Confusion about British Food

Even I ended up confused after reading the buzz feed! We need one the other way round too - American food explained for Brits!

You know, I thought we had a pinned thread here on the forum with US/UK food word equivalents. I'll have to look.
 
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We need one the other way round too - American food explained for Brits!
I thought that too. The link was posted in a FB slow-cooker group I belong to which is American but is starting to get a lot of British followers posting in there too. There is confusion on both sides.
 
Here is the thread - its not open to replies as its there for information. https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/uk-to-us-us-to-uk-definitions.5138/

If anyone wants to add things they could mention them in this thread and I can add them.

There are several things wrong in there. I'm curious where the list came from.

One in particular, Jell-O is jello, whether the trademarked product or a competitor's product. I've never heard it called jelly. Jelly is jelly/jam.
 
There are several things wrong in there. I'm curious where the list came from.

I think it came from an amalgam of different sources not one source. Its a very old thread which hasn't been revised for a long time. If there are things we can amend then we will. So to clarify:


'Jello' is the US generic term for the wobbly sweet thing usually made of gelatin that in the UK is called jelly.

gelatin-collagen-hydrolysate.jpg

'Jelly' is the US generic term for both jelly and jam?

In the UK, jelly can mean a fruit spread where the fruit is strained to give a clear liquid which sets due to the pectin content and is spreadable.

orange-rosemary-marmalade-lge.jpg

In the UK jam is defined as a cooked mix of fruit and sugar. Jams require the chosen fruit to be either finely chopped, mashed or crushed. A jam should hold up firmly but also be easily spreadable.

strawberry-jam-lge-390.jpg

So in the US, are both the above fruit spreads known as jelly?

N.B. There are also types of fruit spread in the UK called preserves & conserves which have higher fruit content - but that may confuse us even more
 
A lot of people seem to be confused about the different names dishes have in the UK compared to other parts of the world, particularly the USA.
Maybe this bit of light entertainment would help to clear things up :laugh:https://www.buzzfeed.com/lukebailey/british-food-explained-for-americans
This really brought back memories of when I worked for a company that had a branch at Gatwick Airport. We would stay at a guest house in Horley and the house lady would make bubbles with squeek for breakfast. I thought it was very tasty. Too bad it didn't make the list in your post.
 
Jelly is always a clear, no solids, fruit product. Some areas also call that jam.

Preserves always have fruit pieces, but some places also call that jam.
 
Jelly is always a clear, no solids, fruit product. Some areas also call that jam.

Preserves always have fruit pieces, but some places also call that jam.

So, the word 'jam' in US can refer to a clear jelly or a fruit spread with pieces (according to region). But the word 'jelly' in the US only refers to fruit spreads which are clear. So, the word jelly when referring to fruit spreads means the same in the UK as in the US! :D

Preserves in the US are equivalent to jam in the UK. Not sure quite how we amend the list to reflect this... its confusing for most people I thin, however we describe it! The part I've typed in bold is probably the most important as its commonly thought in the UK that Americans refer to jam (the sort containing pieces of fruit) as 'jelly'.
 
Bake Blind : Bake A Pastry Case Empty, By Covering With Wax Paper And Weighing Down With Beans

I have never heard it referred to in such a convoluted way. It's simply blind bake.

Brew : Cup Of Tea

Brew is usually a beer.

Brisket : Chuck Steak

Brisket is a brisket. Chuck steak is an entirely different cut.

Dripping : Fat From Roasted Meat

Drippings means the same thing here.

Flan : Open Top Pie

A flan is a baked custard with caramelized sugar on the bottom that becomes a syrupy topping after baking, cooling and turning the custard out.
French Bean : Green Bean

They are green beans, but are thinly sliced lengthwise.

Haricot Beans : Navy Beans

Young, slender green beans.

Scotch Egg : A Hard-Boiled Egg Wrapped In Sausage Meat And Coated In Bread Crumbs

It's a Scotch egg for us too.

Sorbet : Sherbet

You guys don't have sorbet and sherbet both?

Small Shrimp : Prawn

Prawns are not small, nor are they shrimp (different species). They tend to be larger and are not cheap.

Canned Pressed Ham (See Salt Beef) : Corned Beef

Canned pressed ham is not corned beef. See Armour or Hormel canned hams.

Drunk (As In Had Too Much Alcohol) : Stoned

Drunk is drunk from alcohol. Stoned involves drugs.

Fruit Drink Concentrate : Cordial

Cordial means an alcoholic beverage to us or a chocolate shelled candy with most often a cherry in it.

Porterhouse Steak : Sirloin

Porterhouse is the rib eye and filet.

Savoury Batter Made Of Milk, Eggs And Flour Cooked In The Oven : Yorkshire Pudding

That would be popovers, though popovers aren't necessarily cooked with drippings, like Yorkshire puddings are.

Shortening : Vegetable Fat

A solid fat, whether animal, vege or chemical.

There are a few other terms that aren't really used anymore, like variety meats for offal. The actual terms for the pieces are usually used unless somebody is making a joke using the word offal.
 
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Thanks for this @medtran49 - can I assume the list you provide is referring to the UK to US part of the post (which is attempting to describe to a US audience, what UK terms mean)? If so, then some things would still stand as they are simply translating what the word means in the UK. Flan, for example can mean any open topped pie in the UK (although I understand its has a very specific meaning in the US).

So in that case I'd need to add 'flan' to the US list with its US definition rather than alter the UK definition for a US audience. I hope you are following me...! :)

This whole thing is really a bit of a minefield. Take sherbert/sorbet - its convoluted. There is a whole newspaper article about it here which includes US definitions. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/sep/21/consider-sherbet

I will try to amend what I can when things are obviously incorrect (like brisket for example which is the same in UK as US) and then perhaps we can review it. I need a bit of time to concentrate in order to do it!
 
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I know what translates on murican sites I'm on. I usually bracket like I made some raspberry jam/ jelly when writing on those sites. Or coriander/ cilantro.

Russ
 
There is also the odd instance of things having the same name, but different pronunciation. An obvious example is oregano, but I suppose it doesn't matter too much in a written medium.
 
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