Avocado Toast Officially Acknowledged in the Associated Press Stylebook

Every year, copy editors the nation over gather at the American Copy Editors Society conference to debate grammar, style, and the utility of the Oxford comma. Most thrillingly, the Associated Press Stylebook, the style manual preferred by Eater, presents its annual updates. And this year, there are some odd choices.

Eleven changes to the stylebook’s food guidelines were introduced this afternoon, including entries on ramen, frittata, and tiramisu. Poke gets a nod — without an accent — along with the equally trendy bone broth (will we still be sipping it in 2018?), but perhaps the most controversial addition is avocado toast.

It’s unclear why this self-explanatory toast requires its own entry, but it joins French toast as the only other toast in the stylebook. And there’s more: The new entry describes avocado toast tersely as “Toast spread with mashed avocado.” Does this mean varieties featuring sliced avocado are not true avocado toast? Who made this call?

Read on for the full list of updates.

avocado toast: Toast spread with mashed avocado.

Belgian waffle: A waffle with deep indentations made in a special waffle maker.

bone broth: Stock made with roasted bones.

chimichurri: Sauce typically containing parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and chili pepper.

confit: Salt-cured meat, usually duck and goose.

frittata: Italian dish similar to an omelet, typically made with eggs, vegetables, cheese and/or meat.

kimchi (updated spelling): Korean pickled vegetables.

paleo: Short for Paleolithic diet. A diet composed of grass-fed meat, fish and seafood, eggs, nuts, fresh vegetables and fruit, healthy oils, and nuts and seeds. Those who follow a paleo diet avoid legumes, potatoes, processed foods, dairy, refined sugar, cereal grains, refined vegetable oils and salt.

poke: Hawaiian raw fish salad of cubed fish marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil.

ramen: Refers to either a type of wheat noodle or a noodle soup dish popular in Japan and elsewhere typically composed of wheat noodles and broth. Can include other ingredients such as pork, egg, vegetables, tofu and seaweed.

tiramisu: Dessert composed of ladyfingers, coffee, eggs, sugar, mascarpone and cocoa.

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