slump a culinary term immortalized by Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, who gave to her home in Concord, Massachusetts, the name Apple Slump and recorded a recipe for the dish. This is a dish of cooked fruit with pieces of raised dough dropped on top, the whole being then further cooked. The reason for the name is thought to be that the preparation has no recognizable form and ‘slumps’ on the plate. It is served with cream.
For related items, see pandowdy; cobbler.
© the Estate of Alan Davidson 1999, 2006, 2014 © in the Editor’s contribution to the second and third editions, Oxford University Press 2006, 2014.