Question from a student, What is crumpet?
**I had a query from one of my young students asking me for the meaning of this ,-
What is crumpet ? I am completely at a loss , the translator came up with 'bun'.
But I cannot find either it , or its usage , could some kind understanding soul
come to my aid. Thank you in advance and anticipation.
My Student
7 Answers
It used to be a type of English pancake that you buy in a shop, and at home toast it and while it is hot smother it with butter and honey to eat with your coffee in the morning. More frequently nowadays it is used in expressions such as " checking out the crumpet at the beach" That means looking at the cute and interesting young women. More rudely it means that obscure object of desire..
Kevin has given a good answer but I thought I would answer too. I don't think of crumpets as pancakes although in some parts of the UK they eat pikelets which are much thinner than crumpets. I like crumpets in winter with a smidgeon of marmite and a poached egg on top or with a pot of tea, toasted and buttered and preferably bloater paste. I have never made crumpets but they are on sale for most of the year. When I was younger 'crumpet' was the laddish word for a 'bit of talent' I have heard it still used but some people may think it is sexist or old fashioned. Here is a recipe and piece about crumpets in The Guardian: Recipe Farls are not crumpets and are particularly popular in Ireland And a piece about language in a good blog about the English language: Language
I am sure this is Ray's way of getting more posts I am sure he knows both meanings!!
Hi Ray!
I found this which is Wikipedia in Spanish and uses the word "crumpet" without making it a Spanish derivation. In the Spanish speaking world perhaps there is nothing like this so the closest thing is "bun" - bollo, pancito, but not a good translation.
Here in the States we use lots of Mexican food terms the most equivalent would be "tortilla". As a bonus here is an article in Spanish on the "arepa" - a South American griddle bread.
Perhaps your student should read this. Apparantly there is a lot of money in crumpets and pikelets around the world. You can buy the report on Amazon for a mere $795.00 us dollars.
Sometimes pictures say it best, when it comes to describing appearance:
This is a photo of a hot buttered crumpet above 
I have included some muffins since Rac asked about them in the comment section so I felt that i should include a picture of some muffins to show how they differ from the other two.
This last photo is of some pancakes:
The crumpet is more flexible in contrast to the pancake which can be more easily broken.
Ray, since, as the expression says " the proof of the pudding is in the eating", if you meet with your students face to face you could arrange a practical tasting session one week, which would, i think, be a positive experience that they would not forget in a hurry Othewise, if you mean yoou students on this forum, you could just encouarge them to go to buy some and taste the difference for themselves!
Muffin Dish The term muffin typically refers to an individual sized quick bread product which can be sweet or savory. The typical American muffin is similar to a cupcake in size and cooking methods.
I found this on the internet.
Homemade English muffins are one of those things we whip out whenever we want something extra special in the morning - a birthday brunch, in-laws are in town, you name it! One guest recently asked about the difference between crumpets and English muffins, and we were honestly stumped...with good reason, it turns out!
One thing that all the blogs, websites, and cookbooks seem to agree upon is that crumpets and English muffins are two different creatures. Where they all disagree is exactly how.
After all, crumpets and English muffins are both griddle cakes - meaning they were originally made on the stove top in a cast-iron griddle pan. They're both round and generally biscuit-sized. They both have a spongy texture full of nooks and crannies for absorbing melted butter and other delicious toppings. They're also both considered to be a breakfast, brunch, or tea food, but not the kind of bread you'd serve with dinner.
• Crumpets are always made with milk, but English muffins never do. (Though there are a few recipes that beg to differ.)
• Crumpet batter is just that: a loose batter. English muffins are made from a more firm dough. (Sometimes.)
• Crumpets are made only using baking soda, where as English muffins are made with yeast or sourdough (and occasionally a little baking soda to help things along).
• Crumpets are cooked only on one side, so the bottom is flat and toasted while the top is speckled with holes (delicious, butter-absorbing holes...). English muffins are more bread-like and are toasted on both sides. (This one is actually a definite!)
• Crumpets are served whole with the jam and butter are spread right on top. English muffins are split before serving. (Unless you happen to like your crumpets split.)
