> I like the idea of food that tells you plainly what it is. But -- to take an indirect but previously-discussed example -- if names of dishes in *Mexican* cuisine are characterized by a playful personification (e.g. "los huevos divorciados"), then what are *British* food names trying to convey?

Most of them are simply literal descriptions of the method of cooking, or the ingredients. OK, it might be hundreds of years since anyone referred to dough as "dick", but that would be how it started.

A few examples:

> Bangers and Mash

Sausage and mashed potato. "Bangers" got their name because early recipies had a tendency to explode when they were cooked.

> Bubble and Squeak

Re-fried cabbage and mashed potato. The name comes from the sound of it being cooked.

> Chelsea Buns

These come from Chelsea.

> Devilled Kidneys

Devilling involves frying in a variety of spices.

> Jellied Eel

Ahh... Jellied eels. That cockney classic. Exactly what it souunds like - eels in jelly.

> Oxtail Brawn

Brawn is a type of soup or broth.

> Ploughman's Platters

A "Ploughman's Lunch" (which is the name I know this dish by) is a pastie filled with meat, onion, cheese and potato. They would be taken to work by farmers so they wouldn't need to stop ploughing for lunch.

> Snippets of Venison

Small chunks of deer meat.

> Spotted Dick

A doughy pudding, with the "spots" being raisins.

> Toad-in-the-Hole (Pigs in a Blanket)

OK, I have no idea how this got it's name. But it's basically sausages in Yorkshire Pudding batter.

> Wolf "Hey. Sufficient fare to do a grudge match challenge for... 'Iron Chef England'?!" spirit

winter"Hey! I'd be up for that!"mute