Relish
Encyclopedia
A relish is a cooked
, pickled
, or chopped vegetable
or fruit
food item which is typically used as a condiment
.
In North America
, relish commonly alludes to sweet pickle
relish-like sauce that often condiments hot dog
s, hamburger
s and other types of fast food
.
, although the sauce is subordinate in character to the vegetable or fruit pieces. It might consist of a single type of vegetable or fruit, or a combination of these. These fruits or vegetables might be coarsely or finely chopped, but generally a relish is not as smooth as a sauce-type condiment, such as ketchup. The overall taste sensation might be sweet or savory, hot or mild, but it is always a strong flavor that complements or adds to the primary food item with which it is served.
Relish probably came about from the need to preserve vegetables in the winter. Chutney
might be considered a type of relish. In India
(where the preparation originated from), this generally includes either vegetables, herbs or fruits.
In the United States, the most common commercially available relishes are made from pickled cucumbers and are known in the food trade as pickle relishes. Two variants of this are hamburger relish (pickle relish in a ketchup base or sauce) and hotdog relish (pickle relish in a mustard base or sauce). Other readily available commercial relishes in the United States include corn (maize) relish. Heinz
, Vlasic
, and Claussen
are well known in the United States as producers of pickles and relishes. One of the best known pickle manufacturers in the UK is Branston.
A notable relish is the Gentleman's Relish
, which was invented in 1828 by Ben Elvin and contains spiced anchovy. It is traditionally spread sparingly atop unsalted butter on toast.
Within North America, relish is much more commonly used in Canada than in the United States on food items such as hamburgers or hot dogs. American-based fast food chains do not normally put relish on hamburgers even at their locations in Canada, whereas Canadian fast food chains (such as Harvey's) do have it as a regular option just like ketchup, mustard, etc. American-based fast food chains use regular pickles to a greater extent. If it is offered as an option at Canadian locations of American-based fast food restaurants (e.g. Wendy's), it is generally offered in individually portioned packets rather than added atop the burger. Restaurants, fast food franchises and sports stadiums in Canada prominently offer relish as a topping on hamburgers and hot dogs along with ketchup and mustard, whereas this is less common in most of the United States (although there is variation within the United States.)
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
, pickled
Pickling
Pickling, also known as brining or corning is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...
, or chopped vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
or fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
food item which is typically used as a condiment
Condiment
A condiment is an edible substance, such as sauce or seasoning, added to food to impart a particular flavor, enhance its flavor, or in some cultures, to complement the dish. Many condiments are available packaged in single-serving sachets , like mustard or ketchup, particularly when supplied with...
.
In North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, relish commonly alludes to sweet pickle
Sweet pickle
Sweet pickle may refer to:* any sweet-and-sour pickled food, see pickling* most commonly a sweet-and-sour pickled cucumber* a trade name for Branston pickle or similar chutney-like condiments popular on the British Isles, see Branston...
relish-like sauce that often condiments hot dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
s, hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
s and other types of fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
.
Description and ingredients
The item generally consists of discernible vegetable or fruit pieces in a sauceSauce
In cooking, a sauce is liquid, creaming or semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. Sauce is a French word taken from the Latin salsus, meaning salted...
, although the sauce is subordinate in character to the vegetable or fruit pieces. It might consist of a single type of vegetable or fruit, or a combination of these. These fruits or vegetables might be coarsely or finely chopped, but generally a relish is not as smooth as a sauce-type condiment, such as ketchup. The overall taste sensation might be sweet or savory, hot or mild, but it is always a strong flavor that complements or adds to the primary food item with which it is served.
Chutney
Chutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...
might be considered a type of relish. In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(where the preparation originated from), this generally includes either vegetables, herbs or fruits.
In the United States, the most common commercially available relishes are made from pickled cucumbers and are known in the food trade as pickle relishes. Two variants of this are hamburger relish (pickle relish in a ketchup base or sauce) and hotdog relish (pickle relish in a mustard base or sauce). Other readily available commercial relishes in the United States include corn (maize) relish. Heinz
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J...
, Vlasic
Vlasic
Vlasic Pickles is an American brand of pickles currently owned by Pinnacle Foods. Since its introduction in 1942, it has become one of the most popular pickle brands in the United States.-History:...
