Talk:Crumpet

Grammar and usage note

The first part of the first sentence, "A crumpet...is a savoury/sweet bread snack", has at least a couple of problems. First, the slash has no place in formal, informative writing. It is used for writing fractions or sometimes in material such as a table. Instead, use a comma or the word "or" (not "either/or", for the same reason and also because the word "or" implies "either"). So we could rewrite it "A crumpet...is a savoury or sweet bread snack", but here we find the second problem: Is it a bread snack that is sweet? Or is it a sweetbread snack? A sweetbread is not the same thing as a sweet bread. I don't know which it is, but this doesn't work. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.69.146.178 (talk) 12:39, 6 September 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You could have fixed it, but since you didn't I changed it to "sweet and savoury" and left it at that. Besides, you're being overly grammatical. A bread can be sweet without being a sweetbread. I'm not sure what you're trying to get at here. It was never claimed to be a sweetbread and since you pointed out that they can be different (just as I did), why assume that they made a mistake? MagnoliaSouth ^(talk) 00:57, 25 October 2010 (UTC)

Hallmark of the British

Mmmmm... crumpets. Arghrrrghgrrhhh [think Homer noises]
I find it necessary to eat them quick before they run off my plate and escape. In fact, it may be necessary to stab said crumpet with your fork to keep it from getting away. :)
Says the Goobermaster, http://www.goobertech.com

>In the UK, "crumpet" has become a slang term for a woman regarded as an object of sexual desire. Historically it has also been used as a non-sexual term of endearment.

I'm not sure about this. It seems like whoever added it may have had "crumpet" and "strumpet" confused. Can someone from the UK enlighten me?

It's true, for what it's worth. You can hear the term used this way in many British TV shows. I'm not sure it's suitable for inclusion in the article though - seems more like a Wiktionary entry to me. -dmmaus 02:16, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

I don't hear it used much these days at all. Anyway, is there no American equivalent of a crumpet? I have trouble explaining to some American friends what they are. - Ferretgames 03:18, 30 July 2005 (UTC)

Are you referring to the pastry or the prostitute? --Orborde 19:51, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

This isn't a cookie Please add the way that a crumpet is cooked. I read somewhere that the holes on top and the brownness there were formed by frying, but I don't have the recipe. It's quite different from an English muffin. --Sobolewski 05:01, 5 November 2005 (UTC)

Im from england and ive never heard the word crumpet used in reference to a 'sexually desirable woman'. Maxtitan (talk) 20:03, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

Watch "Are You Being Served?" and other programmes from that era. You'll frequently hear male members of the cast referring to 'getting a bit of crumpet'. Dazcha (talk) 23:33, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

I'm from Wales and yes, 'thinking man's crumpet' is a well-known term in Britain for an intelligent and attractive woman likely to appeal to the more intellectual man. It does not mean prostitute at all though - 'crumpet' is used as a playful rather than a derogatory word. Thomani9 (talk) 10:32, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

Listen to this man, he speaks truth. I'm surprised at any self professed Brit being unfamiliar with the usage... Or heck, just grab an oxford dictionary, I bet it's in there.

Clarification: It's used to describe an attractive woman - particularly, in my experience, of the attainable, girl-next-door type - but never a streetwalker or other sex worker. For those you move into a somewhat different area of pastry... "tart", etc. 193.63.174.11 (talk) 13:53, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Crumpets are sexually appealing

May I inquire an source for the slang term stated in the article..? I've never heard of an sexually atractive person being referred to as an buiscuit. -Zero^Talk 07:41, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

I've removed it until someone can verify this. -Zero^Talk 12:05, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

Ehem it's a long established, if perhaps not politically correct, term for an attractive woman. Night Bringer

Seconded, and I'm a Londener. Toby Douglass 19:05, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes it is definitely a term (though somewhat demeaning), used in the UK, to describe an attractive woman, eg. "a nice bit of crumpet". Sometimes things don't need a citation to be true. Abc30 12:15, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

It's in relatively common use as a double entendre throughout the UK. Confuseddave 15:37, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

I'm more bothered at the comparison of Crumpets to Biscuits. If your crumpet is all biscuity, it's either gone dreadfully stale, or you've done something wrong in its preparation. As far as I know it's not even particularly close to what some americans may recognise as the solid part of "biscuits and gravy".

