Accompaniments Category

Green olives are picked from the tree before they're completely ripened. The most common variety is the Manzanilla olive, which is often pitted and stuffed. Other green olives varieties include the Agrinion, Arauco, Arbequina, Atalanta, green Cerignola, cracked Provençal, Kura, Lucque, Nafplion, Picholine, Sevillano, and Sicilian.

Guacamole is an avocado based spread. It is commonly used as a dip or a spread on sandwiches and hamburgers. Spices are often added.

The Japanese use these round wrappers to make pork-stuffed dumplings similar to Chinese potstickers. Western cooks sometimes use them to make ravioli.

This is a hot North African paste that's used as a meat rub or (mixed with water or oil) as a condiment.

This is a sweet and garlicky bean sauce that's often used as a dipping sauce. Available in Asian markets and in many large supermarkets.

You can cheat and buy this in cans, but the tinny flavor will rat you out. To make your own: See the recipes for Hollandaise Sauce, Hollandaise Sauce--Microwave or Quickie Hollandaise Sauce posted on RecipeSource.com.

This is a juicy, meaty olive.

This pungent condiment goes well with meats and fish, and it’s a key ingredient in cocktail sauce. It’s best to buy horseradish in small amounts and store it in the refrigerator—it turns dark and loses much of its bite after a few months. Look for it in the deli case. Varieties: The most common is white horseradish, which is made with vinegar. Creamed horseradish = cream-style horseradish has a little mayonnaise and/or sour cream added; horseradish sauce has a lot. Red horseradish = beet horseradish is made with beet juice.

Three well-known brands are Tabasco sauce, Louisiana hot sauce, and the thicker Pickapeppa sauce.

This Hawaiian condiment is made with soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger juice, and other ingredients. It's used to flavor meats.

Hummus is a creamy butter made from chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and other spices. It is good as a spread on bread or crackers.

These don't have much flavor.

Jamaica is another name for the hibiscus flower. Tea made from Jamaica flowers is red, tart and is high in vitamin C. Substitutes: Red Zinger tea

This is an Indonesian peanut sauce.

You can find these popular Greek black olives in most large supermarkets. They're salty and have a rich, fruity flavor. These can be eaten out of hand, or used to make tapenades.

This thick, dark sauce is the Indonesian ancester of ketchup. Look for it in Indonesian markets.

Ketchup is a common condiment especially in America. It is made with tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and spices.

This Korean specialty is made with cabbage, vinegar, garlic, and hot chile peppers, all of which are put into jars and allowed to ferment. It's spicy and very good.

Jewish cooks use these to make kreplach, a kind of Jewish ravioli.

This Middle Eastern cracked green olive is hard to find in the U.S.

Cooks use this fragrant flower to flavor jellies, baked goods and grilled meat.

This is made by boiling the fruit and peel of lemons with sugar, pectin, and water. It manages to be bitter, sour, and sweet all at once, which many people find delightful.

This is a mixture of pureed prunes and apples that serves as a fat substitute in baking.

These small Italian olives are brine-cured.

These leaves open up like butterfly wings, each about two feet high. They're often wrapped around rice and other fillings, to which they impart an earthy aroma when the bundles are steamed. The leaves are available either fresh or, more commonly, dried in Asian markets. Soak them for at least an hour in warm water before using, and keep fresh leaves in a cool, dry place or else freeze them.

These green olives are brine-cured.

These are salty Italian/Swiss brownish-black olives.

These thin wrappers are used to make lumpias, a Filipino type of egg roll.

These leaves have been used to wrap meat for flavor and to tenderize while cooking.

These green olives are available in most supermarkets. They're often pitted and stuffed with pimento or garlic. They're often put into martinis.

These sugar-soaked and dyed cherries come in two colors: red (almond flavored) or green (mint flavored). Cooks usually use them to garnish desserts and drinks.

petals only.

Mincemeat is made with dried fruit, nuts, citrus peel, spices, and sometimes brandy, rum, or some other liquor. It used to be made with meat as well, and ready-made jars of it sometimes contain beef suet. It's often used for holiday pies.

The British like to serve this with roast lamb.

This is sometimes served with lamb, veal, or game.

These are the common black ones that are ubiquitous in supermarkets, pizza parlors, and salad bars. They don't have as much character as European black olives.