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February 12, 2009

Word of the Day

At first I thought "stimulus" and that Mirriam-Webster had finally succumbed to social commentary. I was wrong. But a great word none the less.

slumgullion \SLUM-gull-yun\

noun

Meaning: a meat stew

"Slumgullion" may not sound like the most appetizing name for a dish, but that’s part of its charm. The word’s etymology doesn’t do it any favors: "slumgullion" is believed to be derived from "slum," an old word for "slime," and "gullion," an English dialectical term for "mud" or "cesspool." The earliest recorded usage of "slumgullion," in Mark Twain’s Roughing It (1872), refers not to a stew but a beverage. The sense referring to the stew debuted about two decades later, and while there is no consensus on exactly what kinds of ingredients are found in it, that’s the "slumgullion" that lives on today.


I think that covers the stimulus perfectly.

Posted by tree hugging sister at February 12, 2009 04:10 PM

Comments

My dad's version of slumgullion is made with stew beef, tomato sauce, and whatever vegetables we had, served over big flat egg noodles. My dad did most of the cooking at our house so we had this a lot.

Dang, now I want to make some. Maybe tomorrow. It freezes well, I can make a whole bunch... He had a lot of Depression-era recipes like this.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at February 12, 2009 06:29 PM