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The ends of a loaf of bread are called...

The ends of a loaf of bread are called...

  • Crusts

    Votes: 35 62.5%
  • Heels

    Votes: 7 12.5%
  • Nobby Bits

    Votes: 1 1.8%
  • The 'Ends'

    Votes: 7 12.5%
  • Other

    Votes: 6 10.7%

  • Total voters
    56

ciallkennett

Strata Poster
...what?

You know, those two bits at the end of a loaf of sliced bread that nobody really wants but either have to be eaten or thrown away. What do you call them?

To me they are the crusts. Crusts surround the main segments of sliced bread, and therefore also cover the ends - makes sense in my eyes.
 

Will

Strata Poster
Does anyone call them anything other than crusts!?
And does anyone eat them by choice? They're good for keeping the rest of the loaf 'fresh' though, to a point...
 

ciallkennett

Strata Poster
Will said:
Does anyone call them anything other than crusts!?

According to some of my friends on Facebook, apparently I am strange for calling them 'crusts' as they all them heels or nobby bits. I am purely curious as to whether or not I am strange :p
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Will said:
Does anyone call them anything other than crusts!?
Not that I know of.

Will said:
And does anyone eat them by choice? They're good for keeping the rest of the loaf 'fresh' though, to a point...
Whilst I wouldn't choose them over normal slices, I'd never throw them out. I think they're great toasted and swimming in butter. Lovely! :D
 

Josh73

Giga Poster
I call the two ends "the heel" for some odd reason.

But I call the edges of the middle pieces "crust".
 

Ben

CF Legend
In a normal loaf, they're the crust.

In a baguette or something, they're the nobbly bits.
 

Pokemaniac

Mountain monkey
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Other. On the occassions that I have to refer to the ends of a bread, I'll do it in my own language.

But "Crust" seems sensible. If I ever talk to an Anglophone about this again, I'll use crust. Worst case scenario, I'll mime it if he doesn't understand me.
 

nadroJ

CF Legend
Toppers (don't ask). And they're awesome for making a bread-spoon out of, for such occasions as soup.
 

Will

Strata Poster
Unsurprisingly, there are some broken people on here.
Still less surprisingly, many more can be found on facebook.
Eurgh.
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Hixee said:
Whilst I wouldn't choose them over normal slices, I'd never throw them out. I think they're great toasted and swimming in butter. Lovely! :D

This, absolutely the best thing about a loaf is when you "have to finish the crusts" by making two pieces of awesome toast :)

nadroJ said:
Toppers (don't ask). And they're awesome for making a bread-spoon out of, for such occasions as soup.

Bread used to be scooped out to form a "platter" the tough crust from a fire oven loaf was a natural plate for your pottage. Then the juices would soak into it and make it soft so you could eat the crust in a yummy kind of soup infused way.

mouse said:
The crust is goes round the whole of the loaf, the end of it is just the end.
Very true. The top part was (for some odd reason, maybe to do with the above) always saved for the owners of a household (going back what? 16th century?) while the lower part was left for the servants. It's allegedly where the term "upper crust" comes from, but I do suspect a big flashing alarm is going off somewhere in the world right now ;)
 

nealbie

CF Legend
I can't say I'm not surprised by this insanity. But I approve of there being a topic about it. Only on CF...... lol

I've never known them to be anything other than crusts. People are just rubbish and odd, as Will's kindly suggested. Although Matt is right that they are amazing for toasting with copious amounts of butter.

On baguettes and such I refer to them simply as the 'ends' because it all gets a bit confusing calling the crust on crusty bread crust. Tehehe.
 

SaiyanHajime

CF Legend
Yeah, they are definitely called crusts because that is the name for the outside of the bread... It's the same as how the edges of a normal slice are called crusts. And they are tolerable, though I'd rather throw them at water fowl aiming for the centre of their back so they then swim in circles trying to get it. Birds. <3
 

Gazza

Giga Poster
When I was younger I used to call it the "Hill Bread", because the shape of the crust, when placed cut side down on a plate, looked like a small hill.
 
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