• queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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    11 days ago

    Smack barm pea wet is a common order at chippies in Wigan (a town in Greater Manchester, England). The syntax of this order may need some explaining. A “smack” (in other regions called a “scallop” or a “potato cake”) is a battered and deep-fried potato slice. “Barm cakes” are soft, enriched rolls which were traditionally leavened with “barm,” or the froth from the top of a fermenting vat of beer—though bakeries today use active dry yeast. Thus “smack barm” is a noun-noun compound, where “smack” gives the specific type of “barm,” or “sandwich on a barm cake,” that’s being described.

    “Pea wet,” or “pey wet,” is another noun-noun compound. It describes a condiment that, as far as anybody can tell, is completely specific to Wigan: the liquid, or “wet,” off the top of a batch of mushy peas (though a few solid peas may make their way into the ladle as well).

    😨

            • BanMeFromPosting [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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              11 days ago

              Yes? I read it too.

              the froth from the top of a fermenting vat of beer

              If this was Korean or japanese you’d be saying it sounded interesting or delicious.

              the liquid, or “wet,” off the top of a batch of mushy peas

              As I said, it sounds nasty because you’re preempted to think of it nastylike. It’s just cooking, you can make it sound disgusting if you try. You could reward that description to use words like “slow-cooked” and I dunno. Its just the wording. Slap a Japanese guy on there talking about his traditional local white-green-rice and youd be calling it a delicacy.

              I don’t even particularly like British cooking, but this childish yank tendency of calling food gross in order to perform something is just tiring.
              Deep fried potato slice in a bread roll with some wet stuff so its not too dry? Wow so nasty ewwwww. What’s next, putting chocolate in their sauces? Those things don’t mix!