The fundamentals of cooking can be named differently. What we believe is that we should have information on what we eat. With that thought, we would be talking about the difference between spread and dips which many are not aware of.

Spread and dips both belong to the comprehensive condiment group. Though spreads are used on top of a bread slice or tortillas, dips are used to dip the food. Besides, a spread naturally drenches the food and acts as an accompaniment, while the purpose of a dip is to be an addition to a specific dish.

The subtle difference between spread and dips

Both spread and dips are the branches of so-called “condiments”. Thus, distinguishing these two from the condiment group is not possible. Nevertheless, there are some refined differences between these two.

What’s a Spread?

Spreads are usually thick in texture and are not runny. Still, the consistency depends on the ingredients used, and the flavour and aroma also depend on the same. Fascinatingly, the spread can also be used as a component and as a dip too.

When the spread is used as a component it can give an extra touch, texture, and evenness to that specific dish which can either be in cooked or raw form. For eg. When we use a spread on burger buns or throw some on a pizza.

In totality, there are many dishes that use spreads in the whole process of creating a dish. And, in this scenario, the spread is then converted into an element. There are instances where people even have nachos and fries with flavoured spread and thus it acts as a dip.

What’s a Dip?

Along with the main dish, a dip acts as a supplementary dish. It frequently accomplishes as an enhancement that mainly adds texture and flavour to the food that you wish to dip.

A general impression that people have about a dip is that it would be thicker than a spread and not thin like a sauce. Eg. For dips we have jalapeno or cheese dips, hummus, and even salsa, we use these to dip our chips, veggies, fries, and even crackers. Dips are sufficient for coating the food. Although, the texture really depends on what would be served along with a dip, and that decides if the dip has to be thick or a little runny

There are as such various minor and major points for differentiating spreads and dips. But, as we have discussed earlier, spread can act as the main ingredient in making a dish and serve as a dip too. While a dip is an addition to the main dish.