Deviled eggs seem like a pretty innocuous appetizer: theyre easy to make (you can whip them up in less than twenty minutes), can easily be paired with seasonal ingredients, look aesthetically pleasing without a lot of effort, and dont require many ingredients to make. All you need for deviled eggs are eggs, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt, cracked black pepper, and dill fronds. A standard deviled egg recipe doesnt call for hot peppers that will set your mouth on fire, so it seems bizarre that the name of the fiery red devil himself would be invoked.
Eggs are not the only food to be sinfully “deviled” in history, either. In the past, deviled ham was a well-known dish, and consisted of ground ham with hot peppers, cayenne, mustard, or other spices mixed in (via HuffPost). In food applications, the term “devil” first appeared in 1786 (per The Straight Dope), but what does it even mean?
According to The Oxford Companion to Food, “devil” is a culinary term that first appeared in the 18th century as a noun and then in the early 19th century as a verb, “meaning to cook something with fiery hot spices or condiments.” The hot spices or condiments most often referred to the addition of mustard and cayenne …
In the 13th century, stuffed eggs began to appear in the southern, Andalusian regions of Spain. A cookbook from this era, for example, suggests grinding boiled egg yolks with cilantro, onion juice, pepper, and coriander with a fermented fish sauce, and two centuries later, similar recipes were widely available across much of Medieval Europe.
According to The History Channel, deviled eggs go all the way back to ancient Rome, where eggs were boiled, seasoned with spicy sauces, and then served at the beginning of meals.
Consider things like bacon, sriracha, kimchi, crab meat, dill, or pickles as a way to make your deviled eggs stand out from all the rest.
Not until the late 19th century, though, did we start to see deviled eggs that resemble what we would call deviled eggs. An 1896 cookbook was one of the first to suggest using mayonnaise as a way to bind ground egg yolks together, which leads to today’s classic recipe that calls for mayo, mustard, and paprika.
In Italian, for example, the hot tomato sauce called Arrabbiata is made with dried red chili peppers, and the name literally translates to “angry” in Italian. With eggs, especially spicy and zesty eggs made with mustard, pepper, or other ingredients like paprika stuffed into the empty yolk cavity of half an egg, they are called “deviled,” though in some places they’re also referred to as stuffed eggs, dressed eggs, or even Russian eggs.
Deviled eggs seem like a pretty innocuous appetizer: theyre easy to make (you can whip them up in less than twenty minutes), can easily be paired with seasonal ingredients, look aesthetically pleasing without a lot of effort, and dont require many ingredients to make. All you need for deviled eggs are eggs, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt, cracked black pepper, and dill fronds. A standard deviled egg recipe doesnt call for hot peppers that will set your mouth on fire, so it seems bizarre that the name of the fiery red devil himself would be invoked.
If youre from the South, youre likely familiar with another deviled food: ham. According to Southern Living, deviled ham isnt evil either, its simply “plain old ground-up ham packed in a round tin can with white paper wrapped around it … [with] spices such as hot sauce, peppers, turmeric, mustard, or cayenne pepper” that are blended into the meat. The act of deviling food, according to The Straight Dope, simply means to season it highly, often with spicy ingredients, like a curry.
Eggs are not the only food to be sinfully “deviled” in history, either. In the past, deviled ham was a well-known dish, and consisted of ground ham with hot peppers, cayenne, mustard, or other spices mixed in (via HuffPost). In food applications, the term “devil” first appeared in 1786 (per The Straight Dope), but what does it even mean?
One of the first companies to embrace and capitalize on the trend was The William Underwood Company. Its logo is a dancing devil, and it still produces deviled ham today. Southern Living reports that during the Civil War, men on both sides of the battlefield ate these canned foods, which cemented the term “deviled” in the cultural lexicon. Smithsonian reports that in Charles Dickens “David Copperfield,” a dish is described thus,”Mr. Micawber saves a dinner party by turning undercooked mutton into a devil.” The spices that were used to devil the lamb? Pepper, mustard, salt, cayenne pepper, and a mushroom ketchup — ingredients that are considered pretty tame by todays standards.
Deviled Meaning
FAQ
Why are things called deviled?
What does deviled mean slang?
Why is it called deviled chicken?
Is it deviled or devilled?
Why are deviled eggs called Devils?
The devil, actually. Deviled eggs were anointed with this mischievous name long after the term “deviled” had already been deemed a descriptor for many other foods. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in 1786 to “devil” a food meant to cook it with a spicy seasoning or over very high heat.
What is deviled egg filling?
Deviled eggs are hard-boiled eggs that have been peeled, cut in half, then stuffed with a paste made from the yolk and other ingredients. Basic deviled egg filling is made with egg yolks, mayonnaise, relish, mustard, salt, and pepper. The eggs are often seasoned with spices like paprika or cayenne pepper.
Why are stuffed eggs called ‘deviled’?
In fact, the term “deviled” refers to the spicy seasonings such as mustard and pepper with which these eggs were sometimes prepared. Although “deviled” as a descriptor first entered the culinary lexicon in 1786, the idea of spiced, stuffed eggs is actually far older than that.
What is deviled ham?
In the past, deviled ham was a well-known dish, and consisted of ground ham with hot peppers, cayenne, mustard, or other spices mixed in (via HuffPost ). In food applications, the term “devil” first appeared in 1786 (per The Straight Dope ), but what does it even mean? If you’re from the South, you’re likely familiar with another deviled food: ham.