Oh and before Chris Hansen gets involved, neither are they all that similar to Delicious Cake. They are nomtacular when properly prepared, and have a squishy spongy texture, but are definitely not cake. 193.63.174.11 (talk) 13:57, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Crumpet.... try watching the 'carry on' films from the 60/70's. Carry on camping.,, An example "she is a tasty bit of crumpet" , 'I'm going to get a bit of crumpet' , this is old style English where innuendo played a larger part in the Language and humor of the U.K., not as common today.

Scottish crumpet

Fascinating, I would never have guessed that a "crumpet" in Scotland was a kind of pancake and yet was not a Scotch pancake. However, can I propose controversially that:

• WP is more use having one article per subject rather than one article per possible title word;
• a Scottish crumpet is a kind of pancake and has more in common with other kinds of pancake than with the English crumpet;
• the article Pancake surveys different kinds of pancake (and gives names for them) used in different regions, and it would make sense for people reading that article to include the explanation of "Scottish crumpet";

and therefore it would make more sense for the "Scottish crumpet" heading to be a section of the Pancake article than of this one? We should of course keep a mention of Scottish use/redirect in this article so that people could find it/weren't confused. —Blotwell 13:46, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

I lke my crumpet sliced b4 toasting —Preceding unsigned comment added by CrumpetSlicer (talk • contribs) 02:32, 11 March 2007

Well, in my opinion Wikipedia is not paper, and it's useful to have both types of crumpet discussed on the same page to show comparisons. Of course it's only a kind of pancake if you assume that to refer to what the English call a "Scotch pancake" rather than the large thin English pancake. Thus this variety is properly covered here and linked from the other article. ... dave souza, talk 09:52, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

Crumpet Recipe

Am assuming that the crumpet recipe cannot possibly be right. Bronwynml 02:00, 12 March 2007 (UTC)Bronwyn

No, it was not right - it had been vandalized. I've reverted it, but in the future, please revert any vandalism you see as soon as you can. Instructions on how can be found at Help:Reverting. Thanks for bringing that to our attention! Natalie 02:06, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Personification

To refer to a women as a crumpet is not personification in this case. I have changed the passage to reflect this by using the term objectify since it is the women which has taken on the qualities or the sense of the object and not the other way around. Epent (talk) 18:42, 10 December 2007 (UTC)

You mean *puts on chauvinist hat* ... soft, warm, tasty and satisfying, and just begging to be covered in butter? 193.63.174.11 (talk) 14:00, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Pikelet

This item of food is never called a crumpet in Birmingham, and is always called a pikelet - even to the extent that supermarkets often have to label them as such. The only meaning of "crumpet" in Birmingham is the rather dated and hardly ever used term for women, as popularised by the Carry On films, and to use it for the food would most likely elicit confused stares. ðarkuncoll 10:05, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

That's interesting you say it comes from the Carry On films. I must admit I'd not really noticed, but it would not surprise me if it was used deliberately as a, oh, what's it called, a code word you know, since the censorship laws of the time were much stricter than now. It might be worth following it up. The Muir quote is good, but by its definition (as all good definitions do) shows it was already in common use. SimonTrew (talk) 16:35, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

What the hell are you talking about. I was born and have lived in Birmingham ALL MY LIFE and have NEVER heard the term before landing on the wiki page. Not even my deeply brummie grandmother uses the word. Certainly have never seen crumpets re-labeled as Pikelets in the supermarket! Given that neither the entry in the main article nor this bit of the discussion has any kind of citation, if I can't find any other evidence for this elsewhere I'm going to assume this is a clever and subtle bit of trolling/misinformation and delete it.

