# Please help: What are sultanas & aubergines? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820 "2005-02-07T15:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/41 "2005-02-08T01:46:05Z")
> [@Burnt Sugar](#): > > When I have Yorkshire Pud, I eat half at the beginning with brown sugar, and half with my meat and gravy. Mmmmmm! Well, that makes perfect sense; you’re in the Antipodes, aso your stomach is upside down. Of COURSE you have to eat your dessert first, or it won’t stack up right. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/42 "2005-02-08T08:59:55Z")
> [@rjk](#): > > **BrainGlutton** , When I was growing up in Saskatchewan in the 1950s, my father grew what he called ‘vegetable marrows’ a few times. They were shaped like a large zucchini, but beige or tan instead of green. Do zucchini lose their green colour as they ripen, or were the ones I remember something different? Here in South Africa, courgettes are still mostly sold as “baby marrow” in greengrocers and supermarkets. I can think of very few places that sell them as courgette, mostly the Tony places, although we’re quite used to the usage from cooking shows. They are never called zucchini. By the same token, it’s usually coriander, daniya in Indian shops, never cilantro. Guess we’ve just never had a major italian influence on our cooking, and I imagine England is the same. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/43 "2005-02-08T09:02:14Z")
…mmm, baby marrow! Makes me feel like **Fat Bastard** ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/44 "2005-02-08T09:15:03Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > I’ve tried Yorkshire pudding and liked it just fine. I even made my own (although they came out a bit heavy - my British friend tells me I used too much flour and not a hot enough oven. They were still yummy though.) So now my question is, what’s the difference between Yorkshire pudding and popovers? I was directed to make my puddings in muffin tins, but also told it was more correct to make them in pie pans. Are popovers just individual Yorkshire puddings? Well, what’s a popover? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/45 "2005-02-08T09:20:03Z")
Marrows are quite edible. Needless to say they taste a bit like a courgette. You bake them. They can get pretty big (they’re probably our equivelent of pumpkins - but we don’t really make sweet things with them (apart from the aforementioned marrow jam - which I have never seen. Remember Orwell (ie Eric Blair) was an Etonian and the food there is legendarily awful. Having said that it is the home of the rather wonderful Eton Mess (one of the few puds I can “cook”). If you like Ribena look out for Vimto. It’s addictive stuff. ---
**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:** [February 8, 2005, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/46 "2005-02-08T09:22:26Z")
Here is one use of a mature marrow :- MARROW RUM This one looks good hanging in the kitchen for a few days! 4 oz of sugar per half pint of rum, White preferably, it blends better with the marrow. Get yourself a good mature marrow, cut open the top & scoop a good cup full out of the middle. Underneath the Marrow make about half a dozen puncture wounds with a sharp narrow needle (preferably long sowing needle or a sharp thin knife ), & suspend above a glass bowl . Feed the marrow through the top hole with sugar & rum in proportion & in a few hours you’ll get lovely scented marrow rum dripping out of the bottom. An average marrow will normally take about one & half pints of rum (over a few hours) I prefer to make most liquers on the tart side & sweeten to taste afterwards if necessary. Enjoy ! ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/47 "2005-02-08T09:40:59Z")
Wasn’t marrow jam one of those recipes that, if not invented during WW2, was at least repoplarised then, due to the rationing? ---
**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:** [February 8, 2005, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/48 "2005-02-08T09:53:37Z")
> [@curly chick](#): > > Wasn’t marrow jam one of those recipes that, if not invented during WW2, was at least repoplarised then, due to the rationing? I think you are correct . Similarly the Germans produced a jam made from sugar beet. If you read accounts of British POW camps, such as Colditz ,they often talk of being issued with this stuff. It was spread on black bread that resembled chip-board . Lovely stuff ! ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/49 "2005-02-08T10:20:45Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > Having said that it is the home of the rather wonderful Eton Mess (one of the few puds I can “cook”). Last Christmas, my mum made a seasonal version of this, with cranberries instead of raspberries, and a touch of cinnamon. 'Twas yummy. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/50 "2005-02-08T10:34:06Z")
THis may be one of those urban myths - But didn’t the EU reclassify carrots as fruit as the Portugese make jam out of them? It’s not that silly really - we make cakes out of them. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/51 "2005-02-08T10:39:15Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > It’s not that silly really - we make cakes out of them. And very good cakes they are too. The Indians are known for making carrot halva as well, which is rather nice. Incidentally, does anyone have a good recipe for carrot cake? I love it, but buying it from the shops everytime I want some gets expensive. ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/52 "2005-02-08T11:39:17Z")
I’ve got a good one **Angua** - I’ll dig it out at home tonight for you. It’s delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/53 "2005-02-08T11:49:45Z")
Brilliant! Thanks. I’ll be able to inflict carrot cake on people now. As if inflicting my chocolate cake on people isn’t enough 😃 ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/54 "2005-02-08T12:12:04Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Lemon squash. Hunh. I always thought there was liquor in that. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/55 "2005-02-08T12:42:00Z")
No lemon squash is a soft drink - you buy it in bottles and dilute it with water. I like lemon barley water (which tastes much nicer). Don’t ask me about the barley bit - I don’t know. we don’t really have an alcoholic lemon drink (there are some alcopops aimed at the youngsters but not many). The closest we get to alcoholic lemon drinks is bitter lemon, which is a mixer, usually with gin. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/56 "2005-02-08T12:43:16Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Really? > > So, when I eat Beef Wellington with Yorkshire pudding, the Yorkshire pudding is supposed to be my dessert? Well, I like Cool Whip[sup]TM[/sup] on my dessert, as a general rule. When I scrape the gooseliver pate and minced mushroom amalgam off the inside of the Y. P.\*, does British etiquette demand that I dispose of it in any particular way? I suppose I could eat it, but then which fork should I use? > > \*Because I’m damned if I’ll put Cool-Whip[sup]TM[/sup] and gooseliver pate into my mouth at the same time. If you’re using cool whip, you’ve got bigger issues than being confused by the generic term ‘pudding’ meaning dessert, and a specific dish called Yorkshire pudding. 🙂 **Rayne Man** , I’ve never even heard of a steak and kidney pudding, although I am familiar with steak and kidney _pie_. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/57 "2005-02-08T12:44:27Z")
Tell us about mincemeat **owl**. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/58 "2005-02-08T12:49:23Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > I’ve never even heard of a steak and kidney pudding, although I am familiar with steak and kidney _pie_. Snake and pygmy pudding has the same filling as snake and pygmy pie. But the crust is different - in the pudding its a suet pastry that is steamed rather than baked. It’s proper lovely. You can get it in tins from those british groceries on line sites. The tinned stuff is good but nowhere near the home made nirvana of snake and kidney pud. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/59 "2005-02-08T12:50:38Z")
Wow, who knew this thread would go on to two pages? Carry on, I’m learning so much! ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820/60 "2005-02-08T12:50:59Z")
> [@hawthorne](#): > > Tell us about mincemeat **owl**. Which kind? Shepherds pie or mince pie. I’ll do you a deal - I’ll explain mincemeat if you explain the pie floater. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-what-are-sultanas-aubergines/288820.md?page=4)