| 1) Decorative toppings, very tiny in size, that are sprinkled over candies, cakes, muffins, cookies, and other sweet foods. The small pieces, referred to as nonpareils, are produced as small round dots or very thin short pellets that are made of sugar and created in many different colors.
2) Another meaning for nonpareil is used in reference to a type of candy formed into a small round disk shape and sprinkled with the tiny round topping referenced in the first explanation of nonpareils.
3) A third meaning for this term is used as a category for sizing foods, most notably in France where capers are categorized according to size. The smallest capers grow at the tips of the bush and become increasingly larger as you move down the branches of the bush toward the base. The smallest are referred to as Nonpareils or Non Pareils (7mm) that provide a very delicate and more concentrated flavor that is less vinegary in taste than larger capers. The next larger capers in size are categorized as Surfines (7 to 9 mm), after which there are Capucines (8 to 9 mm), Capotes (9 to 11 mm), Fines (11 to 13 mm), and Grusas (14mm and larger). |
