Definition

Noun: A thick, sweet, and pungent condiment used in Chinese cuisine, typically served as a dipping sauce. It is made from ingredients such as plums, apricots, sugar, vinegar, and spices, and is often orange or reddish-brown in color. Despite its name, it does not contain duck.

Usage

"Duck sauce" is used as a mass noun. It refers to the condiment itself, not a sauce made from duck. - It is commonly served in small plastic packets with takeout food like egg rolls, fried wontons, or roast pork. - It is used as a dip or a glaze.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "to be out of duck sauce": To have no duck sauce available.
  • Sorry, we're out of duck sauce. Would you like sweet and sour sauce instead?
• As an ingredient in fusion cooking:
  • He made a duck sauce glaze for the grilled chicken wings.

Variants and Related Words

• Plum sauce: This is often considered a synonym or a very similar type of condiment. Some regional or brand distinctions may exist, but in common American English usage, "duck sauce" and "plum sauce" are frequently used interchangeably for the same type of sweet, thick, fruity sauce.

Synonyms

• Plum sauce (Note: This is the closest synonym, though some purists argue subtle differences in ingredients or consistency may exist.)
• Sweet and sour sauce (This is a broader category; duck sauce is a specific type of sweet and sour sauce.)

Related Phrases/Idioms

There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs specifically using "duck sauce." It is primarily a culinary term.

Noun

1. a thick sweet and pungent Chinese condiment