Condiments

Condiments vary from simple ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise to extraordinarily complex versions of Italian giardiniera and secret-recipe barbecue sauce. Certain dishes demand specific condiments, although personal preferences often overrule these demands. A hot dog wants mustard and maybe relish and chopped onions or chili. (Ketchup is forbidden on a hot dog in Chicago, expected in Mobile.) A BLT isn’t right without mayonnaise. When raw oysters are served, cocktail sauce is common, mignonette sauce is ritzy. When fish is fried, expect tartar sauce on the side. Barbecue sauce rules and regulations from place to place around America could fill an encyclopedia, highlights including mustard sauce in central South Carolina, white sauce in northern Alabama, and peppered vinegar in eastern North Carolina. And by the way, in many of the old-time barbecue parlors of Texas, sauce is forbidden; but pickles and peppers are welcome on the side.