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A dish that, according to one Web site, has been served in the U.K. for more than 200 years has a name that may not sound all that appetizing. But the Brits tend to love it.

Spotted Dick, as it is called, is a favorite. The "spotted" part in the pudding dish, which is usually baked and sometimes boiled or steamed, refers to raisins or currants in the dough. The word "dick" is colloquial for pudding, according to the Web siteBritishfood.about.com. It can also be served with a custard sauce or jam sauce. Fruit may be mixed in with the dough, too.

According to the site janeausten.co.uk, Spotted Dick’s origins can be traced back to England and Ireland, where it is called sweet cake, cumie cake or railway cake.

Although Spotted Dick has been around for generations, the name was enough to cause quite a stir in hospitals and supermarkets recently.

The Web site brianturneronline.co.uk reported that an English health board was forced to reverse its decision to rename it "Spotted Richard" on hospital menus. A supermarket chain also elected to leave the name as it has been for centuries.

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