savoury
/ˈseɪv(ə)ri
/(US savory)
adjective
1(Of food) belonging to the category which is salty or spicy rather than sweet: fresh pineapple is useful in savoury as well as in sweet dishes...
- Leanne imagined thin, crispy crust smothered in sweet yet savory tomato sauce, warm cheese, pepperoni, and succulent mushrooms.
- Maple syrup is no longer relegated to its standard role of sweetening pancakes and waffles; this versatile ingredient adds flavor to both sweet and savory dishes alike.
- In general, most of the salt we consume is not added during cooking or at the table, but comes from processed foods such as bread, cheese, savoury snacks, breakfast cereals and ready-meals.
Synonyms
salty, spicy, piquant, tangy
1.1Having an appetizing taste or smell: she carried in a pie from the kitchen, steaming and savoury...
- It was braised, succulent, savoury, fat-free, and served in its cooking liquid - which had been only slightly reduced.
- The side dishes were, again, delicious and savory.
- Since then, I've longed to replicate the delicious, savory, and often quite filling meals that we ate together.
2 [usually with negative] Morally wholesome or acceptable: everyone knew it was a front for less savoury operations...
- I don't, frankly, think the Royal Family did look on them as particularly pleasant or savory people.
- But the task was becoming a less savory one, the world was annoying him at every turn.
- The most savoury of the paintings (if I can use that word without coming across as prudish) are a series of nudes done from life in South Africa.
Synonyms
acceptable, pleasant, palatable, wholesome, respectable, honourable, proper, seemly, creditable
noun (plural savouries) chiefly British
A savoury dish, especially a snack or appetizer: refreshments include cakes and savouries...
- Teas will be served during the afternoon and the organisers will welcome donations of food, cakes, and savouries.
- It is a hot, sweet and sour delight that you can make time and again for use with fish and chicken dishes, or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, poppadoms and savouries.
- Warnings about consuming too much sugar get pushed to the back of the mind during festival time, when everyone is cooking and distributing delicious sweetmeats and savouries.
Synonyms
canapé, hors d'oeuvre, appetizer, titbit;
French amuse-gueule
Derivatives
savourily
savouriness
/ noun ...- They were dressed with some overtly sweet vinaigrette (I suspect raspberry) that jarred with the savouriness of the crêpes.
- The wine is soft, silky and full of ripe fruit flavours like cherry and blackberries but backed by a spicy savouriness.
- It has an initial fire and savouriness on the palate that may disturb the contemporary palate conditioned to smoothness and sweetness.
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'pleasing to the sense of taste or smell'): from Old French savoure 'tasty, fragrant', based on Latin sapor 'taste'.