Deviled Eggs is a traditional appetizer consisting of hard-boiled eggs halved and filled with a seasoned yolk-mixture. The term commonly refers to the dish itself, and the phrase is used as a proper noun when naming a dish or menu item. The name emphasizes the
"We served deviled eggs at the family reunion, and they disappeared within minutes."
"For the potluck, I brought a tray of deviled eggs with extra paprika on top."
"The restaurant menu lists deviled eggs as an amuse-bouche before the main courses."
"She entered a cooking contest that required a creative twist on classic deviled eggs."
The term deviled in the culinary sense traces to the late 18th century and derives from the spice-rich, 'devil’s' or 'deviled' preparations that were popular in European cooking. The exact origin of combining hard-boiled eggs with a seasoned yolk filling appears in several 19th-century American and British cookbooks, where 'devilled' or 'deviled eggs' described eggs stuffed with seasoned mixtures, often with mustard or pepper. The word devil, from Latin diabolus through Old French diable, conveys heat, spice, or something savory and fiery in culinary contexts. The earliest printed usages in English noting a dish of spiced, stuffed eggs appear in the early to mid-1800s, with recipes becoming a staple at holiday spreads and church suppers. Over time, regional variations proliferated, incorporating ingredients such as mayonnaise, pickles, paprika, and hot sauce. Today, “deviled eggs” is primarily a fixed dish name in American cuisine, though spelling variants like “devilled eggs” persist in British English, reflecting standard orthographic differences rather than a change in the dish itself.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Deviled Eggs" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Deviled Eggs"
-ved sounds
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Pronounce as DEV-uhld EGGZ, with primary stress on the first syllable of 'Deviled' (ˈdɛ.vəld) and a crisp, tense 'ggz' ending in 'eggs'. The first word is two syllables; the second is one. IPA: US/UK/AU /ˈdɛ.vəld ɛgz/. Start with an open-mid front unrounded vowel in ‘dev-’ and finish the second word with a voiceless sibilant. Listen to a clear recording to hear the alveolar stop in 'eggs'.
Common mistakes: (1) Misplacing stress on the second word, saying ‘de- VILED eggs’. (2) Slurring the 'ed' in 'deviled' into the 'd' and the 'v' blend, producing ‘devl-d’ or ‘dev-l’d’. (3) Not voicing the final z in 'eggs' clearly. Correction: keep the 'ed' as /vəld/ with a clear /d/ to tie to the following /ɛgz/. Isolate the /ɛ/ in ‘eggs’ briefly before adding the /gz/ cluster.
US/UK/AU share /ˈdɛ.vəld ɛgz/ in core pronunciation, with minor variations: US tends to a more rhotic, breathy quality on vowels; UK tends to crisper final consonants with less r-coloring and tighter vowel duration; AU mirrors UK with slightly broader diphthongs and a more relaxed mouth opening in /ɛ/. In all, the rhotic vs non-rhotic distinction affects only linking and intonation, not the essential phonemes.
The difficulty lies in the cluster /v/ + /əld/ in 'deviled' and the /gz/ cluster in 'eggs'. English speakers may elide or mispronounce the /v/–/əl/ transition or fail to voice the final /z/ in /ɛgz/. Keeping the /v/ clearly articulated, sustaining a short, precise /ə/ in the second syllable, and finishing with a crisp /gz/ helps maintain clarity.
A unique feature is maintaining a clear, tussocked /z/ voice on the plural 'eggs' after a short /ɡ/ in 'eggs'. The phrase benefits from a slight separation between the two words in careful speech, but natural speech often links with a light assimilation between the final /d/ of 'deviled' and the initial vowel of 'eggs'. This subtle linking is common in fast speech.
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