scalloped

[Do228]

Which of these sentences are correct?

Dannah ate a very yummy pretzel. It was........

1 scalloped with cheese.
2 gratinated with cheese.
3 au gratin with cheese.
4 gratinée.
5 with cheese gratiné.

 

[GoesStation]

They are all unlikely to be heard from a native speaker. Number 3 is incorrect.

Say "It was topped with grated cheese."

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I'd go with GS's suggestion. At least I'd know what I was eating!

 

[GoesStation]

Somehow I missed number 5. It's also incorrect. But seriously, these sentences are so weird that whether they're grammatically correct or not hardly matters.

 

[jutfrank]

GoesStation—What does scalloped mean? With a scallop on top? Is that an AmE term?

 

[GoesStation]

GoesStation—What does scalloped mean? With a scallop on top? Is that an AmE term?

It means sliced and layered with cheese and white sauce, or at least, that's how scalloped potatoes are prepared. It really doesn't work for a pretzel, now that I think about it.

I suppose it must be an American term. It's a typically Midwestern dish.

 

[jutfrank]

I suppose it must be an American term.

Out of curiosity, what do you call scallops (coquilles Saint-Jacques) in the US?

And are 'pretzels' to you similar to what I know as German 'Brezeln', or are they the small crunchy snacky things you sometimes get in packets over here?

 

[GoesStation]

Out of curiosity, what do you call scallops (coquilles Saint-Jacques) in the US?

Like you, we call them "scallops". Things that are scalloped are arranged in a pattern that resembles (or bears a very slight resemblance to) the ridges on a scallop shell.

And are 'pretzels' to you similar to what I know as German 'Brezeln', or are they the small crunchy snacky things you sometimes get in packets over here?

They come in a range of sizes that covers both extremes. The big, soft, German-style ones are qualified as hot, soft, or German pretzels.

 

[Do228]

Does "topped with grated cheese" mean that it was baked over again after putting the cheese on it?

 

[GoesStation]

Does "topped with grated cheese" mean that it was baked over again after putting the cheese on it?

In the context of a pretzel, I'd understand that as "having grated cheese applied before baking".

 

[Do228]

So, if you bake a pretzel, take it out of the oven, strew cheese over it and put it back in the oven for a couple of minutes, can it then be called a cheese-gratinated pretzel?

 

[GoesStation]

So, if you bake a pretzel, take it out of the oven, strew cheese over it and put it back in the oven for a couple of minutes, can it then be called a cheese-gratinated pretzel?

Only if you don't want to be understood.