Dutch Baby, anyone?
A Dutch Baby is not made with babies. Then, why is it called that way?
Published on June 28, 2026
English is full of food names that sound completely straightforward. There is not much mystery about what a stuffed tomato or a grilled chicken is. But that is not always the case. Some names refer to ingredients that disappeared centuries ago. Others are jokes that somehow became official names. Take a look at these 10 food names that seem to describe a completely different product from the one they represent.
Mincemeat
If you’ve never tasted mincemeat, you might assume it contains finely chopped meat. Historically, that assumption would have been correct. Medieval English cooks mixed minced beef, mutton, or venison with dried fruits, spices, and sugar to create rich pies.
Over time, the meat gradually vanished from most recipes. Modern mincemeat is usually made from raisins, currants, apples, citrus peel, spices, and sometimes even brandy. Despite containing little or no meat today, the name survived.
Sweetbread
Sweetbread sounds like a bakery item, perhaps a sugary loaf or a pastry. In reality, it is neither sweet nor bread. The term refers to the thymus gland or pancreas of a young calf or lamb.
Sweetbreads have long been prized in French and European cuisine for their delicate texture and mild flavor. Food historians are not entirely sure where the name originated, but it has appeared in English culinary records for centuries. It remains one of the most misleading names in the culinary world.
Black pudding
Many Americans hear the word "pudding" and think of dessert. Black pudding is something entirely different. It is a type of blood sausage traditionally made from pork blood, fat, and oats or barley.
The dish has been eaten throughout Britain and Ireland for hundreds of years and remains a classic component of a traditional full breakfast. The word "pudding" once had a much broader sense than it does today, which helps explain why a sausage ended up with that name.
Welsh Rabbit
A person ordering Welsh Rabbit for the first time might reasonably expect rabbit meat. Instead, the dish consists of toasted bread topped with a savory sauce made from melted cheese, often flavored with mustard or ale.
The name appeared in print by the early eighteenth century. At some point, people began calling it "Welsh Rarebit," possibly because diners were confused by the complete absence of rabbit. Despite the newer name, many historians consider Welsh Rabbit the original and more authentic term.
Ladyfingers
Ladyfingers are delicate sponge biscuits often used in desserts such as tiramisu and charlotte cakes. Their elegant name has nothing to do with a person and everything to do with appearance.
The cookies originated in the Duchy of Savoy, a region that once stretched across parts of modern France and Italy. Their long, slender shape was thought to resemble graceful fingers, giving rise to the name.
Bombay duck
Bombay duck sounds like a poultry dish from India. But it is actually a fish. Specifically, it is Harpadon nehereus, a species commonly found in the waters of the Arabian Sea.
The fish is especially associated with Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. One popular explanation traces the name to the old "Bombay Daak" mail train, which reportedly carried the strongly scented dried fish across India.
Egg cream
The classic New York egg cream contains neither eggs nor cream. Traditionally, it is made with milk, chocolate syrup, and carbonated water, creating a frothy drink that became famous in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The beverage emerged in immigrant neighborhoods during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Mock turtle soup
During the eighteenth century, turtle soup became a fashionable dish among wealthy diners in Britain. Real turtle meat, however, was expensive and difficult to obtain. Enter Mock Turtle Soup.
Cooks developed a less costly alternative using a calf’s head and other ingredients to imitate the flavor and texture of turtle soup. The imitation became so well known that Lewis Carroll included a Mock Turtle character in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1865, helping preserve the name in popular culture.
Dutch baby
A Dutch Baby is a large baked pancake that puffs dramatically in the oven before settling into a bowl-like shape. Despite its name, it’s not Dutch.
Most food historians trace the dish to German pancake traditions. The name likely emerged from a misunderstanding of the word Deutsch, meaning German. The recipe became especially popular in the U.S. during the early twentieth century.
Angels of horseback
No angels or horses were harmed in the making of this classic British appetizer. The dish consists of oysters wrapped in bacon and then grilled or broiled until crisp.
Angels on Horseback became popular during the Victorian era and was often served at formal dinners. It even has a culinary counterpart called Devils on Horseback, which typically substitutes dried fruit such as prunes for the oysters.
