Questions & Answers
 British Cooking Terms vs. American Cooking Terms

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Question:

Could you please help me?  I am a retired widower and take a great delight in cooking and I have now many American recipes but I do not know some of the British equivalent ingredients and without this knowledge I am at a loss. I could not find the British equivalents to the following :

CORNMEAL - SQUASH - CROOKNECK SQUASH  - BUTTERNUT SQUASH - PATTYPAN SQUASH - JICAMA - RUTABAGA
 
It would make my day if there were British equivalents to the above and would allow me to try out some of your exciting recipes. Any help you can give me would be very welcome. Many, many thanks in anticipation of your help.  - Charles Smith   (6/11/01)

Answers:

CORNMEAL - UK corn flour is the same as US cornstarch. Potato flour, despite its name, is a starch, and cannot be substituted for regular flour.  It often can be substituted for corn starch and vice versa. In the US, corn flour means finely ground cornmeal. A couple of rules of thumb:- in cakes, especially sponge cakes, it's likely to mean cornstarch- as a coating for fried okra, it's likely to mean finely ground cornmeal. Cornmeal or polenta is not the same thing as cornstarch or corn flour! What one can buy labeled `polenta' really looks no different to cornmeal though. Polenta is commonly used to describe cornmeal porridge but may also be used to mean plain cornmeal. 
 
SQUASH - In the U.S., squash is a type of vegetables (vegetable marrows.)  Check out my web page on different types of squash. The many photos on my squash web page should help you identify the squash:  All About Squash

JICAMA - I don't know what the British call this. Jicama, a legume, is grown for the large tuberous roots which can be eaten raw or cooked and are used as a source of starch. The jicama plant is a vine which grows to a length of 20 feet or more. The roots are light brown in color, and may weigh up to 50 pounds. Most of those on the market will weigh between three to five pounds.