# Is city chicken and pork faggots basically the same food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168 "2008-12-14T22:27:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/1 "2008-12-14T22:27:20Z")
??? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/2 "2008-12-14T22:45:29Z")
Is it the same as what? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/3 "2008-12-14T22:54:47Z")
I dunno bout that, but I know a couple chicken faggots. Is that helpful? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/4 "2008-12-14T23:45:06Z")
[These are pork faggots.](http://themishmash.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/27/porkfaggots.jpg) [This is the Faggot Family.](http://www.lavenderlounge.com/blog/images/faggot_family.jpg) Maybe a UK doper will be along shortly. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/5 "2008-12-15T01:19:52Z")
There is something so-o-o-o-o-o wrong about the photo you linked to… City chicken is cubes of pork, threaded onto a skewer so as to vaguely mimic the appearance of a chicken drumstick, then breaded and cooked. The Wiki entry on [faggots](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faggot_(food)) indicates that they’re what they appear to be in the photo – a type of meatball made with ground pork and other ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/6 "2008-12-15T01:32:16Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > City chicken is cubes of pork, threaded onto a skewer so as to vaguely mimic the appearance of a chicken drumstick, then breaded and cooked. Originally, in 1926, you used alternating veal and pork cubes. Just saying. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/7 "2008-12-15T02:04:44Z")
So faggots are ground, while city chicken is not. Gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/8 "2008-12-15T02:08:47Z")
This is one of the oddest food threads we’ve ever had. Now I’m hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/9 "2008-12-15T02:08:53Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > [These are pork faggots.](http://themishmash.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/27/porkfaggots.jpg) Whoa. Something tells me those would not go over so well in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/10 "2008-12-15T02:21:08Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Whoa. Something tells me those would not go over so well in the U.S. Really? I was thinking they were a few steps above the [sausage wrapped in a chocolate chip pancake.](http://www.junkfoodblog.com/uploaded_images/jimmy-dean-pancake-sausage-chocolate-chip-736804.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/11 "2008-12-15T04:26:19Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Originally, in 1926, you used alternating veal and pork cubes. Just saying. Still use alternating veal and pork today. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/12 "2008-12-15T04:36:51Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Originally, in 1926, you used alternating veal and pork cubes. Just saying. Yeah, chicken used to be a rich man’s food; hence the campaign promise of “a chicken in every pot”–cuz that’s livin, see? My grandmother said that sometimes, during the war, restaurants would cheat you by serving you veal instead of chicken. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/13 "2008-12-15T04:52:28Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Originally, in 1926, you used alternating veal and pork cubes. Just saying. Yes, indeed. And what\*\* lissener \*\*said. Our local grocery chain (and we don’t live too far from one another, **samclem** ) regularly has “city chicken” in the meat case. It’s pork only, no veal. I have a couple of really good recipes calling for pork stew meat, which I can rarely find, so I often buy “city chicken” and throw away the skewers. If anyone has a cite that details how chicken went from luxury to cheap meat while veal went the other way, I’d love to read about it. Veal scallopini was going for $18/lb at the store today. ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/14 "2008-12-15T05:25:46Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Really? I was thinking they were a few steps above the [sausage wrapped in a chocolate chip pancake.](http://www.junkfoodblog.com/uploaded_images/jimmy-dean-pancake-sausage-chocolate-chip-736804.jpg) Am I the only one that thinks those sound delicious? ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/15 "2008-12-15T05:35:22Z")
No. I agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/16 "2008-12-15T05:42:57Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > Still use alternating veal and pork today. Which one is the “top”? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/17 "2008-12-15T15:04:46Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Whoa. Something tells me those would not go over so well in the U.S. Makes me wonder what other products the good people at Mr. Brain’s have. _If you like **Mr. Brain’s Pork Faggots** try these other fine products: **Mr. Brain’s Sausage Gobblers** ; Can **YOU** take it all?[sup]TM[/sup] **Mr. Brain’s Clam Lickers** ; Tastes just like fish![sup]TM[/sup]_ [sub]I am so juvenile[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/18 "2008-12-15T15:12:41Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > So faggots are ground, while city chicken is not. > > Gotcha. The texture of faggots is quite soft and tender - almost like stuffing. They are traditionally made with several different kinds of pork offal - which could be another reason for their failure to become popular in America… ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/19 "2008-12-15T16:46:14Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The texture of faggots is quite soft and tender - almost like stuffing. They are traditionally made with several different kinds of pork offal - which could be another reason for their failure to become popular in America… And originally they were just called “Brain’s Foggots” and I know of at least one person who thought they were made from brains, in-spite of that apostrophe. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168/20 "2008-12-15T16:52:17Z")
The city chicken that I have had is generally a ground pork and veal mixture with poultry seasoning formed around a skewer to resemble a chicken drummette and lightly breaded. Of course this is prepared city chicken from the butcher and this ground type might be a regional thing. From what I hear of a faggot, it’s a giant Liver and Heart meatball served with Onion Gravy. So no… not the same thing. City Chicken was created to mimick chicken when it was a scarcity. A faggot was just a cheap and convenient portable meal for miners to munch on deep in the hole. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-city-chicken-and-pork-faggots-basically-the-same-food/477168.md?page=2)