sweet and savoury buffet

English translation: Sweet and savoury buffet

07:58 Oct 18, 2012
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Cooking / Culinary
English term or phrase: sweet and savoury buffet
i keep coming across this expression in hotel descriptions
e.g.: Breakfast here is a sweet and savoury buffet with homemade cakes, cold cuts, and cheeses.

i've googled some Q&A sites where the problem has been discussed, yet i still can't decide whether "savoury" stands for "salty" (i've seen russian translations where "sweet and savoury" turns to "sweet and salty snacks") or whether it's just opposite of sweet in the sense that a sweet and savoury buffet is one that offers both 'normal' food and desserts.

if any of you have ever come across this expression in hotel descriptions and had a chance to actually see the buffet afterwards, could you please tell me what it actually means? :)

thanks
zmejka
Local time: 18:44
Selected answer:Sweet and savoury buffet
Explanation:
Savoury means "not sweet", this usually does involve saltiness, but it's not just saltiness. Savouries might be cheese puffs, bread sticks even, sausage rolls, other pastry type things (but not sweet pastries). So the cold cuts and cheeses are the savoury bit of the buffet you mention.
Selected response from:

Liz Dexter (was Broomfield)
United Kingdom
Grading comment
thank you very much!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +10Sweet and savoury buffet
Liz Dexter (was Broomfield)
4food with and without sugar
Mark Nathan


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +10
Sweet and savoury buffet


Explanation:
Savoury means "not sweet", this usually does involve saltiness, but it's not just saltiness. Savouries might be cheese puffs, bread sticks even, sausage rolls, other pastry type things (but not sweet pastries). So the cold cuts and cheeses are the savoury bit of the buffet you mention.

Liz Dexter (was Broomfield)
United Kingdom
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 3
Grading comment
thank you very much!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Paul Lambert: Exactly right.
2 mins
  -> Thank you!

agree  Jenni Lukac (X)
3 mins
  -> Thank you!

agree  PoveyTrans (X)
4 mins
  -> thank you

agree  Charles Davis
6 mins
  -> thank you

agree  Carol Gullidge: yes, the savoury part is the "normal" stuff, as the Asker so nicely puts it! (hear, hear, I say - less of the sugary stuff for breakfast!)
6 mins
  -> Thank you!

agree  Jack Doughty
19 mins
  -> Thank you!

agree  Tony M
53 mins
  -> Thank you!

agree  Lara Barnett
53 mins
  -> thank you

agree  British Diana: In German we have the strange term "herzhaft" for the savoury stuff
1 hr
  -> Thank you!

agree  Raffaella Berry
2 hrs
  -> Thank you!
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
food with and without sugar


Explanation:
Savoury does not necessarily mean salty, especially in these days of low-sodium diets.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2012-10-18 11:51:38 GMT)
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So following Tony's suggestion:

Food that is sweet tasting and food that is not sweet tasting

Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 16:44
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Technically not necessarily strictly accurate, since quite a lot of 'savoury' food still may have SOME sugar content (and quite a lot of sweet, some salt content, too!) I think one can only really go as far as 'sweet-tasting' or 'not sweet tasting'
53 mins
  -> yes, good point Tony. Porridge could be either, or both!

neutral  David Moore (X): But think of the number of sweet foods and beverages which contain no sugar...//But aspartame, saccharin etc. are not sugar, and that's what the makers use as a selling point (God help us...)
1 hr
  -> But they contain artificial sweetners?
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