Foods of England

Wesson

Game and Offal

A beast's windpipe/trachea or gullet/oesophagus, brined and cooked.

Our correspondent Mike Baron reports (2017);

"You wanted to know about "Wesson" - on Leeds Market you can maybe still get it where is was called "Wessand" or "Wezand" (at least that is how it was pronounced) and you could also buy it on Accrington Market at least until 2002 where it was referred to as "wessel".
It was grey in colour; sold already cooked and looked like a piece of hose-pipe about a foot long and it would often have a piece of round white fat at one end, about the same size as an Extra Strong Mint.
It was said variously to taste like brisket and occasionally like oyster. I think you might eat it cold, with vinegar as it was sold cooked. I don't think you had to cook it further.
It was a luxury item on the tripe stall, and dearer than tripe.
Incidentally, this is the thing where the phrase "Wet your whistle" originates from - you had a drink of something to "Wet your Wessel" or your oesophagus! Such are our misunderstandings of our past language!"

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