Did You Know?

If you need an English word that can refer to either a combination of food items or a random assortment of things, there's no shortage of options on the menu. If you're in the mood for a stew, there's hodgepodge (formerly "hotchpotch"), olla podrida, or gallimaufry. Perhaps you'd rather start with a palate cleanser, like macédoine or salmagundi. We also have gumbo or jambalaya, if Southern cooking is more your thing, or smorgasbord if you prefer words of Swedish descent. Then there's ragout, which comes from French ragoûter, meaning "to revive the taste," and ultimately from Latin gustus, meaning "taste."