Garnish
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A garnish is a substance used primarily as an embellishment or decoration to a prepared food or drink item. It may also give added or contrasting flavor, but that is not its primary purpose, in contrast to a condiment which is primarily a flavour added to another food item.
A garnish makes food or drink items more appealing. They may, for example, enhance their color, such as when paprika is sprinkled on a salmon salad. They may give a color contrast, for example when parsley or chives are sprinkled on potatoes. They may make a cocktail seem more festive, like a cocktail umbrella in an exotic drink, or a celery stalk in a Bloody Mary (cocktail), or when a Mai Tai is garnished with all manners of tropical fruit.
A garnish may make food extra special, such as a maraschino cherry on top of ice cream. The use of this particular garnish has led to the common children's plea— "Pretty please, with a cherry on top!"— for extraordinary requests.
A garnish can also become a hackneyed cliché when it has lost its meaning, such as a sprig of parsley and a small spoonful of coleslaw in a paper cup served beside all sandwiches at a diner.
A garnish may be so readily identified with a specific dish, that the food item may appear incomplete without it.
A food item which is served with garnish may be described as being garni.
Garnish can also be used to describe a situation where ones income is automatically given to a third party by a court order, usually in cases of Child Support
Garnish is also a term that can be used for accessories - such as jewelry and handbags - to embellish ones body with decorative touches.
See also
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