Alternatively, is it some kind of Black Country phrase? People'r always getting us mixed up with those bloody yams. 193.63.174.11 (talk) 13:49, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Thus far the only other online mentions I've found are relating to the australian use, and in an article written by southern bumpkin (if I may be so bold) Hugh F-W... it's on shaky ground, but I'm going to see what else turns up. Including a survey of my facebook/etc contacts which include a good number of midlands and northern welsh/english (anglesey thru newcastle via chester/manc/mersey/stoke/leeds/etc) of various ages and cultures. If even one or two of them return a matching answer to the no-clues-included, "do not google this" question of "what do you think a pikelet is", then it survives. But it's still going to be toned down as they by no means are "always" called that. 193.63.174.11 (talk) 14:06, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

crumpets and English muffin

So, what is the difference between an English muffin and a crumpet? I looked at both pages and got nothing. Anyone?--Hraefen ^Talk 21:36, 15 March 2009 (UTC)

Look at the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe page I just added to the external links on the crumpet page. He has recipes for crumpets and for muffins (what Americans call English muffins, but what are just muffins - the original muffins - here in the UK). To generalise, crumpets have a rather chewy texture while muffins are more doughy and bread-like. They are not sweet and cake-like like American muffins. 86.159.192.98 (talk) 15:42, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

That's okay, you can be snooty/snotty about the true definition of muffin (we'll still call it an English muffin because we don't want to confuse it with a true muffin) and we'll still come and save your bacon like we did in WWI and WWII, not to mention bending over backwards to help when you wanted to retake the Malvinas, etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.243.164.201 (talk) 22:14, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

Wow, overreacting much? 193.63.174.11 (talk) 14:06, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Big differences:

• An English muffin looks the same on both sides. But, the bottom of a crumpet is darker, and smooth, while the top has lots of little holes in it and is lighter in colour.

• Further to 86.159.192.98's post, an English muffin is like bread, whereas a crumpet is sort of "gluey".

• English muffins can make a sandwich, but crumpets would be too heavy and gross.

• Crumpets are heavier and denser.

• Crumpets are really, really good, whereas English muffins are so-so. (This can be tested. Offer someone a crumpet and they will say "Oooooh yes please." Offer someone an English muffin and it will sort of be like offering someone a banana. They will say "Eh, well....yeah I guess. Sure.")

A comparison in the article might be helpful to visitors. I know it's a bit unusual, but lots of visitors are not English. They might only know English muffins, or might think they are the same, or not know the difference. If you think this is a good idea, I'd be happy to make a little table. Anna Frodesiak (talk) 14:21, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

English muffin	Crumpet	Pancake
Looks the same on both sides.	The bottom of a crumpet is darker, and smooth, while the top has lots of little holes in it and is lighter in colour.	Looks the same on both sides.
Suitable for a sandwich	Too heavy and gross	Too heavy and gross
Can be cut into two slices	Impossible	Impossible
Density similar to that of homemade bread	Heavy, wet, and dense	Spongy
Leavened with yeast	Leavened with yeast	Leavened with with baking soda and eggs

So, if crumpets are "ooooh, yes" and english muffins are "eh", why don't I see crumpets in the stores in the States?Flight Risk (talk) 19:30, 28 November 2014 (UTC)

Popular toppings

Some of those toppings are disgusting and hardly what i'd call popular. someone's gotta be joking —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.243.194.223 (talk) 12:45, 3 May 2009 (UTC)

That's a personal opinion. My favourite is vegemite - http://www.howdoyoulikeyourvegemite.com.au/?go=profiles. MartianBeerPig 21:12, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

I'd second this. Vegemite / Marmite goes surprisingly well on crumpets (if they're buttered...), as does peanut butter. Not sure about the Humous, mind, but each to their own. They seem just as well suited to savoury toppings as sweet. In fact I'm pretty sure I've made a Crumpet mini-pizza before... (toast under a grill, spread with tomato paste and herbs, add thin sliced cheese, drop back under the grill for a few seconds until the cheese melts a little ... heavenly) 193.63.174.11 (talk) 14:02, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Should honey be higher up the list? I'll accept people put vegemite on them, but wouldn't butter and honey be more common? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.148.247.9 (talk) 06:02, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

Crumpets vs. American Pancakes

Just like the English Muffin above, what is the difference between the two? I think these should be addressed in the article. I would do it, but besides not knowing the answer, I've have never eaten a crumpet in my life so I'm obviously not qualified. MagnoliaSouth ^(talk) 00:50, 25 October 2010 (UTC)

Why on EARTH does the opening paragraph say that crumpets are similar in appearance to American pancakes?? They are NOTHING alike except for being round!!!!! Here is a sample photo in case there is a disbeliever out there (or nutcase who will insist American pancakes have bubbly-wholes, which they do not, they have smooth surfaces. http://www.instructables.com/image/F4E2ECDGAA0EOKS/American-Breakfast-Pancakes.jpg

I'm going to remove the text. Feel free to add here why it ought to be reinstated. I'll argue it's wrong til I am blue in the face (text removed/changed: "similar in appearance, though not in flavour, to North American pancakes, where both have pores caused by expanding air bubbles"). --gobears87 (talk) 10:27, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Um...

