Gobbets

   Having told you what gobbeting meant in the last post I thought I should tell you the delightful meaning of the noun gobbets.  This, however, I decided not to illustrate.  Gobbets are pieces of human bodies washed ashore from a shipwreck. 

I promise the next word on this blog will be somewhat nicer...

Gobbeting

  What are you doing when you are gobbeting?

The answer lies in the fact that at one time there were different terms for the way one carved each type of fish that might be presented at the table.

According to The Accomplished Lady’s Delight (1719) one addressed oneself to various fish as follows –

Barb a Lobster

Chine a Salmon

Culpon a Trout

Fin a Chevin

Scull a Tench

Side a Haddock

Splat a Pike (though who would want to eat a Pike I cannot imagine!)

Splay a Bream

String a Lamprey

Tame a Crab

Tranch a Sturgeon

Transon an Eel

Tusk a Barbel

Gobbeting – another way to treat the Trout appeared later – probably in the early 19^th century along with Frushing a Chub.

A trout that has been culponned or gobbeted – photo by kind permission of Victoria of Mission Food from The Adventures of Cletusthe Trout.

I think that’s enough useless new words for a day or two…