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Glite Dictionary
potlikker

potlikker

9.9
A tasty liquid left after cooking vegetables that people use as soup or to dip bread
  • noun
  • /ˈpɒtˌlɪkər/
  • US
translation icon : caldo
  • After cooking collard greens, she saved the potlikker to use in her next soup.

Examples

  • The potlikker made the cornbread taste even better.

  • I love to drink the potlikker from collard greens.

  • Many Southern recipes call for adding potlikker to enhance the flavor of stews.

  • He poured the rich potlikker over cornbread for a traditional meal.

  • The potlikker left from the collard greens was perfect for dipping cornbread.

  • After cooking the beans, the rich potlikker made for a hearty soup.

  • Don't forget to save the potlikker; it adds excellent flavor to your dishes.

Synonyms

liquor
vspotlikker
3 7.5

The liquid left after cooking meat or vegetables used for soups and sauces

is the flavorful form often tied to vegetables and dipping bread
pot liquor
vspotlikker
  • US
1 7.9

Liquid left in a pot after cooking vegetables or meat that is used as a base for soup

is used also for direct eating or dipping rather than only as a base
pot likker
vspotlikker
  • US
9.9

A tasty liquid left in a pot after cooking vegetables or meat

focuses more on rich taste and using it as a dipping broth
potlicker
vspotlikker
  • US
9.6

Liquid left in a pot after cooking vegetables that you eat as a salty broth

is the general term without regional association, used for dipping or soup

How Flavorful

consommé
  • Specialized
2 8.1
potlikker
  • US
9.9
stock
53 1.4
broth
76 1.0

Surface Forms

potlikker singular
potlikkers plural

Morphology

potlikker = pot + liquor (semi-transparent) = pot + liquor

The compound literally denotes the 'liquid from the pot', but 'liquor' more commonly means an alcoholic drink today, so learners may be misled without dialectal knowledge.

Etymology

The word potlikker comes from the plain phrase pot + liquor, where liquor here means 'liquid' rather than alcohol. It was the tasty 'liquid' left in the cooking pot in Southern kitchens, so potlikker today means the rich 'broth' you save from cooking vegetables or pour over cornbread.