Friday 22 April 2011

Humble / Umble Pie


Aside from the 60’s British band ‘Humble Pie’ who featured a line up from the Small Faces, The Herd, Spooky Tooth and Apostolic Intervention, the dish has an interesting tale dating back to Norman times.
"humble pie. Here we have a play upon words which dates back to the time of William the Conqueror. First, the pie referred to in 'eating humble pie' was really umble pie, made from the umbles - heart, liver and gizzard - of a deer. It was made to be eaten by servants and huntsmen, while the lord of the manor and his guests dined on venison. Thus a person who had to eat umble pie was in a position of inferiority -- one who had to humble himself before his betters. The pun resulting from umble and humble is even more precise when you recall that in several British dialects - notably Cockney - the h in humble would be silent. Actually, the two words come from quite different roots, humble from the Latin 'humilis'(low or slight), and 'umbie' from the Latin 'lumulus' (loin)."
Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris



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