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.'
Many garnishes are not intended to be eaten, though for some it is fine to do so. Parsley is an example of a traditional garnish; this pungent green herb has small distinctly shaped leaves, firm stems, and is easy to trim into 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 cocktail umbrella is added to an exotic drink, or when a Mai Tai is topped with any number of tropical fruit pieces. Sushi may be garnished with baran, a type of plastic grass or leaf. 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
Garnishes for foods and entrees include:
- Amandine â€" a culinary term indicating a garnish of almonds
- Caviar
- Chives
- Crouton
- Duxelles
- Fried onion â€" used as a garnish on steaks and other foods
- Gremolata
- Manchette
- Microgreens â€" young vegetable greens that are used both as a visual and flavor component, ingredient and garnish
- Mint
- Nuts
- Olive oil â€" drizzled olive oil is used to garnish some foods
- Parsley
- Persillade
- Sautéed mushrooms â€" used on steaks and other foods
- Edible seaweed â€" used to garnish foods such as soups, entrees and sashimi
- Sesame seeds
- Walnut
Garnishes for desserts and sweets include:
- Cocoa powder
- Flaked coconut
- Confetti candy
- Coulis
- Edible flowers
- Sliced fruit
- Gomul
- Maraschino cherry
- Mint
- Sprinkles
- Vark
- Wafer
- Nuts
- Walnut pieces and candied walnuts
- Wedding cake topper
Garnishes for beverages include:
- Cocoa powder
- Cocktail garnish
- Cocktail onion
- Cocktail umbrella
- Green olive
- Mint
- Twist
French garnishes
Classic French garnishes include
For soups:
- Brunoise â€" one to three mm diced vegetables
- Chiffonade â€" finely shredded lettuce or sorrel stewed in butter
- Croutes â€" small pieces of halved French bread buttered and oven dried
- Coulis â€" (a thicker soup) drizzled decoratively
- Croutons â€" small pieces of bread (typically cubes) fried in butter or other oil
- Julienne â€" thinly sliced vegetables
- Pasta (tapioa, sago, salep) etc.
- Pluches â€" a whole leaf spray of herbs, without the central stalk (traditionally chervil)
- Profiterolles â€" puff pastry stuffed with purée
- Royale â€" a small decoratively shaped piece of egg custard (in German this is called an Eierstich)
- Threaded eggs
For relevés and entrées:
- Croquettes
- Potatoes (pommes dauphine, Duchess potatoes or Marquis)
- Duxelles â€" fried onion, mushrooms and herbs
- Matignon â€" minced carrots, onions, and celeries with ham stewed in butter and Madeira
- Mirepoix â€" similar to Matignon but diced (cf. minced) with or without ham (or with bacon substituted for the ham)
- Salpicon â€" a variety of other diced meats or vegetables
- Fritters
Korean garnishes
In Korean cuisine, decorative garnishes are referred to as komyÇ'ng.
- Chrysanthemum leaves
- Egg garnish â€" a common topping in Korean cuisine, made with egg whites and egg yolks.
- Gochu â€" red chili pepper
- Chili thread â€" a traditional Korean garnish made with chili peppers.
- Crushed garlic
- Green onions
- Manna lichen
- Scallions
- Shiitake
- Shredded vegetables
Garnish tools
Tools often used for creating food garnishes include skewers, knives, graters, toothpicks, and parchment cones.
Gallery
See also
References
External links
- How to Garnish Food. WikiHow
- HowToGarnish.com