Regional names
Ingredients with a different name in the US, the UK and Australia, so you buy the right thing.
- All-purpose flourAll-purpose flour is a medium-protein white wheat flour for cakes, cookies, sauces and bread. In the UK it is plain flour, in Sweden vetemjöl.
- ArugulaArugula is a peppery salad green with a nutty bite. It is called rocket in the UK and Australia, and rucola or ruccola in much of Europe.
- Baking powderBaking powder is a mix of baking soda, a dry acid and starch that makes cakes and muffins rise. Here is how much to use and how to test if it is fresh.
- Baking sodaBaking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a strong leavening that needs an acid to work. In the UK it is bicarbonate of soda, in Ireland bread soda.
- BeetBeets are sweet, earthy root vegetables, usually deep red. Americans say beet, while the UK, Ireland and Australia say beetroot. Here is how to cook them.
- Bell pepperBell peppers are sweet, crisp peppers with no heat. They are called peppers in the UK, capsicum in Australia and India, and paprika in Sweden.
- Bread flourBread flour is a high-protein white wheat flour that gives chewy, well-risen loaves. In the UK it is strong flour, in Sweden vetemjöl special.
- Brown sugarBrown sugar is white sugar with molasses, moist and caramel-flavored. Here are light vs dark, UK soft brown and muscovado, and Swedish farinsocker.
- ChickpeaChickpeas are round, nutty legumes used in hummus, curries and salads. In the US they are also garbanzo beans, in India chana, in Italy ceci.
- CilantroCilantro is the fresh leaves and stems of the coriander plant, bright and citrusy. In the UK, Australia and India it is called fresh coriander.
- CornmealCornmeal is dried corn ground into a gritty meal, for cornbread, polenta and coatings. The UK often sells it as polenta, South Africa as maize meal.
- CornstarchCornstarch is the pure starch of corn, a fine white powder for thickening sauces and crisping coatings. In the UK, Ireland and Australia it is cornflour.
- EggplantEggplant is a glossy purple vegetable that turns silky and creamy when well cooked. In the UK, Ireland and Sweden it is aubergine, in India brinjal.
- Fava beanFava beans, called broad beans in the UK, are big, sweet green beans in thick pods. Here is how to pod, blanch and peel them, and their other names.
- Golden syrupGolden syrup is a thick, amber sugar syrup with a buttery caramel taste, used in British flapjacks and tarts. Here is what to use in its place in the US.
- Ground meatGround meat is meat put through a grinder, used in burgers, meatballs and sauces. In the UK it is mince, in Sweden köttfärs. Cook it to 71°C (160°F).
- Half-and-halfHalf-and-half is a mix of whole milk and cream, about 10 to 18 percent fat, sold in the US and Canada. Here is what to use where you cannot buy it.
- Heavy creamHeavy cream is rich cream with at least 36 percent fat that whips well and can boil without curdling. Here are its UK, Swedish and Australian names.
- Light creamLight cream is a pourable cream with about 18 to 30 percent fat, for coffee and finishing sauces. In the UK it is single cream. It will not whip.
- Powdered sugarPowdered sugar is sugar ground to a fine powder for frosting, glazes and dusting. In the UK it is icing sugar, in the US also confectioners' sugar.
- RutabagaRutabaga is a large yellow-fleshed root, sweet and peppery. The English call it swede, Scots neeps or turnip, and Swedes kålrot. Here is how to cook it.
- ScallionScallions are young onions with a small white base and long green tops, used raw or lightly cooked. The UK and Australia call them spring onions.
- Self-rising flourSelf-rising flour is all-purpose flour with baking powder and salt mixed in. The UK self-raising kind has no salt. Here is how to make your own.
- ShallotA shallot is a small, mild onion that grows in clusters, sweeter and gentler than a regular onion. Here is how to use it and what to swap in for it.
- ShrimpPrawns and shrimp are small shellfish that cook in two to three minutes. Americans say shrimp for almost all of them, Britons and Australians say prawn.
- Snow peaSnow peas are flat, crisp pea pods eaten whole before the peas inside grow. In the UK and Ireland they are called mangetout. Here is how to cook them.
- Superfine sugarSuperfine sugar is white sugar with very fine crystals that dissolve fast, ideal for meringues and sponges. In the UK it is called caster sugar.
- Whipping creamWhipping cream has about 30 to 36 percent fat in the US, enough to whip into soft, light peaks. Here is how it differs from heavy and double cream.
- ZucchiniZucchini is a mild green summer squash, tender enough to eat raw and quick to cook. In the UK, Ireland and France it is called courgette.