Nigella Lawson baffled fans this week with her pronunciation of microwave as ‘meecro-wah-vey’ in the latest episode of her BBC2 cooking show Cook, Eat, Repeat.
And now, the London-born domestic goddess, 60, has offered an explanation for the unusual intonation, saying she knows that’s not how it’s really said but it’s in fact a ‘camp joke that’s become habit’.
Taking to Twitter, the cookbook author has replied to dozens of fans explaining the joke, adding she hopes that the ‘brouhaha’ will be over now.
Nigella, who has 2.6million followers on Twitter, added on another fan it’s part of her sense of humour to ‘deliberately pronounce things wrong’ and even joked she says Worcester as ‘wusster-shusster’.
While knocking up the rich mashed potatoes with butter, Nigella explained to fans ‘I still need a bit of milk – full fat – which I’ve warmed in the meecro-wah-vey,’. She is pictured in the show
Tweeting a gif of Patricia Routledge’s character Hyacinth Bucket, the Keeping Up Appearances star who famously pronounces her name as ‘Mrs Bouquet, one fan wrote: ‘Am I the only one who thought @NigellaLawson was being sarcastic when she pronounced Meecro-wavé?! Now, I’m starting to think she really pronounces it like that?’
Hoping to put an end to the discourse, Nigella replied: ‘Well, I do say it like that, but not because I think that’s how it’s actually pronounced’.
She then quote tweeted herself and added: ‘Can this be the end of it now?’
It comes as Nigella riled up fans with her very odd pronunciation of the cooking device, which she said as she whipped up black pudding meatballs with kale colcannon and brown butter.
Nigella Lawson has clarified her comments saying it’s a ‘camp joke’ that has ‘become a habit’
While knocking up the rich mashed potatoes with butter, Nigella explained to fans ‘I still need a bit of milk – full fat – which I’ve warmed in the meecro-wah-vey.
The pronunciation is close to the way the word is said in Italian and Spanish.
Fans were delighted over the joke, with one fan changing Wikipedia entries for both Nigella and Microwave to include reference to the line, while Magnet Kitchens changed the relevant section of their website to read ‘MICRO-WAVÉ’.
On Monday, fans quickly took to Twitter to comment on the bizarre pronunciation, with some branding her a hero, while others were more baffled.
Magnet kitchens have changed their website to read ‘micro-wave’ in a tribute to the cooking star
‘The way @Nigella_Lawson just pronounced ‘microwave’ is a defining moment of 2020. #CookEatRepeat,’ said one.
‘Henceforth, ‘mecrowavay’ shall forever be in my vocabulary and microwave will cease to exist Queen @Nigella_Lawson has spoken,’ another joked.
‘And the country obeyed. Hence forth #meecrowavaay is the new national roll out,’ said a third.
Tweeting a gif of Patricia Routledge’s character Hyacinth Bucket, the Keeping Up Appearances star who famously pronounces her name as ‘Mrs Bouquet, one fan wrote: ‘Am I the only one who thought @NigellaLawson was being sarcastic when she pronounced Meecro-wavé?! Now, I’m starting to think she really pronounces it like that?’ Hoping to put an end to the discourse, Nigella replied: ‘Well, I do say it like that, but not because I think that’s how it’s actually pronounced’.
‘@Nigella_Lawson ’s microwave pronunciation has ended me, I LOVE it,’ added another.
‘Meekro-wavé – brilliant!! Also, I did not know I needed a mechanical potato masher in my life,’ commented one.
‘Word of the day is “Mee-cro-wah-vay”: an electronic device used to heat things, courtesy of Nigella Lawson,’ said one.
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Nigella also joked that she pronounces ‘worcester’ as ‘wusster-shusster’ in a reply to one fan
Replying to a series of tweets, Nigella revealed was shocked that people didn’t know that she was joking
Others described her as ‘legendary’ adding it made them ‘howl’.
‘I think that one legendary sentence shall forever remain up there as my fondest moment and memory of 2020- I don’t think I’ll be able to call it a microwave ever again,’ said one.
‘This made me howl.. my kind of humour is mispronouncing words too,’ said another.
‘Today’s episode is the gift that doesn’t stop giving: Meekrowaav-A,’ joked a third.
Fans were delighted over the joke, with one fan changing Wikipedia entries for both Nigella (left) and Microwave (right) to include reference to the line
Many fans quickly took to Twitter to comment on the bizarre pronunciation, with some branding her a hero, while others were more baffled.
It comes just weeks after the cook made another controversial dish on her BBC2 show.
The food writer has embraced leftfield ingredients of late, with a recent episode showing her cook up a curry made from old banana skins, and another showing her share a recipe for buttered toast.
And the latest episode, which airs on BBC2 on Monday evenings, proved no exception, as Nigella drenched a cheesecake in a sauce made from extra strong liquorice pellets.
Nigella Lawson’s ongoing pursuit of ever more interesting ingredients in her BBC2 show left liquorice haters aghast after she created a cheesecake sauce from extra strong pellets of the salty snack – which she fished out of a posh-looking ‘liquorice toolbox’
Many viewers tuning into episode three were left aghast as a delicious-looking ‘Basque burnt cheesecake’ was doused in the unusual sauce made from boiled down Italian liquorice.
Nigella has also shared controversial recipes on Instagram, including a breakfast of egg and leftover pizza.
She wrote: ‘Now this is what I call a breakfast — leftover pizza from my Friday night from ASAP Pizza order, reheated and topped with a poached egg and a splodge of chilli crisp.’
Nigella, 60, posted a picture of her ‘perfect breakfast’ on Instagram, a poached egg on a leftover pizza
Fans were wowed by the upgraded leftovers, with one writing: ‘Wow, that’s my idea of breakfast.’
‘My dream breakfast,’ said another.
‘Oh, that sounds so good,’ penned a third.
Source: Food Recipes and News
