the Dunmow Flitch
/ðə ˌdʌnməʊ ˈflɪtʃ/
/ðə ˌdʌnməʊ ˈflɪtʃ/
- a very large piece of bacon which is regularly given in the Essex village of Great Dunmow as a prize to a man and woman who can prove that, after being married for at least a year and a day, they have never once wished that they were not married. The ceremony is at least 600 years old, and is mentioned by Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales. Now it is regarded as just a bit of fun.