Unctuous

Another piece of pretentious chef-speak. I suppose they mean rich tasting (positive) rather than oily or greasy (negative) but this is, at best, an archaic usage and very silly.

I agree, pompa!

I questioned the use of the word on a cookery thread not long ago, and was roundly put in my place - apparently they're all at it, Hairy Bikers included...

I hate it. Just doesn't sound right when used to describe food.

Not surprising coming from Raymond Blanc- as it is a direct translation of 'onctueux' meaning something like thick, smooth and delicious.

For me it only has a negative meaning in English. My French dictionary links it with extreme unction:- this food could kill???

Raymond Blanc can be forgiven for his misuse of the word in that case. It's always difficult when similar words in different languages have divergent meanings. Embarazada is one that I learned the hard way when I was first learning Spanish; I assumed that it meant embarrassed but, in fact, it means pregnant.

Sounds like unctuous could describe Raymond Blanc (IMO), can't stand him.

Absent, I made the same mistake in French when asked by my host family if I wanted more food. I replied' Non, merci. Je suis pleine.' !

LOL- je suis pleine can ALSO mean I am drunk!

I made so many such mistakes, but t'other way round, when I first lived in London (45 years at the week-end).

O for heavens sake! That does not even sound appetising.
Unctous suggests unpleasantly slimy.

"Je suis pleine" is alsoa way of saying=pregnant isn't it?

It does sound appetising in French, honest.

Ce yogurt est très onctueux - sounds delish.

Yes, it does which is why I wrote ALSO in capitals ;)

It may sound appetising in French, but 'an unctuous pudding' said in a Hairy Biker accent just sounds disgusting!

Sound hilarious to me ;)

And that...!

Reminds me of DS when he spent a year in Austria during university course, working for a light aircraft manufacturer and learning German. He said he carefully asked his work colleagues if they'd had a good session of football but it somehow came out as asking if they'd had good periods
Lost in translation obviously!