snow cone v. Italian ice v. sorbet v. sherbet v. sherbert

Assorted fruit sorbets. Image courtesy of Guzzle & Nosh. A snow cone is a dessert made of granular shaved ice topped with flavored syrup.

Italian ice is smoother than a snow cone, because its ingredients are mixed while freezing. It consists of fruit juice or other flavors, water, and sugar.

Although sorbet is made with basically the same ingredients as Italian ice, it is smoother still. Alcohol may be added to sorbet, which prevents it from freezing completely, and augments its smooth texture. Sorbet is usually considered to be of a higher-quality, and more expensive than Italian ice.

Sherbet is essentially sorbet to which milk, egg white, or gelatin have been added. Sherbet contains between 1% and 2% milkfat. (By comparison, ice cream has at least 10% milkfat.) ‘Sherbert’ is just an alternative spelling and pronunciation of ‘sherbet’.

In British English, sherbet is a fruit flavored fizzy powdered candy, eaten like Fun Dip, but effervescent like Pop Rocks.

Livestrong.com on sorbet v. Italian ice

YumSugar on sorbet v. sherbet v. sherbert

sour v. bitter

Sour foods are acidic, and include certain fruits (e.g., lemons, oranges, and grapes), and some fermented foods, like wine and yogurt.

Various chemicals are perceived as tasting bitter. Bitter foods include some vegetables, (e.g., endives, spinach, and cabbage), and also cocoa, coffee, tea, beer, and tonic water. Bitter compounds are often toxic, so people are especially sensitive to bitter flavors.

eHow on sour v. bitter

ambrosia v. nectar

Ambrosia salad. Image courtesy of TasteOfHome.com. In Greek mythology, the gods consumed ambrosia and nectar, which conferred immortality. Ambrosia is usually considered to be the food of the gods, and nectar is usually the drink of the gods, but there are counterexamples where ambrosia is the drink, or nectar is the food.

Ambrosia is also a salad made with whipped or sour cream, mandarin oranges, pineapple, shredded coconut, and other fruits. More generally, it can be anything that tastes or smells delicious.

In addition to being a literally divine drink, nectar is also a sweet liquid secreted by plants to attract pollinating animals, a drink made with fruit juice, or simply any delicious drink.

Wikipedia on ambrosia

whiskey v. bourbon v. Scotch

Whiskey (or whisky) is a category of liquors made from distilled fermented grain mash which has been aged in wooden casks. Bourbon is a type of American whiskey made mostly from corn. Scotch is whiskey made in Scotland primarily from malted barley. Whiskey can also be made from other grains, including rye, wheat, and unmalted barley.

ThatsTheSpirit.com on whiskey

vitamins v. minerals

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic (carbon containing) compounds required in minute amounts to sustain normal metabolism. They can not be synthesized in the body, and must be ingested as part of the diet. Vitamins are known by letter names, and are either fat-soluble (vitamins A, D, E, and K) or water-soluble (the vitamin B complex and vitamin C). The recommended dietary allowance of most vitamins ranges from a few micrograms to a few milligrams.

Examples

• Vitamin A, which is found in fish-liver oils, is needed for night vision.
• Vitamin K promotes blood clotting, and can be obtained from leafy green vegetables.

Minerals

Like vitamins, dietary minerals are essential nutrients needed in small quantities for physiological processes, but minerals are simple inorganic chemical elements, not complex organic molecules. Some minerals, such as calcium, sodium, chlorine, and potassium, have RDAs up to several grams. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen aren’t considered minerals because they are required in large quantities, not trace amounts, and because they are the constituents of organic molecules.

Examples

• Magnesium is involved in processing adenosine triphosphate. Nuts, soy beans, and chocolate are good sources of magnesium.
• Iron deficiency can result in anemia. Iron is found in red meat, eggs, and oysters.

Go Ask Alice on vitamin v. mineral