Side Dish
Side Dish
Side Dish
A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order, side item, or simply a side, is a food item that
accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.
Side dishes such as salad, potatoes and bread are commonly used with main courses throughout
many countries of the western world. Rice and couscous, have grown to be quite popular throughout
Europe, especially at formal occasions (with couscous appearing more commonly at dinner
parties with Middle Eastern dishes).
When used as an adjective qualifying the name of a dish, the term "side" usually refers to a smaller
portion served as a side dish, rather than a larger, main dish-sized serving. For example, a "side
salad" usually served in a small bowl or salad plate, in contrast to a large dinner-plate-
sized entrée salad.
A typical American meal with a meat-based main dish might include one vegetable side dish,
sometimes in the form of a salad, and one starch side dish, such as bread, potatoes, rice, or pasta.
Some common side dishes include:
Asparagus
Baked beans
Baked potatoes
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Coleslaw
Dinner rolls or other breads
French fries or steak fries
Green beans
Greens
Macaroni salad
Macaroni and cheese
Mashed potatoes
Mushrooms
Pasta salad
Potato salad
Salad (often a "side" salad)
Sautéed mushrooms [2]
Squash
Some restaurants offer a limited selection of side dishes which are included with the price of the
entrée as a combination meal. In contrast, sometimes side dishes are ordered separately from an a
la carte menu. The term may or may not imply that the dish can only be ordered with other food.[citation
needed]
French fries are a common side dish served at fast-food restaurants and other American
cuisine restaurants. In response to criticism about the high fat and calorie content of French fries,
some fast-food chains offer other side dishes, such as salads, as substitutes for the standard French
fries with their combination meals.
Egg dish
An introduction to eggs...
Both the white and yolk of an egg are rich in nutrients - proteins, vitamins
and minerals with the yolk also containing cholesterol, fat soluble
vitamins and essential fatty acids. Eggs are also an important and
versatile ingredient for cooking, as their particular chemical make up is
literally the glue of many important baking reactions.
Since the domestication of the chicken, people have been enjoying and
nourishing themselves with eggs. As a long time symbol of fertility and
rebirth, the egg has taken its place in religious as well as culinary history.
In Christianity, the symbol of the decorated egg has become synonymous
with Easter. There are lots of different types of egg available, the most
commonly raised are chicken eggs while more gourmet choices include
duck, goose and quail eggs.
Nutritional highlights
Eggs are a very good source of inexpensive, high quality protein. More
than half the protein of an egg is found in the egg white along with
vitamin B2 and lower amounts of fat than the yolk. Eggs are rich sources
of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals such as zinc, iron and
copper. Egg yolks contain more calories and fat than the whites. They are
a source of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and lecithin - the compound
that enables emulsification in recipes such as hollandaise or mayonnaise.
Some brands of egg now contain omega-3 fatty acids, depending on what
the chickens have been fed (always check the box). Eggs are regarded a
'complete' source of protein as they contain all nine essential amino
acids; the ones we cannot synthesise in our bodies and must obtain from
our diet.
Stuffed Egg
Where you can, choose wholegrain varieties, and eat potatoes with
their skins on for more fibre.
During cooking, aim for a golden yellow colour or lighter when baking,
toasting, roasting or frying starchy foods like potatoes, root
vegetables and bread.
Find out why you should cook starchy foods this way.
This page also has health benefits and storage advice for:
potatoes
bread
cereals
rice
pasta
Why do you need starchy foods?
Starchy foods are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet.
As well as starch, they contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.
Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain fewer than half
the calories of fat.
Just watch out for the added fats used when you cook and serve them: this is what increases the
calorie content.
Learn more in Fat: the facts and The truth about carbs.
Starchy foods and fibre
Wholegrain varieties of starchy foods and potatoes – particularly when eaten with their skins on
– are good sources of fibre.
Fibre is the name given to a range of compounds found in the cell walls of vegetables, fruits,
pulses and cereal grains.
Fibre that cannot be digested helps other food and waste products move through the gut more
easily.
Potato skins, wholegrain bread and breakfast cereals, brown rice, and wholewheat pasta are good
sources of this kind of fibre.
Fibre can help keep our bowels healthy and can help us feel full, which means we're less likely to
eat too much.
This makes wholegrain starchy foods and potatoes eaten with their skins on a particularly good
choice if you're trying to lose weight.
Some types of fibre – present in fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots, potatoes, oats and
pulses – can be partly digested, and may help reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood.