MDBCs 02 Dec 2024

Traditionally thought to be types of cake, fritters are usually deep fried and can be served as snack, main course or even dessert. In many cultures, they are considered to be fast and casual food, commonly prepared by street side vendors. Fritters are also sold at fairs and festivals.

Culinary Controversy

There is some debate within the culinary community as to what kind of fried food can be considered a fritter. Some culinarians believe that anything that is battered and fried is a fritter, while others assert that a fritter must have the main ingredient chopped up and fried with the flour batter or dough. This can lead to some confusion over the nomenclature of fried foods - corn dogs are not considered to be fritters, because they are made by battering and frying a whole corn dog. Fried candy bars on the other hand, while being the sweet version of a fried corn dog – a whole candy bar battered and fried, are often called fritters.

Different Varieties

Every culture around the world has its own version of the fritter. In the United States, fritters are usually made by mixing vegetables or fruits with a batter of flour and eggs. Popular fritters include corn fritters, apple fritters, and crab cakes. In Japan, tempura is a popular type of fritter and is served with sauces or with other dishes. In many parts of India, and Pakistan, fritters are called pakora and are made by mixing vegetables - usually onions or potatoes - with a batter of chick pea flour and deep frying them.

How to Celebrate?

Have fritters for all your meals. Start the day with donuts, have tempura for lunch, onion pakoras for a snack and corn fritters for dinner. For dessert, have churros - a sweet fritter of Spanish origin - with a cup of hot chocolate.
Make your own fritters at home. Experiment with the flavors - raid your fridge and fry whatever you can think can be fried with batter.

Of course, if all one has to do is batter and fry something to make a fritter, does that make deep fried Twinkies a Twinkie Fritter? The mind boggles indeed.

Did You Know…

…that the word fritter has another definition, unrelated to food, in the English language? It means to waste something, usually unwisely.

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Why did I get divorced? Well, last week was my birthday. My wife didn't wish me a happy birthday. My parents forgot and so did my kids. I went to work and even my colleagues didn't wish me a happy birthday.

As I entered my office, my secretary said, "Happy birthday, boss!" I felt so special. She asked me out for lunch. After lunch, she invited me to her apartment. We went there and she said, "Do you mind if I go into the bedroom for a minute?"

"Okay," I said.

She came out 5 minutes later with a birthday cake, my wife, my parents, my kids, my friends, & my colleagues all yelling, "SURPRISE!!!" while I was waiting on the sofa... naked.

***

Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Officer asks a young engineer fresh out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "And what starting salary are you looking for?"

The engineer replies, "In the region of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."

The interviewer inquires, "Well, what would you say to a package of five weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary, and a company car leased every two years, say, a red Corvette?"

The engineer sits up straight and says, "Wow! Are you kidding?"

The interviewer replies, "Yeah, but you started it."

***

A man was having premature ejaculation problems so he went to the doctor. The doctor said, "When you feel like you are getting ready to ejaculate, try startling yourself."

That same day the man went to the store and bought himself a starter pistol and ran home to his wife. That night the two were having sex and found themselves in the 69 position.

The man felt the urge to ejaculate and fired the starter pistol. The next day he went back to the doctor who asked how it went.

The man answered, "Not well. When I fired the pistol, my wife pooped on my face, bit three inches off my penis, and my neighbor came out of the closet with his hands in the air."

***

“Patient in to ER at 0400 with no complaints: ‘I have been having chest pain for 4 months but I am not having chest pain now. The reason I’m here now is because I heard that 4am is the best time to come cause there are not that many people.’ ”

“Had a woman call 911 because she ‘had déjà vu in the shower and got nervous.’”

“Got a frantic call from a woman who claimed she had overdosed and needed help immediately. We arrive on scene, and she hands us an empty mint container, saying she took them all. That night she learned that you cannot overdose on mints.”