Have you ever wondered about the origins of food names? Who exactly coined the term “bubble and squeak” for the popular British dish of potatoes and cabbage? What was the inspiration for “deviled eggs,” the misleading vegetarian dish called “Welsh rabbit,” or “bangers and mash,” a relatively nondescript meal of sausage, gravy, and mashed potatoes?
In an effort to understand the most bizarre food names, our research led us from 18th century Britain to 21st-century dystopian novels, and several other surprising places along the way. Let’s take a closer look at the weirdest dishes you can find today.
Mush
The name may remind you of a particularly unappealing type of baby food, but mush is nothing more than a simple cornmeal pudding that can be found in the southern US, Latin America, and eastern Europe. It’s also known as Indian pudding in some regions, but the more popular name of “mush” likely comes from its soft, bland texture.
Soylent
The dystopian novel, Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison describes the possible impacts of overpopulation and the depletion of necessary resources. One of the solutions in reducing hunger is an item called Soylent, a drink made of soy and lentils. In 2013, a company actually made a product of the same name, designed to “provide all the elements of a healthy diet without excess sugars, saturated fats, or cholesterol.” Although there are a range of flavors available, it’s unclear just how “delicious” this meal-replacement drink really is.
Sweetbread
Not to be confused with “sweet bread,” sweetbread isn’t made of bread, nor is it sweet. Sweetbreads are commonly made from the thymus gland or pancreas of a lamb or veal, although sometimes they’re made from pork or beef as well. This organ meat dish is likely called sweetbread because it may taste more sweet than savory compared to other types of meat, but this is up for debate.
Head Cheese
No, this isn’t made of dandruff or greasy locks of hair, but the main ingredient of head cheese isn’t much better. To make this meal, you’ll simply need to boil an entire pig’s head in a pot of water, herbs, and vegetables for about 6 hours. Once the pig’s tongue is tender, you’ll need to strain the head of liquid, tear off the meat, and stuff the chunks into sausage casings. Calling this food “cheese” is horribly misleading, but the rest of its name is pretty obvious.
Ladyfingers
Despite the vaguely cannibalistic name, ladyfingers are just sweet British cookies baked into a long oval shape that resembles a finger. These little cookies are used in other desserts like tiramisu and trifles, and they don’t have any surprising ingredients that you wouldn’t be able to find at a normal bakery.