Nigella Lawson, famous for her saucy kitchen language, is getting politically correct.
The self-declared kitchen Goddess revealed this week that she’s changed the names of two of her most famous dishes, Slut Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly and Slut’s Spaghetti. The offending recipes are now called Ruby Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly and Slattern’s Spaghetti, notably removing the word ‘slut’ from each.
Lawson said she made the change because she feels ‘slut’ has taken on a “coarser, more cruel connotation” and she’s “not happy with that”. The move was met with disappointment from some fans who pointed out that Lawson’s colourful language is part of her appeal.
A quick scour of the internet reveals dozens of videos and articles dedicated to the British cook’s saucy innuendos with legions of fans sharing their favourite lines from her cooking shows on social media every time they air.
On filling potato skins, Lawson once declared, “My empty vessels are ready to be loaded”. When making the classic English dessert Eton’s Mess she said, “I adore the way it comes bulging up over the rims.”
Other favourites include, “I love having an implement in each hand” and “If you would prefer something oozy and sticky to take up to bed with you, well, that’s fine by me.”
The name changes attracted wide-spread attention in the British press, with the major dailies offering up articles and editorials on the topic, including an impassioned piece from The Times writer Polly Vernon who said she finds this “new trend of celebrities semi-cancelling themselves, so that they might promptly declare themselves born again with infinitely more modern sensibilities, rather tedious”.
The Daily Mail’s Flora Gill pointed out that there are plenty of dishes around that world that have questionable names, many of them celebrated in their home country as a form of national pride. Take the French Canadians cinnamon-roll pastries called Pet de Soeurs, which translates to nun farts. Or Germany’s blood sausage dish called Tote Oma, meaning dead grandma.