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Garnishes

Orang Utan said:
see my other post describing it. in london and leeds, so everywhere i've had takeaways!
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It's not a good enough description. If it's diced onions and tomatoes (usually no lettuce, and with herby bits) then it's the aforementioned poppadom accompaniment. That usually comes in carton like the poppadom dips though... If it's just a bag of salad then it's weird and I suggest you find a new takeaway.
 
Cid said:
It's not a good enough description. If it's diced onions and tomatoes then it's the aforementioned poppadom accompaniment. That usually comes in carton like the poppadom dips though... If it's just a bag of salad then it's weird and I suggest you find a new takeaway.
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just sliced, in a bag, no dressing. it's not just one takeaway, my experience tells me it's all takeaways, but i don't eat them very often
 
tim said:
As a child I used to think that the little sprig of parsley was the best tasting thing on the plate, and wonder why we didn't eat a lot more of it. This was before non-curly parsley became popular.

As I write, I'm musing about why I don't eat much more parsley than I do.
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I love it. Some good middle Eastern dishes use it as the main ingredient, but salsa Verde is how I get through whole bushels of it.
 
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Orang Utan said:
just sliced, in a bag, no dressing. it's not just one takeaway, my experience tells me it's all takeaways, but i don't eat them very often
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Never come across it. I've had takeaways in London (North and South), Sheffield and er... Bideford (Devon). And probably some other places. It may be a feature of restaurants that can't be arsed preparing their own poppadom salads.
 
I garnish some dishes yes, like pasta and tuna with lemon zest and parsley, Swedish meatballs with dill, jerk chicken with lime wedges, or curry with coriander. My reason for adding a garnish is always to compliment the flavours, nothing else. I wouldnt add a garnish for aesthetic reasons, but I do think a meal tends to look prettier.
 
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Cheesypoof said:
I garnish some dishes yes, like pasta and tuna with lemon zest and parsley, Swedish meatballs with dill, jerk chicken with lime wedges, or curry with coriander. My reason for adding a garnish is always to compliment the flavours, nothing else. I wouldnt add a garnish for aesthetic reasons, but I do think a meal tends to look prettier.
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some are those are just part of the dish, rather than garnishes
 
Orang Utan said:
some are those are just part of the dish, rather than garnishes
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You could argue that I guess, although everything there is also a garnish. You've got to remember that many nations automatically garnish their meals, and take pride in their presentation especially Italians and Indians. Middle Eastern food will typically have garnishes. Irish food, for example never will have it 'on the side' as parsley will be infused in the sauce, not separate, as it is often with Italian cooking.
 
Cheesypoof said:
You could argue that I guess, although everything there is also a garnish. You've got to remember that many nations automatically garnish their meals, especially Italians and Indians. Middle Eastern food will typically have garnishes. Irish food, for example never will have it 'on the side' as parsley will be infused in the sauce, not separate, as it is often with Italian cooking.
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a garnish is a visual embellishment to a dish, rather than one that adds flavour
 
Orang Utan said:
a garnish is a visual embellishment to a dish, rather than one that adds flavour
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I think its no coincidence that the nations who are 'expert garnishers' tend to make good decisions with their choices. I wouldnt add a garnish to a dish unless I liked the actual taste too.
 
Cheesypoof said:
I think its no coincidence that the nations who are 'expert garnishers' tend to make good decisions with their choices. I wouldnt add a garnish to a dish unless I liked the actual taste too.
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sure, but you said you wouldn't add a garnish for aesthetic reasons but that's what a garnish is for.
 
Our Indian always comes with two free salads. I have the onion salad and mrs maomao has the green one. I do regard the green one as slightly 'grim' myself.
 
Orang Utan said:
sure, but you said you wouldn't add a garnish for aesthetic reasons but that's what a garnish is for.
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I personally wouldnt add just for the sake of presentation, no. Like, I go easy on raw chopped chillies as a garnish cos I dont like my food too spicy. If I was doing a Cincinatti chilli I wouldnt add raw chilli and raw onions at the end as some do, but I would garnish with cheese, perhaps parsley and (still looking for them in Ireland....) oyster crackers. If i have a hot dog I like all the garnishes, including pickles and fried or raw onions, but not everyone would.
 
Cheesypoof said:
I personally wouldnt add just for the sake of presentation, no. Like, I go easy on chillies as a garnish cos I dont like my food too spicy. If I was doing a Cincinatti chilli I wouldnt add raw chilli and raw onions at the end as some do, but I would garnish with cheese, perhaps parsley and (still looking for them in Ireland....) oyster crackers. If i have a hot dog I like all the garnishes, including pickles and fried or raw onions, but not everyone would.
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you have failed to understand what a garnish is then. a garnish is not something added at the end to add or deepen flavour, like a condiment. It is a decoration.
 
Chemical needs said:
I don't think this is strictly true. Chopped herbs, in combination with a sprig, or some jus or coulis can be applied in a way which garnishes the dish and adds flavour.
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sure, but a garnish is primarily a decoration. the best kind of garnish would be one that added flavour too.
 
Chemical needs said:
I suppose the best garnishes are ones which add a real highlight in terms of flavour but are also very decorative.
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so a horse made out of rotting cucumber that doesn't even go on the plate is the worst, but parsley and a lemon wedge on your fried/baked fish is one of the best
 
souljacker said:
Well, that actually says 'many' aren't intended to be eaten so we are both wrong.
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I was righter. 'Not all' can intersect with 'many'
(though it does also say this: "some garnishes are selected mainly to augment the visual impact of the plate, while others are selected specifically for the flavor they may impart." :mad: :oops:)
but i was right that it's more about the visual impact than anything else. :p
 
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