, and Claussen
Claussen pickles
Claussen pickles are a brand of pickled cucumber. The brand is based in Woodstock, Illinois, an exurb of Chicago, and is sold by Kraft Foods. In contrast to many other brands, Claussen pickles are uncooked, and are typically found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores.Claussen is advertised...
are well known in the United States as producers of pickles and relishes. One of the best known pickle manufacturers in the UK is Branston.
A notable relish is the Gentleman's Relish
Gentleman's Relish
Gentleman's Relish is a type of anchovy paste. It is also known as Patum Peperium.It was created in 1828 by an Englishman called John Osborn. It has a strong, very salty and slightly fishy taste, and contains anchovies , butter, herbs and spices...
, which was invented in 1828 by Ben Elvin and contains spiced anchovy. It is traditionally spread sparingly atop unsalted butter on toast.
Within North America, relish is much more commonly used in Canada than in the United States on food items such as hamburgers or hot dogs. American-based fast food chains do not normally put relish on hamburgers even at their locations in Canada, whereas Canadian fast food chains (such as Harvey's) do have it as a regular option just like ketchup, mustard, etc. American-based fast food chains use regular pickles to a greater extent. If it is offered as an option at Canadian locations of American-based fast food restaurants (e.g. Wendy's), it is generally offered in individually portioned packets rather than added atop the burger. Restaurants, fast food franchises and sports stadiums in Canada prominently offer relish as a topping on hamburgers and hot dogs along with ketchup and mustard, whereas this is less common in most of the United States (although there is variation within the United States.)
- Note: If left uncovered, the vinegarVinegarVinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
in pickle relish will oxidize and become purple in color.
Varieties
- AjvarAjvarAjvar and aijvar is relish, made principally from red bell peppers, with eggplant, garlic and chili pepper. Ajvar originates in the Serbian cuisine, and was therefore long known as "Serbian salad" or "Serbian vegetable caviar"...
- BostongurkaBostongurkaBostongurka is a type of pickled cucumber relish with spices such as paprika and mustard seeds. It is so popular in Sweden that it is considered by some to be a generic term....
- Branston (food)
- Chow-chowChow-chowChow-chow is a Nova Scotian and American pickled relish made from a combination of vegetables. Mainly green tomato, cabbage, chayote, red tomatoes, onions, carrots, beans, asparagus, cauliflower and peas are used...
– Made with cabbage, this sweet relish is popular in the southern United StatesSouthern United StatesThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
and is often eaten with a bowl of pinto beans. - ChutneyChutneyChutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...
- CranberryCranberryCranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
- ĆwikłaĆwikłaĆwikła is a Polish salad or relish made with cooked grated beets and grated horseradish. Other ingredients often include sugar, salt, lemon juice, and sometimes caraway, apples, dry red wine, cloves, and chopped parsley. Ćwikła is usually served as a condiment to meat, especially roasted,...
– PolishPolish cuisinePolish cuisine is a style of cooking and food preparation originating from Poland. It has evolved over the centuries due to historical circumstances. Polish national cuisine shares some similarities with other Central European and Eastern European traditions as well as French and Italian...
relish served with meats. - DillDillDill is a perennial herb. It is the sole species of the genus Anethum, though classified by some botanists in a related genus as Peucedanum graveolens C.B.Clarke.-Growth:...
- Mixed pickleMixed pickleMixed pickles are pickles made from a variety of vegetables mixed together in the same pickling process. Mixed pickles are eaten much like other pickles: in small amounts to add flavor and to accent a meal.Mixed pickles occur in many different world cuisines....
s - MostardaMostardaMostarda is an Italian condiment made of candied fruit and a mustard flavoured syrup. Commercially the essential oil of mustard is employed, which has the advantage of transparency; in home cooking mustard powder heated in white wine may be used.Traditionally mostarda was served with boiled meats,...
- PiccalilliPiccalilliPiccalilli is a British relish of chopped pickled vegetables and spices; regional recipes vary considerably. A more finely chopped variety "sandwich piccalilli" is also available from major British supermarkets.-Etymology:...
- SauerkrautSauerkrautSauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
- Tartar SauceTartar sauceTartare sauce is a creamy white sauce frequently used to season fried seafood dishes.-Composition:...
- ZacuscăZacuscaZacuscă is a vegetable spread very popular in Romania. Similar spreads are found in other countries throughout, or bordering, the Balkans.-Recipe:...