Ever sat down to a turkey dinner where someone offered you a bite of the Pope’s nose? That’s a name sometimes applied to the bird’s fatty rump, which many consider a delicacy. Martha and Grant discuss this and other terms for the so-called “part that goes over the fence last.” Is this part of a turkey any more appetizing if you call it the parson’s nose, the uropygium, or le sot-l’y-laisse? The last of these is a French term for that part of a turkey; roughly translated, it means “only a silly person won’t eat it.” This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Pope’s Nose”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Oh, this is Holly Somrak, and I’m calling from Oregon.
Well, what are you calling us about?
Oh, well, because of the holidays, there’s a term I’ve heard the last 25 years, and I just got curious about it.
We were carving our Thanksgiving turkey, and I asked who would like the Pope’s nose, you know, the little tail end of the turkey body.
I guess it’s the tail, the little rear end, and no one knows where that term came from, and I don’t either.
It’s just kind of strange.
So I thought I wonder if you folks know.
The Pope’s knows.
The Pope’s knows.
Did everyone know what you meant when you said that?
Well, my husband knew what it was because he’s Catholic, and I guess he’d heard it before, but we don’t know where it came from.
And I heard it from a nun who first told me when I was up in Alaska, and I was kind of surprised that she used that term.
I didn’t know if it was disrespectful or what.
I’m really curious.
Yeah, it’s a little bit irreverent, isn’t it?
Well, it sounded like it.
So I wasn’t going to use it, but if the nun did, then I guess I can.
Yeah, if the nun called the turkey’s rump a pope’s nose, why not?
Yeah.
So I didn’t do any research.
I thought I’d just ask you folks first.
Well, it’s better than the scientific name for this part, which is Europygeum.
Ooh.
Good thing you didn’t ask anybody if they wanted a bite of Europygeum.
But, yes, I mean, that little thing does look like a nose, right?
Well, it’s just a fleshy, lobey thing.
But it’s a big kind of pimply nose.
Yes.
And very succulent.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Succulent, yes.
Because it’s very fatty down there, right?
Yeah.
-huh.
And I don’t know if anyone has actually eaten it.
We usually put it with the giblets and top it up for the dogs or something.
But I don’t know if, you know.
Well, now, I don’t eat turkey, but I’ve heard it’s really delicious.
Actually, back in my turkey eating days, I had some, and it was great.
But you’re right, it does sound a little irreverent.
But there’s this strong tradition in Europe of naming foods in a kind of irreverent way that makes fun of the clergy.
I once wrote a book called Lady Fingers and Nuns’ Tummies.
Really?
Yes, because in Portugal there’s a sweet eggy dessert that translates as nuns’ tummies.
And there’s some even naughtier nun names for French pastries, but I won’t go there.
Oh, how interesting.
Yeah, yeah.
So, you know, we like to play with our food.
And Pope’s nose is just a funny name because of its resemblance to a nose.
Okay, so it was European-based.
Yes.
Yes, yes.
And in this country, often you’ll hear people refer to it as the Parsons’ nose.
Oh, depending upon which religious affiliation you are.
Yeah, yeah, something like that.
Okay.
So just a folk term, kind of a comical folk term that’s derived.
Yeah, yeah, it goes back to at least the late 18th century.
And I believe James Joyce mentions it in one of his books.
We appreciate your calling and sending us down this path.
Oh, thank you.
It’s been real enlightening.
So which term are you going to use?
The uropygium.
Pygium.
Pygium.
Okay.
I have to write this phonetically.
Yeah.
Uropygium.
Use that next Thanksgiving and see what everybody says.
I think I will.
That’s really fun.
Okay.
Thank you.
Thanks a lot for calling.
All right.
Namaste.
Okay.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
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