Travel Writing and Book Reviews

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An extract from the book 40 Humourous British Traditions

Carrots, potatoes and cucumbers have often caused amusement to men who find that the shapes of these vegetables resemble parts of their own anatomy.

It’s believed that the monastery on Lindisfarne was the first to ban these particular vegetables from their kitchen garden in the 8th Century. This was due to the Abbot’s belief that all temptation must be removed from the monks’ lives. He was convinced that stroking a carrot or fondling a potato could instill carnal desires in the mind of a monk, especially on a dark winter’s night when they all huddled for warmth around a solitary candle.

The Abbot wrote, “it be a sin before God to stroke a carrot and think of thy brother monk in an unnatural way.” Leeks, rhubarb and celery were tolerated, although they couldn’t be grown any longer than two feet in length for fear of them being used in “pain or pleasure” sessions in the refectory before matins.

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