This Is The Only Acceptable Name For The End Of A Bread Loaf

You've just opened a bag holding a freshly baked loaf of crusty Italian bread, sliced perfectly for garlic bread on the side of your spaghetti dinner. And right there, at the very end of the loaf, facing you as you look in the bag, is...what? Is that the end of the loaf? The butt? The crust? The answer is none of those. It's the heel — the heel of the bread. It's OK if you used to call it something else, but heel is the correct term.

There are nearly as many names for the heel as there are varieties of bread in the world. Some people call it the knob, the ender, the bumper, the healie, the knocker, or even a Norbert. However, Merriam-Webster, one of the most widely used dictionaries, lists "heel" as the proper term for the crusty end of a loaf of bread. Other dictionaries agree, too.

The University of Texas at Austin Linguistics Research Center says the word heel comes from the Proto-Indo European word kenk, which translates roughly to heel (of course), hock, or back of the knee. The heel, hock (or ankle), and back of the knee all serve as structural supports in the body. They're the base on which something stands. The heel of your bread is the same way. Those pieces bookend the loaf; they hold all the good parts inside. There's no better word for them than heel.

In Germany, they may call the heel of their Kartoffelbrot knust, or use regional terms like knüstchen or knerzel, which roughly translate to crunch or crunchy. In Dutch, it's called kontje, which literally means "little ass." The Italian il culo and Spanish el culo mean much the same. The French may call it le quignon de pain or l'entame, terms that mean the crust or the beginning. In Japan, they might call the ends of their milk bread pan no mimi, which means "bread ears."

Every language has its own term for the heel and, in many countries, there are regional variations. English may offer the greatest variation in what to call it, though. From terms like outsiders to knockers, some names are regional, while others are simply what people grew up calling it at home. In a Reddit poll, the majority of people agree that this is called a heel. Around 37% chose heel as the right term. Second place went to end, at nearly 28%. On the more playful side of things, 20% used butt or a variation, with one person claiming they call it the booty of the bread. Just under 13% called it a crust. The remaining fraction offered a wide range of unusual terms from doorstep to the ghost.

Heel still stands above all. It's a foundation, a base. You have two of them. It's the lowest point, it's rounded off, it's at the end, just like the heels of a foot. Everything about heel works. Other terms may have some charm or whimsy, but heel just makes sense.