Translating Paleo Cooking Terms
The first time I went to America, I was confused. The restaurant menus all had pages of entrée’s, but no main courses. Fortunately before too long, I realised entrée is American for main course, not a starter course, as I am used to the word. I was also excited to try a new herb I had read about in lots of cooking blogs, cilantro – before I found out it is just another was of describing coriander.
As a Brit, living in Australia, reading lots of American Paleo Diet blogs and books, I've noticed a lot of cooking and food terms with completely different names. Australian terms seem to be mainly British, but often American – and sometimes different again. The list below shows the most common terms on which our terms differ, not all Paleo related, but hopefully useful all the same:
| American | British English | Australian | |
| Appetizer | Starter | Starter | |
| Entrée | Main Course | Main Course | |
| Dessert | Pudding/ Sweet/ Afters | Dessert | |
| Broiler | Grill | Grill | |
| Grilling | Barbecuing | Barbecuing | |
| Canned | Tinned | Tinned | |
| Eggplant | Aubergine | Eggplant | |
| Zucchini | Courgette | Zucchini | |
| Argula | Rocket | Rocket | |
| Rutbaga | Swede/ Turnip | Swede | |
| Bell Pepper | Pepper | Capsicum | |
| Cilantro | Coriander | Coriander | |
| Ground Mince | Minced Meat | Minced Meat | |
| Pork Rinds | Pork Scratchings | Crackling | |
| Jello | Jelly | Jam | |
| Fries | Chips | Hot Chips | |
| Chips | Crisps | Chips | |
| Parchment Paper | Greaseproof Paper | Greaseproof Paper | |
| Stove | Hob | Hob | |
| Crock Pot | Slow Cooker | Slow Cooker | |
| Plastic Wrap | Clingfilm | Gladwrap | |
| Candy | Sweets | Lollies | |
| Licquor Store | Off Licence | Bottle Shop (AKA Bottlo!) | |
| Popsicle | Ice Lolly | Ice Lolly |
Of course, in addition to the different terms, American recipes use imperial measurements (pounds, ounces, tablespoons and Fahrenheit), Australian recipes are metric (grams, millilitres and centigrade) and British recipes never quite seem to be able to decide if they should embrace the metric system, or stick to the traditional imperial measurements.
I'm sure there are many more, so please share the terms that have confused you, or that you have recently discovered, in the comments below. And if you’re in New Zealand – which versions of the terms do you use, mainly Australian, or a completely different term?
