A highly seasoned sauce eaten with other foods to add flavor to them.
The chopped pickle you put on a hamburger, the relish, derives its name from the same source as the words release and relax. All these words evolved from the Latin verb relaxare, meaning to loosen, which in turn is a compound formed from the prefix re, meaning back, and the verb laxare, also meaning to loosen. This “loosening” sense is still at the heart of relax (a loosening of one’s muscles) and release (a loosening of one’s grip), but it now seems very distant from relish. Originally, however, the word relish referred to the flavour that was “loosened” or “released” from food as it was chewed and swallowed: a wellseasoned beef stew released a good relish, while a bowl of oatmeal porridge released very little. Relish entered English somewhat circuitously: the Latin relaxare was adopted by Old French as relaisser (which is the direct source of release); from relaisser, the French then formed relais, meaning the released part, which English adopted in the early thirteenth century as reles. By the early sixteenth century, reles had been respelt as relish because the ish ending was considered more “English,” thanks to dozens of words like selfish, devilish, and British. At this time, relish still meant flavour, not for another three hundred years, around the end of the eighteenth century, did it come to refer specifically to a pickled side dish or piquant sauce. Incidentally, two non-culinary words are also closely related to relish: laxative and languish, words that developed from the Latin laxare without the assistance of the re prefix. These two words remain fairly close to the “loosening” sense of their source, at least in so far as a laxative loosens the bowels, while a person who is languishing lies loosely on the ground.
In the context of a meal, a non-essential, yet appetizing addition to the main dish, such as olives, pickles, celery, and other similar options, is commonly referred to as a “side dish” or a “side order.” These components are often included to provide additional flavor, texture, or nutritional value to the meal.
A condiment, sauce, or pickle serves as a delightful accompaniment to food, bestowing an extra burst of flavor to enhance the dining experience. In the past, the term “relish” was attributed to dishes of the appetizer variety, served after the soup and fish courses, with the intention of tantalizing the taste buds and stimulating the appetite for the forthcoming meal.