Iris
Confused by the title? (Probably not if you’re from England but those of us who live on this side of the pond are probably not used to hearing the term–well, outside of comedy routines or the doctor’s office.) That, ladies and gentlemen, was my gratuitous dick joke…sorry, I couldn’t help myself.
I went grocery shopping this morning and was cruising the international aisle when I caught something in my peripheral. Wait, I thought. Did I just see the words “spotted dick” on a can of food?!? Nah, couldn’t be real–oh, but I assure you it was.
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I stood bemused as I rifled through my purse to get my phone so I could snap a picture because, you see, I have the comedic maturity of a 9-year old. So imagine me laughing maniacally trying to take a picture with trembling hands as an old lady pushing her cart down the aisle gave me the evil eye. Hmph, maybe if she got some (spotted) dick, she wouldn’t be so uptight. Again, another gratuitous dick joke.
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After I calmed down, I decided I had to find out what this stuff was. Right there in Aisle 6, I Googled it on my phone. According to Wikipedia, spotted dick is “steamed suet pudding studded with dried fruits (usually currants) commonly served with custard. Spotted refers to the dried fruit (which resemble spots) and dick may be a contraction or corruption of the word pudding (from the last syllable).” By the way, just in case you were wondering–suet is raw beef or mutton (sheep) fat. If you’ve ever hung one of those edible birdseed contraptions outside, chances are, it contained suet.
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Wow, you Brits really know how to make food appetizing.
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If you’re not completely grossed out by the thought of consuming spotted dick, click here to see a video on how to make it.