Okay, first of all, isn't that picture an English muffin? It looks like one to me. What is the difference between the two? Can we PLEASE clarify this.Mountain Girl 77 (talk) 03:27, 3 November 2011 (UTC)

The image is definitely that of a crumpet, not an english muffin. Speaking as an American, we now have an easy way to tell the difference. Trader Joes now sells both traditional english muffins and traditional crumpets. EM's are perforated lightly before baking, and when split, the surface has holes, but the hole edges are ragged from being torn open by a fork (if you use a knife, you are a bloody bastard). crumpets are like a US pancake, but thicker, and firmer, where the bubbles that form before flipping are more pronounced, and since they are not flipped, the holes do not fill up again with batter. EM's are more breadlike in texture, and can be toasted to give them more crispiness and less doughiness. Crumpets are more like a very firm pancake, and when toasted, maintain a spongy, chewy texture, and dont really crisp up like an EM. But, why hasnt anyone been able to adequately source the use of "crumpet" to refer to an attractive woman? its widespread, its been used in films (i am 99% sure its in the original film version of Alfie)? Please don't tell me its because of political correctness.(mercurywoodrose)75.61.134.183 (talk) 01:08, 4 November 2011 (UTC)

Just ate a crumpet here in the UK and - as with most crumpets I have eaten for the past 25+ years - it was lovely and lightly crisped on top and bottom. No one likes a soft/soggy crumpet! i.e. Beg to differ that they are at all similar to American pancakes. Since they sell "Scotch pancakes" everywhere in the UK, that would be a better comparison. Crumpets are indeed more similar to American "English muffins". (This from an American ex-pat living in the UK on/off since 1985.) --gobears87 (talk) 10:32, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Crumpets and American English muffins are really quite different from each other and I would not make any comparison apart from their circumference. Forget American pancakes, you may as well compare crumpets with a Blu-Ray disk, that's how unlike American breakfast stack pancakes they are. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.74.0.10 (talk) 10:20, 18 March 2013 (UTC)

pikelet

What is the etymology? Should be included.Curb Chain (talk) 05:23, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

Crumpet vs Pikelet

It's interesting to hear the term pikelet used to describe a crumpet; I had no idea there was this regional variation.

I was born and raised in southern England by English parents and grandparents. The term was definitely "crumpet" hereabouts. When supermarkets turned up we started to see pikelets as an alternative; they were invariably thin crumpets and looked like they were cooked without a constraining ring. A crumpet was about an inch (25mm) thick and pikelet was a quarter inch (5mm) thick. This is still true today.

I'm fairly certain that if you stopped people on the street and asked what a pikelet was, many wouldn't be able to tell you but they'd recognise a crumpet instantly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fjleonhardt (talk • contribs) 10:16, 21 March 2017 (UTC)

I've heard 'pikelet' used in the West Midlands for either type, it's a very regionally specific term albeit much closer to the Welsh origins of the dish. Never heard it elsewhere in UK.Svejk74 (talk) 21:16, 21 March 2017 (UTC)

You've obviously never been to Hull, then. Nick Cooper (talk) 20:42, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

The whole article is a bit of a mess. It suffers from the usual WP culinary article problem of various editors across the world including their local interpretation of terms (and sometimes things that are dubiously related to the term). Pikelet is a term used throughout Wales, the West Midlands and Lancs/Yorks, but it means different things in different places as usage has evolved and the term has been incorporated into local food cultures. Generally speaking, pikelets of any sort have no connection with what Americans call 'English muffins'. --Ef80 (talk) 19:04, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

North African crumpets

The addition of North Africa to the areas where crumpets are to be found has been reverted by another editor, but please note that these, found in Morocco and elsewhere, are already referred to in the 'See also' section, under the page for Baghrir. Sbishop (talk) 16:13, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

Baghrir aren't 'crumpets' - different ingredients, independent development etc Svejk74 (talk) 16:26, 22 December 2022 (UTC)