There’s something undeniably fun about food names that seemingly have little to do with food
, the sister-in-law of a Columbus, Ohio restaurateur named — you guessed it — Johnny. The comforting dish was a staple for Ohio State University students and was served at Marzetti’s restaurants until the early 1970s. By then, home cooks across the country had created their own versions with their own names: Some regions call it American chop suey, or even American goulash, despite pretty minimal resemblance to Hungarian meat stew.
There’s an element of trickery in a dish with a funny name, one that is both disarming and enticing. “Devils on horseback” sounds a whole lot fancier and more compelling than “slice of bacon wrapped around a prune,” and it’s the kind of name that can spark a conversation.
, dishes are often reduced to their components — a protein, sides, and accouterments — which is both good and bad. It’s nice to know exactly what’s in the bowl of risotto you’re about to consume, but there’s no mystery or whimsy in a dish that’s simply described as beef short rib, mashed potatoes, and jus. That trend has also made its way to the realm of home cooking, where straightforwardly named dishes like Alison Roman’s “The Stew” reign supreme.
Perhaps the most recent, evocatively named food to achieve widespread notoriety came in the 1980s, when chef Jean-Georges Vongerichtenfor inventing the molten chocolate lava cake. The pool of dark chocolate ganache that spills forth from a stumpy little chocolate cake is compelling enough on its own, but comparing it to lava? That added a whole new level of intrigue.
Fun names make food more fun; it’s as simple as that. I’ve been trying it myself at home. For example, my version of a Philly cheesesteak, made with shaved ribeye and provolone, is cheekily called a fuck Philly, because I want to be clear about the inspiration while also paying appropriate homage to the home of the Eagles. The same goes for my beloved garbage soup, which involves simply rounding up all the nearly limp vegetables in my fridge, roasting them, and pureeing until I’ve got a soup.
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