A garnish is an item or substance used as a decoration or embellishment accompanying a prepared food dish or drink. In many cases, it may give added or contrasting flavor. Some garnishes are selected mainly to augment the visual impact of the plate, while others are selected specifically for the flavor they may impart. This is in contrast to a condiment, a prepared sauce added to another food item primarily for its flavor. A food item which is served with garnish may be described as being garni, the French term for "garnished." The difference between garnish and decoration, is garnish is edible. Plastic grass for sushi presentation is considered a decoration, not a garnish.

Overview

A garnish makes food or drink items more visually appealing. They may, for example, enhance their color, such as when paprika is sprinkled on a salmon salad. They may provide a color contrast, for example when chives are sprinkled on potatoes. They may make a cocktail more visually appealing, such as when a Mai Tai is topped with any number of tropical fruit pieces. Sometimes a garnish and a condiment will be used together to finish the presentation of a dish; for example, an entrée could be topped with a sauce, as the condiment, along with a sprig of parsley as a garnish. A garnish may be so readily identified with a specific dish that the dish may appear incomplete without the garnish. Examples include a banana split sundae with cherries on top or buffalo wings served with celery stick garnish and blue cheese dressing.

List of garnishes

Foods and entree

Garnishes for foods and entrees include:

Desserts and sweets

Garnishes for desserts and sweets include:

Beverages

Garnishes for beverages include: Coffee-based drinks may have: Savory drinks such as Bloody Mary may have: Eggnog may have: Various fruits are used:

Garnishes according to cuisine traditions

French garnishes

Classic French garnishes include For soups: For relevés and entrées:

Indonesian garnishes

Japanese garnishes

Korean garnishes

In Korean cuisine, decorative garnishes are referred to as gomyeong (고명), means to decorate or embellish food.

Garnish tools

Tools often used for creating food garnishes include skewers, knives, graters, toothpicks, and parchment cones.

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