What do they call English muffins in England?

14 Comments on What do they call English muffins in England?

Kinky on Wed, Aug 30th 2006 2:05 AM


Crumpets.

Manny on Wed, Aug 30th 2006 3:31 AM


What do they call “canadian bacon” in Canada? bacon.
What do they call “french fries” in France? Fries.
What do they call a Danish in Danemark? wienerbrød (Viennese bread). Go figure.
What do they call a hamburger in Hamburg? I don’t know.

The only web page on this critical subject is the Wikipedia page on “list of toponyms”. The food paragraph is very incomplete. Will you have time to edit it?

PS: sorry for the bacon on an Israeli blog. :-)

Fred on Wed, Aug 30th 2006 10:23 AM


In Turkey we call the same thing salad, or rather salati

Gray on Thu, Aug 31st 2006 2:48 PM


“What do they call a hamburger in Hamburg? I don’t know.”

Hamburger. But if you have only the meat, not the bread, than it’s a Frikadelle or Bullette.

Btw, that salad is really looking good, yummy. Looks like zucchini, cocumber and carrots in it, or maybe pepper? And you serve that with oil and vinegar or simply raw?

Canadian Girl on Sat, Sep 23rd 2006 7:29 AM


Just for the record, I have lived in florida, in Mass and I was born , grew up and now live in canada…we do not call “Canadian Bacon” Bacon. I have lived on the east coast of canada and now I live in Vancouver, so from coast to coast we call that crap HAM. Bacon is the sam stripped bacon you guys eat in the states. Nobody in Canada knows why you call ham Canadian Bacon, because we call it ham and we don’t eat it for breakfast, we have bacon or sausage.

Just wanted to clear that up, we all hate that one..it bugs us, every time someone in a movie says canadian bacon, we’re like “why do they call ham canadian bacon!!!…IT’S HAM!!!!!”

Horace on Wed, Jul 25th 2007 11:01 PM


FYI: we in the United States NEVER, EVER refer to where we live as “the states.” Only FOREIGNERS do that, so if you want us to immediately know that you’re a foreigner, use the term “the states.”

Jeff on Tue, Aug 21st 2007 2:55 AM


Um, actually everyone I know says “the States” when we’re abroad. All Americans, everytime.

Sorry, guess New York is foreign?

Kelly on Sat, Nov 24th 2007 6:49 PM


Sorry Canadian Girl, but “Canadian Bacon” is not ham!!! Ham is smoked. That stuff, cured loin of pork rolled in cornmeal is unsmoked and that is what others refer to as Candian Bacon. In Canada, we call it Back Bacon. Since the loin runs down either side of the spine (along the “back”) of the pig. Regular Bacon is also sometimes called Side Bacon since it comes from the side of the pig below the ribs.

Kelly on Sat, Nov 24th 2007 6:54 PM


Oh and furthermore, a crumpet is nothing like an English muffin except for the shape. A crumpet is like a pancake, it is made with baking powder and eggs and the holes though it are created during the cooking process. If you cook pancakes for a very long time without flipping them, they will cook all the way through and you get all the holes on the white side. Just like a crumpet. An English muffin is made with a yeast dough. I read somewhere that they call them breakfast muffins or hot muffins.

Taylor on Mon, Dec 22nd 2008 10:51 AM


In England we do call them English Muffins… but they are also known as breakfast muffins in the supermarket.

…as Muffins in the UK are as they are in America, the American version of what you guys understand as cupcakes, all be it without adding in the complexity of mixing properly.

BornandRaisedinCanada on Mon, Sep 14th 2009 4:28 PM


Canadian Bacon is not simply HAM and we do eat it for Breakfast, on its own with eggs and hashbrowns, on an english muffin with an egg and cheese, or on eggs benedict mmm so good. but we also call it back bacon. In restraunts its on the menu as either Canadian Bacon or Back Bacon. I have tried looking for it in the store as Canadian Bacon and the asian lady didnt know what I was talking about. We did end up finding it and it said Canadian Bacon. I have never met a Canadian who has been annoyed that it is called Canadian Bacon in movies, at restraunts, or on packages.

Paul on Wed, Aug 25th 2010 4:14 AM


Someone is annoyed at French Fries as they should apparently be called Belgian Fries (or Belgian Cut Potatoes). But I don’t remember if it is the French or the Belgians that are annoyed.

Some others:
French Toast
Brazil Nuts
Belgian Waffles
Greek Salad

Manila Folders

Emi on Thu, Jan 20th 2011 9:14 AM


I live in the states, and I’ve never left the country.
I call it the states. I’m not a foreigner.
It’s the states. Deal with it.

Joy Phillips on Thu, May 5th 2011 8:47 PM


I am English by birth and upbringing, but have not lived there for over fifty years. In the 1920s and 30s muffins and crumpets were similar, muffins being made from a yeast dough and crumpets from a yeast batter. Crumpets are not split before being toasted and buttered; muffins should be opened slightly round the joint, toasted on both sides, then torn open and buttered on the insides. It is important never to cut muffins open with a knife. See Elizabeth David’s English Bread and Yeast Cookery for both, and Marion McNeill’s The Book of Breakfasts for muffin information.

The sweet American “muffin” was not known in England in my day, but “fairy cakes” were, and are similar.

Leave a Comment