Do
diners really blush on seeing Spotted Dick on the menu?
Although
the traditional pudding known as Spotted Dick is often served as individual portions
cooked in small containers so you end up with a decapitated circular based conical
item in the middle of a puddle of custard, the traditional Spotted Dick was cooked
as a long item and then cut in slices for the diners' portions. It's possible
the combination of the sight and name of a traditional Spotted Dick might raise
a few eyebrows these days by the super-sensitive view some people have as judges
of social norms when it comes to humour.
Posted:
180615 |  | The
Daily Telegraph reports
the pudding known as "Spotted Dick has long been a source of amusement
for diners – but now it seems to be so much so that waiters in the Houses
of Parliament dare not say the name of the pudding out loud. The
Daily Telegraph has learnt that staff working in Strangers’ Dining Room have
resorted to using the name “Spotted Richard” in order to spare
the clientele their blushes. Staff
waiting at tables in the restaurant confirmed the name change when approached
last night. They were less forthcoming when asked for an explanation, stating
only that “Richard” was less likely to cause a stir with guests. However,
the rebrand appears to have had the opposite of the desired effect, with Strangers’
regulars taking to social media yesterday to brand the change “very silly”." | The
etymology of Spotted Dick
Whilst
the first part of the name is self-apparent - the dessert is “spotted”
with raisins - the origins of “dick” is a point of historical debate.
Several food historians believe it is derived from “puddick”, Old English
for pudding. The coarse use of the word is not thought to have emerged until the
1890s, nearly 50 years after the first recipe for Spotted Dick was published.
It is thought its association with penis evolved through usage by men serving
in the British Army. Source: Daily Telegraph |
|
