15 Pairs Of Foods You've Been Confusing For Each Other For Years

Yes, yams and sweet potatoes are two different things.

1. Champagne vs. Sparkling Wine

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This one's pretty easy: If it wasn't produced in the Champagne region of France, then it's not champagne. It's just sparkling wine.

2. Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes

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Generally, the inside of a yam is white, purple, or red, while the inside of a sweet potato is orange, red, or white. Yams also tend to have a rougher skin, and are much less likely to be available in your average grocery store.

3. Club Soda vs. Seltzer vs. Tonic Water

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Both club soda and seltzer water are basically bubbly water, but club soda has added minerals (usually sodium is one of them). Tonic water, meanwhile, has added sugar...usually around 32 grams per 12 oz. serving.

4. Whiskey vs. Bourbon

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These two are kinda like squares and rectangles: All bourbons are whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Bourbon needs to be manufactured in the USA, and must be made from at least 51 percent corn.

As a side note, Scotch is also whiskey (really it's whisky, since the "e" is generally not used outside the US) but only comes from Scotland.

5. Ragout vs. Ragù

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Both are comfort foods that require some simmering and are pronounced pretty much the same, but a ragout is a French dish that's more of a stew, while a ragù is an Italian sauce that traditionally goes over pasta.

6. Whole Wheat vs. Whole Grain

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Whole wheat bread is generally more processed (and often loses nutrients during that processing). Whole grain bread will also use the entire kernel of whatever kind of grain its made with, while whole wheat will only use part of the kernel.

7. Pasta vs. Noodles

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To purists, pasta can only be made from durum semolina wheat flour, which creates a stiff dough. Noodles are a more colloquial term and can be made from all kinds of stuff (though it's usually still wheat flour, eggs, and salt).

8. Mushrooms vs. Toadstools

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Scientifically, these two terms are pretty much interchangeable. But colloquially, there's a very simple but VERY IMPORTANT difference between them: Toadstools are poisonous.

9. Shrimp vs. Prawns

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Before they're shelled and cooked, these two crustaceans have a couple of physical differences: Shrimp have claws on two of their five pairs of legs, while prawns have three sets of claws. They also have different gills. But after they're cooked, it's tough to tell the difference.

10. Ice Cream vs. Gelato

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Never call gelato "ice cream" in front of an Italian! Gelato is churned slower, has a smaller percentage of fat, and is denser and usually creamier in texture because there's less air in the mixture. Gelato is also usually served at a slightly warmer temperature, making it softer and accentuating the creamy texture.

11. Green Beans vs. Haricots Verts

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Haricots verts is literally just French for "green beans," so it's a little confusing that these are actually slightly different. The French variety are thinner, shorter, and tend to be more tender than green beans. You might also hear green beans referred to as "string beans" or "snap beans," but those are usually just different names for the same thing. Even more confusing, "snap peas" are different from "snap beans."

12. Macaroons vs. Macarons

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Macaroons are coconut meringue cookies, while macarons are those colorful meringue sandwich cookies with a flavored creme in between the two baked meringue layers. Technically, "macarons" should be pronounced the French way, with the "ns" silent. However, most Americans will either say "mah-ka-rown" (rhymes with "blown") or even pronounce it the same as "macaroon."

13. Cold Brew vs. Iced Coffee

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Cold brew is often served as iced coffee (though it can also be served hot), so the confusion is understandable. But "cold brew" actually refers to the brewing process, which takes longer but doesn't use hot water. Often, this means less acidity in the brew. Iced coffee, on the other hand, is traditionally-brewed coffee that's then served with ice.

14. Jam vs. Jelly

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Jam is mashed and reduced fruit that ends up making a sweet spread that is thicker and has chunks of actual fruit in it. Jelly, on the other hand, is made from only fruit juice, so there's no fruit chunks.

15. Butter vs. Margarine vs. Ghee

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Butter is made from animal fat (usually cow's milk), while margarine is a processed food made from vegetable oils. Health experts always seem to go back and forth about which one is healthier, but Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School lean toward modern margarine being the healthier choice, provided its low in saturated fat, higher in unsaturated fat, and free of trans fats. Ghee, meanwhile, is clarified butter, which means all the milk solids have been separated, giving it a slightly higher fat content, but also making it more tolerable for people sensitive to dairy.