Translations for non-Americans
Posted by Anonymous on Jan 16, 2007 · Member since Dec 1969 · 11789 posts
I've come across this quite a bit on here and I thought there must be other people who get confused too, so I'm starting a list defining what some of these seemingly unfamiliar products actually are.
*Ener-G Egg Replacer: A commercial product used to replace eggs mainly in baking, another band is Organ No-Egg
*Mori-Nu: Silken Tofu
*Nutritional Yeast (sometimes referred to as Red Star): Brewers Yeast
*Earth balance: Vegan Margarine
*Applesauce: Stewed and pureed apple
*Turbinado sugar: Icing Sugar, also known as Confectioners Sugar
*Cornstarch: Corn flour
*Succanat: Sugar free sweetner
If you have any others to add, please do.
Isn't turbinado sugar raw cane sugar?
Both succanat and turbinado are terms for different grades (textures) of raw cane sugar, I'm fairly certain. Confirmation, anyone?
Extras I'd add:
Stevia: calorie-free natural sweetener
Agave: widely accepted as a honey substitute, derived from Agave cactus nectar.
Vegenaise: Eggless, dairyless mayonnaise. Also might be listed as "Nayonaise" or "Spectrum"
Molasses: Strong-flavored derivative of the cane sugar-making process. Rich in Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, and some B-vitamins.
Wonderful thread!
http://www.hostelscentral.com/hostels-article-30.html helps a lot.
Warning: brewer's yeast is NOT the same as nutritional yeast, at least not the brewer's yeast you CAN get in the U.S.... it's just not tasty. I may be missing something in the translation, though.
Also, turbinado sugar is very coarse and sandy unbleached and unrefined blonde sugar, which makes me think that it's different from the fine powdery "powdered sugar" or "confectioner's sugar" which I've seen referred to elsewhere as "caster sugar."
Sorry about the incorrect information on Turbinado sugar.
Does anyone know what Bragg's Amino is?
Bragg's Aminos is an alternative to soy sauce.
Thank you for this...as veg*nism is just starting to be publicised and respected in Spain, I'm used to not being able to find a lot of the products mentioned here (and it's complicated importing stuff you buy online if it's food), or if they are here, being able to Afford them (esp. fake meats!) but this list should help. Yes, we speak Spanish not English, but most people who do speak English speak British Eng not American.
aren't nutritional yeast and brewers yeast different, in that nutritional yeast is 'cheesy' yellow flakes and no good for leavening bread or any of the other standard uses, it is for health and flavour, and brewers yeast is browner and actually used for brewing? i might be wrong but this is what i thought.
im in the uk, maybe here they are different?
Here's one that causes confusion fairly frequently:
Cilantro=leaves of the coriander plant
Coriander=ground seeds of the coriander plant
This is what VegWeb has to say:
"Often brewer's yeast is confused with nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a primary grown food crop, which means it is grown specifically as a nutritional supplement. It is a food yeast, grown on a molasses solution. Brewer's yeast is a by-product of the beer making industry. To add to consumer confusion, because brewer's yeast is also rich in B vitamins, many health food stores sell it as a nutritional supplement along side nutritional yeast. However, it has a rather bitter taste and is not as high in some nutrients as nutritional yeast."
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=11783.msg75820#msg75820
It seems impossible to find "Nutrional Yeast" in New Zealand however, so I'll keep trying Brewers Yeast. But hey, some people love it.
OK so it's not just me, it's a different product...I kept waiting for the supposed "cheezy" flavour to kick in, but now I understand there ain't gonna be one in what I can get here. Thanks! :-\
BCSH: i also live in nz and have been buying nutritional yeast for 25+ years. try asking for Healtheries savoury yeast flakes
http://www.healtheries.co.nz/page.php?id=25&prod=1187 it is so much more palatable than brewers yeast.
O2BVG: here in nz, molasses and treacle are distinctly different products, although loosely interchangeable, at a pinch.
cheers!
I believe autolized yeast flakes are the UK equivalent of nutritional yeast flakes.
Bragg's Aminos is an alternative to soy sauce.
If you live in Europe you might find that Maggi seasoning sauce (or whatever it's called) you can buy there in little glass bottles tastes almost exactly the same.
Cornstarch and corn flour are the same? I use corn flour in recipes such as cornbread, and I thought corn starch was more viscous, and used as a thickening agent. I'm confused!
I remember when I was in Scotland that "corn flour" was the term used for what Americans know as "cornstarch". I also seem to recall seeing corn flour in the U.S. that is definitely not the same as cornstarch. So I think it depends on where you are, and you have to be careful.
Cornstarch and corn flour are the same? I use corn flour in recipes such as cornbread, and I thought corn starch was more viscous, and used as a thickening agent. I'm confused!
Sounds like the corn flour you are getting is what I call "cornmeal"-- kind of sandy in texture?
Corn starch is snow white and feels sort of like talcum. It's used for thickening and for coating.
Masa harina is finer corn meal-- powdery like wheat flour, and pale yellow. Good for tamales and corn tortillas (not the Spanish egg kind-- the flatbread kind).
Corn meal is gritty or sandy and is good for making cornbread and so forth, including porridge.
Polenta is grittier still, and can be used where you use cornmeal and is superlative for porridge.
http://www.hostelscentral.com/hostels-article-30.html
UK to US, then US to UK
I know it's a little late, but it's a wonderful site. ::)
Bob's Red Mill sells something called "corn flour" and that is definitely not the same thing as cornstarch.
It depends on who does the labelling. "Corn flour" can be corn starch, or a very very fine corn meal with a texture like wheat flour with just a tiny hint of grittiness. Spain sells a cornstarch called "Maicena" that doesn't thicken worth a darn! What I wouldn't give for a box of Argo! The only decent cornstarch I've found here was in the Asian grocery and I can't remember what they called it, dang...
What blew me away was the idea of cooking cornstarch to make baby food...surely there wouldn't be much nutrition in milk thickened with a bunch of cornstarch? It's on the side of the Maicena box.
hey, im an American and I'd like to ask someone from the UK a question.
So i love weetabix. I guess it's hard core popular UK? It's orgasmic. Brightens my day! Anyways, on the side of the USA package there's a recipe for weetabix muffins. (i lovvvveee muffins! :D) The recipe calls for yogurt and allspice. I'm assuming it's plain old un-sweetened yogurt. However on the package they have a pcture of yogurt and it's all yellowy and pudding-like. What's cows yogurt like over in UK? I clearly want to make these muffins, but I'm not sure what vegan substitute I should use. If UK yogurt is pudding-y, then I'd use soy pudding to replace it. If UK yogurt is "yogurty", then I'd use plain soy yogurt.
Yes, I've been fussing over these muffins for weeks. The smart thing to do would be to try out the recipe...but alas I'd rather ponder and pick someone's brain than potentially waste percious weetabix!
Pages