghost pepper aoli
If
Paying attention know this one impossible for me. Pick all except salt. Salt developed by man as a preservative not a seasoning. If desire cardio disease eat salt and fried food, but if do wise to pre pay for funeral. Use multiple seasonings on everything cook.if cook big meal 4 or 5 items then may have 15 to 20 different seasonings
@spunkycumfun top two BBQ and salsa
@spunkycumfun guess National Health has you covered
I answered Mustards, because like sex, 1001 variations.
@spunkycumfun I can't remember the name, but I'm guessing it's in every pub, sort of full of just cracked mustard seeds and dare I say stout?
@spunkycumfun Colman's but that was the "smooth" mustard isn't it?
@spunkycumfun ROFL, I counted, and I have 14 different mustards in my pantry and frig, but the only British one is a jar of Colman's. I know that like an Asian mustard with wasabi, it's good for clearing the sinus's and making my eyes water. I use it mostly when I make deviled eggs.
I voted other as I enjoy a spicy nacho cheese sauce
for many things I enjoy eating as it gives like pretzels
and breads and potatoes a kick.
Although I do enjoy many of the condiments you
have listed here.
What is your most and least favourite condiments?
Least favorite guacamole as I don't like Avocados
Favorite would be Mayonaise or Barbecue Sauce
Do you agree with the definition of condiments I've taken with this poll? If not, why not?
I think it's a great poll
Do you routinely add condiments to a dish before tasting the food? I like to
marinate foods in many of these condiments.
I hope your Monday is treating you well..
I was Allergic to eggs as a Child. Once I outgrew this allergy the only way I enjoyed Eating Eggs was to use Ketchup. Heinz really is the Best. Yes I will definitely Add ketchup to eggs always before "tasting" them...because I know I dislike Eggs on their own.
I also love using black pepper it is a Very close Tie to Ketchup in the Condiment battle. I use Salsa Sauce as a Condiment when I want to Add Flavor to Steamed Veggies. No extra Calories but makes for a Delicious Dish. Works Well with Green Beans!
I Must try White Pepper if it delivers more of a Punch according to Your Recommendation Spunky.
Are there any Condiments I don't like?
I have to say I dislike all Hot Sauces, Worcestershire Sauce. Horseradish is horrible IMO. They Upset my sensitive stomach.
I can't just pick one as my favorite. I like them all but my very least favorite would be a chutney of any type. Ick!! Never have enjoyed one and this point of my life, I never will!!
@spunkycumfun Maybe I've just never had a good one but fruit with savory stuff, like raisins in stuffing has never appealed to me.
I want the love
I like: Alioli
I don't like: Ketchup