What's the difference between a stuffing and a filling?

Morning Glory

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I'm currently hosting a cooking challenge on another cooking forum (whispers of traitor) for which I set the theme as 'stuffed'. Then the question arose: what counts as a stuffing? Seems easy but the more I think about it the less I'm able to answer precisely.

For example - one might assume that stuffing referred to something tightly packed into something else (like stuffing in a chicken). I think this is further complicated by the fact that in the US such as stuffing is called a 'dressing'? Is that right?

Anyway - if you consider something like a stuffed vine leaf - is it really tightly packed? What is the difference between that and, say, the filling in a spring roll - we wouldn't call spring rolls 'stuffed'.

Any ideas on an accurate culinary definition of 'stuffed'?
 
In the south, dressing is the stuffing that is cooked and served on the side, not actually IN the bird (or whatever). Them damn Yankees call dressing stuffing regardless. LOL.

I wouldn't consider spring rolls stuffed. You place the filling on them, then roll the wrapper around. Stuffing would be when you put filling into a cavity, like when you would stuff a pillow or a plush toy.
 
In the south, dressing is the stuffing that is cooked and served on the side, not actually IN the bird (or whatever). Them damn Yankees call dressing stuffing regardless. LOL.

I wouldn't consider spring rolls stuffed. You place the filling on them, then roll the wrapper around. Stuffing would be when you put filling into a cavity, like when you would stuff a pillow or a plush toy.

In which case why are stuffed vine leaves so called? :unsure: Or stuffed cabbage leaves? You place the filling on the leaf and then wrap around...
 
In which case why are stuffed vine leaves so called? :unsure: Or stuffed cabbage leaves?

Because some people call dressing stuffing and some people call dressing dressing, semantics, unless you are trying to be technical. Like in a commercial over here, some people call a ghost a spirit and some people call a janitor a custodian.
 
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Or something like this - Stuffed Flank Steak.

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Because some people call dressing stuffing and some people call dressing dressing, semantics, unless you are trying to be technical. Like in a commercial over here, some people call a ghost a spirit and some people call a janitor a maintenance man.

Is it that simple? Leaving out the word dressing (which in the UK is only used in relation to salad dressings) what else would you call stuffed vine leaves? Or the beef above? I mean - are they or are they not 'stuffed'?
 
Technically, I personally would call them filled, but the general vernacular used is stuffed. So, like I wrote above, semantics.
 
T

Surely nobody would call this onion and spinach filled beef tenderloin?

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No, but again general vernacular. Technically, it's filled IMO. I've seen ravioli recipes with stuffed and filled both used. To me though, technically, they are filled. Doughnuts generally are associated with the word filled, but you could argue the point that they are, in fact, stuffed, since you are injecting something into a cavity, not wrapping something around a filling.
 
If it is something put into meat or vegetable such as stuffing in turkey or stuffed peppers it is stuffed.

If it is put into bread, pasta, pastry, etc. it is a filling
 
If it is something put into meat or vegetable such as stuffing in turkey or stuffed peppers it is stuffed.

If it is put into bread, pasta, pastry, etc. it is a filling

That sounds a reasonable distinction. But what about pancakes - they aren't meat or veg but there are plenty of recipes for 'stuffed pancakes'. Also fish can be stuffed.
 
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@morning glory

I agree there are a lot of recipes for "stuffed" pancakes, but when you read them they mention putting the "filling" in the pancakes. I still say it is a filling, not a stuffing.

Fish would be in the meat/veg category thus, stuffed. (on another topic: I never understood why fish was never considered a type of meat. I mean, just because it lives in water? Makes no sense to me.)
 
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