Foreign Food Items and Their U.S. Equivalents
The internet has made it easy to share recipes from all over the world. Sometimes we find an ingredient or cooking term in a recipe that we're not familiar with in the U.S. This handy guide will help you find a substitute or the U.S. equivalent of that item.
| Foreign | US |
| agar-agar | gelatin |
| aubergine | eggplant |
| beetroot | beet |
| Bermuda onion | sweet onion |
| bicarbonate of soda | baking soda |
| biscuit | cookie, sweet cracker |
| broad beans | fava beans |
| candy floss | cotton candy |
| capsicum | bell peppers |
| caster sugar | superfine sugar |
| chickpeas | garbanzo beans |
| chips | French fries |
| cockles | clams |
| conserves | preserves |
| coriander (leaves and stems) | cilantro |
| cornflour | cornstarch |
| courgette | zucchini |
| crème fraîche | sour cream thinned with cream |
| crisps | potato chips |
| demerara sugar | light brown sugar |
| dessert mix | pudding mix |
| digestive biscuits | graham crackers |
| double cream | heavy cream (36% butterfat), whipping cream (30% butterfat) |
| essence | extract (such as vanilla, almond, etc) |
| farina | cream of wheat |
| filberts | hazelnuts |
| fish fingers | fish sticks |
| gammon steaks | ham steaks |
| golden syrup | pancake syrup |
| grill | broiler |
| icing | frosting |
| icing sugar | powdered sugar, confectioners' sugar |
| jacket potato | baked potato |
| jam | jelly |
| jelly | jello |
| kaffir lime | lime zest |
| ladies' fingers (not to be confused with the sponge cake "ladyfingers") | okra |
| lemonade | carbonated drink like Sprite or 7-UP |
| mangetout | snow peas or sugar peas |
| marrow, vegetable marrow | summer squash |
| minced meat | ground meat |
| muscovado sugar | raw sugar |
| plain flour | all purpose flour |
| polenta | cornmeal, cornmeal mush |
| porridge | oatmeal |
| pudding | dessert |
| rocket | arugula |
| rock melon | cantaloupe |
| scones | biscuits |
| single cream | light cream (18% butterfat), half and half |
| spring onions, scallions | green onions |
| starters | appetizers |
| sultanas | raisins |
| swede | rutabaga |
| tinned | canned |
| tomato puree | tomato paste |
| tomato sauce | ketchup |
| treacle | molasses |
| wholemeal flour | whole wheat flour |
| yeast cake (1) | active dry yeast (3 tsp) |
