People are just discovering that the end of a loaf of bread goes by different names. It all began with a tweet from the 'No Context Brits' account, sparking a debate about the topic.
In the United States, this part of the bread is commonly known as the "heel," a term that hasn't crossed the Atlantic. In the UK, people use a variety of names for it, including "knobby," "doorstep," and the more traditional "crust."
So, which name is correct? Well, the answer is quite flexible. Language evolves, and if suddenly everyone decided to call it the "me no likey piece," that's what it would become. However, we can provide some insight into which terms are more popular.
In an informal Reddit survey conducted by a self-described "bread enthusiast," "heel" emerged as the most popular choice, selected by 37 percent of respondents. "The end" came next at 28 percent, followed by "the butt" at 20 percent, and "the crust" at 13 percent.
In different parts of the United States, other terms are used as well. For instance, someone from Florida claimed to call it "the booty." Interestingly, behind these diverse names, there seems to be a common theme related to human anatomy.
One person said: My family always called it the heel, but for some reason, I could never get it right, and always called it the helm.
A second said: The crust, from Nottinghamshire, my other half, Oxfordshire calls them ends and if she cuts the crust off the individual slice they're now skins.
A third commented: We always called it the 'Liisa piece'. Liisa is my youngest daughter and thelat piece is her favorite.
Someone else said: In Finland, we call it Kanta (=heel) or kantapala (=heelpiece).
Another continued: In Hungarian it is called “sercli” originated from the austrian-bavarian word “Scherzel”
Someone said: Heel .. the crust is on all the slices the heel is a bonus giant one .. best toasted, let go cold and crispy with real butter and jam
My family called it the heel or the crust, or the "tin-ta" (which I've never heard anybody else say, but maybe it means the tin end...closest to the bread pan). Anyone else say tin-ta? Another added.
Bakery bread usually has a crust and we called the end piece the crust and as kids fought over who got the crust. Softer breads seems like it is called the heel. My family always reserves the bakery bread “crust” for me.
