There are plenty of foods that are supposedly “wrong” when spoken in the South. It’s annoying. You can either say them how people tell you to or face the constant corrections. Well, these aren’t those foods! Next time you serve a delicious dinner featuring one of these culinary creations, stop overthinking how to say it and let it out as you naturally want to.
Polenta
Polenta is boiled cornmeal that takes a long time to cook with constant stirring. While you stir, you can practice understanding this logic—if you try to say it “correctly,” you’ll be wrong. Skip the forced stress on each syllable (po-lyn-ta, perhaps pol-ent-ah) and say it as you want to (puh-lyn-tuh). At least one thing in this dish doesn’t require some work. On the bright side, you’ll have some amazing muscles after eating. Or maybe you want this easier Creamy Polenta with Wild Mushrooms that makes a satisfying dinner without all the pot stirring and syllable stressing.
Tandoori
Tandoori chicken is made by first marinating chicken in spices and yogurt. It is called tandoori due to the traditional style of cooking in a tandoor, a cylindrical oven used in Asia. That means both tandoor and tandoori are tricking how you should say it! While it looks straightforward (tan-door-e), the correct way (ton-door-e) will be more obvious in a Southern twang compared to other accents. Get rid of the tandoor and skip half the frustration of being corrected by those your feeding with this One-Dish Tandoori Chicken.
Poutine
You’re likely pronouncing poutine correctly, though you are very right to question it whenever you see the word. Poutine, with its drawn-out pooting (poo-teen) sound shouldn’t be appealing, but its taste will prove you wrong and satisfy your cravings for anything salty, cheesy and/or savory. Made with french fries and cheese curds that are topped with gravy, this Canadian creation gets a Southern makeover with bacon and sweet potato fries. Yum!
With everyone a little high-strung after weeks together all day, every day, it’s understandable that there might be some tension in how you say tonight’s dinner. But tonight, be proud of your culinary creation and know that YOU are right. Anyone saying differently can find their own meal in the pantry.