Condiment heirarchy

[helblonde]

 Had a discussion tonight about the heirarchy of condiments. As well as we can determine it's:

1. ketchup
2. mustard
3. mayo
4. ranch dressing
5. barbecue sauce
6. maple syrup
7. salsa
8. soy sauce
9. whipped cream

I'm not sure where butter fits in. It is from the same realm of perfection the bacon comes from, after all.

Anything we missed? What would you change?

Comments

[kiria-dk.livejournal.com]

What about the school of thought that ketchup is not, in fact, a condiment, but its own food group... (For the record: eew.)

Butter is on an entirely different level from these condiments and shouldn't have to deign to associate with them.

You're totally missing molasses and honey mustard. I also refuse to acknowledge any maple syrup other than the real stuff.

Agreed

[helblonde.livejournal.com]

There is no syrup besides maple! Mrs. Butterworth is a fraud.

Wow.

[learnteach.livejournal.com]

Depends on where the line of condiments is drawn...cheese is out, but:

cream (for desserts or tea or coffee)
sugar
honey
wasabi
pickled garlic
anchovies (ceasar salad)
pepper!
Salt!
chocolate syrup
onion dip

The question in my mind: Would I eat it on a Pom Frites? Is way too open ended...

Re: Wow.

[helblonde.livejournal.com]

You eat chocolate sauce on french fries? :-X

I think of salt and pepper as spices (my midwestern roots are showing), but see where they might bridge the gap between cooking ingredient and saucy garnish.

[evil-macaroni.livejournal.com]

Are you distinguishing hot sauce from salsa? Because they serve two completely different functions in my book.
I'm not fond of creamy sauces, so my personal list would exclude #3, 4 & 9. Mustard is also a non-favorite. But I freely acknowledge I'm weird like that.
On my personal list, I guess I'd substitute in relish, hot sauce, tapenade & perhaps something in the thick brown goo realm (A1? Bulldog sauce*? Teriyaki?). Hm. Now I'm hungry.
*That's the stuff that goes on Japanese fried foods like tonkatsu, not to be confused with actual cute dogs.

[helblonde.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the mustard thing. It took me a decade to get back to liking cream sauces after going to Germany. Even still, I'd gladly skip ranch dressing, but others in my house feel differently about it.

[joycebre.livejournal.com]

Siracha. That stuff goes on everything. Peanut sauce. Salsa Verde. We don't use a lot of bbq sauce or maple syrup around here, and I don't really think of whipped cream as a condiment - it's a stuffing for cream puffs.
Is vinaigrette counted as a condiment? Balsamic vinegar?
Butter is a food group.
great, now I'm hungry again.

[helblonde.livejournal.com]

That's true, one of my high school buddies' grandma liked tabasco on waffles, so clearly hot sauces should rank higher than we initially thought.

[kahnegabs.livejournal.com]

Soy sauce!