Lisa and I were having dinner with our friends Mike and Jessie this evening, and in the meandering subjects of conversation, we started talking about tea and crumpets.  Crumpets?  Sure, I’ve heard of the word and always associated it with the British afternoon tea time.  But what exactly are they?  Sounds like some kind of pastry to me.  Well, not exactly.  So here is my first post of ‘Something Learned #1’…

Crumpets remind me of an English muffin because it looks like one. But there are some key differences, as explained by Mr. Almost-Knows It All, Mike.

First off, English muffins are split down the middle and each piece is usually toasted on all sides.  Crumpets, on the other hand, don’t split at all and they are just cooked on the bottom.  The top side is full of little sponge-like holes, which is perfect since crumpets are usually eaten with a slab of butter and jam spread over those holes.

There are other subtle differences, and I’ve spent much longer than I expected reading up on what people argue makes a crumpet and not an English muffin — it really is quite a passionate discussion!  But I won’t delve much deeper because it is hard to figure out what the real truth is.  All I know is that I love English muffins slathered with real butter and jam, and that I would probably like crumpets equally or even more with all those extra holes to sponge in the toppings.  I am definitely looking forward to trying a crumpet on my next visit to England!  For an example on how a crumpet looks like, please take a look at this web site!