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Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

749.0. "Food Places" by SHALOT::ANDERSON (Give me a U, give me a T...) Mon Dec 11 1989 21:29

	744 got me thinking about foods that are named after places.
	In particular, I started thinking how a lot of popular American
	foods are named after towns in Germany, with an "-er" added to
	the end of it (usually, I guess, a shortened form of "town-er 
	wurst").  Here's my collection:

	o  Frankfurter
	o  Hamburger
	o  Braunschweiger -- aka liverwurst; the anglicized version of
	   Braunschweig is Brunswick
	o  Wiener -- Wien is German for Vienna ... so where do we get
	   "vienna sausage" from?

	Others:

	o  Berliner -- a jelly doughnut ... made famous by JFK
	o  Linzer torte -- from Linz, Austria ... where does the "Dobisch"
	   in "Dobischer torte" come from though?

	Anybody know of any others?  I'm also open to foods from other
	languages ("parmesan cheese"?).  Is this too weird?

		-- Cliff
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749.1a fewLESCOM::KALLISEfts have feelings, too.Mon Dec 11 1989 21:4512
    
    o Boston Baked Beans      [note: most beans aren't baked but are steamed]
                                                       
    o Rocky Mountain Oysters
    
    o New York sirloin
    
    o Cantonese Duck
    
    o Mississippi Mud  [an ice cream flavor]
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
749.2food...POOL::TRUMPLERThiotimoline sold hereMon Dec 11 1989 22:2217
    Re .0:
    
    "Wiener Bratwurst" == Vienna Sausage
    I can't say whether or not it's a real specialty there, since I don't
    eat meat.
    
    Some famous homes of some (famous?) cheeses:
    Appenzell, Switzerland
    Gruyere, Switzerland
    Limburg, Switzerland
    Gorgonzolla, Italy (I think)
    
    And also, from Germany, the Schwarzwalderkirschtorte.
    (A locally made Black Forest Cherry Torte is nothing like a similarly
    named product available outside the region.)
    
    >M
749.3and some UK cheeses...WELMTS::HILLTechnology is my Vorpal swordTue Dec 12 1989 09:289
    Stilton
    Cheddar   
    Cheshire  
    Lancashire
    Gloucester
    Double Gloucester
    Wensleydale
    Leicester 
    Caerphilly
749.4Danish pastryOSL10::HENRIKWDyslex�a lures OKTue Dec 12 1989 09:456
...and some more trivial etymology:
In Norway we call Danish pastry "wienerbr�d" (Vienna bread),
since the good pastry in Denmark was baked by Austrian bakers.
We also call baguettes "pariserloff" (Parisian white bread).

Henrik
749.5PASTIS::MONAHANhumanity is a trojan horseTue Dec 12 1989 10:1711
    	For cheeses the choice is so great - a typical shop round here
    might have a hundred varieties, a specialist shop maybe twice that
    many, and most of them are named after their places of origin. It was a
    moment or two before I could think of one that was not.
    
    	To contribute in other areas, salade Ni�oise, Champagne (in France
    most wines are named after place of origin - other countries often use
    the variety of grape instead).
    
    	Then there is sandwich - named after the man who was named after
    the place.
749.6From champagne to concord4GL::LASHERWorking...Tue Dec 12 1989 13:219
    Re: .5
    
    	"Champagne (in France most wines are named after place of origin -
    	other countries often use the variety of grape instead)."
    
    On a more mundane level, the concord grape is named after Concord,
    Massachusetts, where this variety was first perfected.
    
Lew Lasher
749.7ThanksSHALOT::ANDERSONGive me a U, give me a T...Tue Dec 12 1989 14:0012
	Thanks.  I particularly liked champagne and cheddar.  I
	guess what I was after were words for common foods where
	the place had become hidden (you can come up with lots of
	names where the food is obscure or the place name is obvious).
		
	For some reason, a lot of these came from Germany -- can 
	anybody think of any others like hamburger, frankfurter, etc.?
	I wonder what Germans call hot dogs and hamburgers?  Henrik:
	what do the Dutch call Danish pastry?  I'd be particularly
	interested in this kind of stuff from other languages.

		-- Cliff
749.8chomp, chomp. ...LESCOM::KALLISEfts have feelings, too.Tue Dec 12 1989 14:399
    If we include cocktails, we could have such things as
    
    o Singapore Gin Sling
    
    Actually, I'd rather not.  Let's leave it as foods, like
    
    o Philadelphia Scrapple.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
749.9while speaking of winesVISA::BIJAOUITomorrow Never KnowsTue Dec 12 1989 15:047
    
    Cognac
    
    Bordeaux
    
    
    Pierre.
749.10vegetables...IJSAPL::ELSENAARFractal of the universeTue Dec 12 1989 17:008

Not sure how they are called in English. "Brussels sprouts"? They are called
"brukselki" in Polish.....

What did the Belgians *do* with them.... ;-)

Arie
749.11a classic!LESCOM::KALLISEfts have feelings, too.Tue Dec 12 1989 17:145
    How could I possibly forget???!!!
    
    o Coney Island Red Hots (a form of hot dog).
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
749.12PASTIS::MONAHANhumanity is a trojan horseTue Dec 12 1989 17:316
    	As an example of a place name becoming hidden - it is quite common
    to see "calamars americain" in the local restaurants.
    
    	I am told it has nothing to do with America - it is just that the
    local restauranteurs do not realise (or are able to spell) that the
    recipe comes from Armorique.
749.13It's a good thing that it's almost lunch time!GRNDAD::STONESPECIAL WHEN LITTue Dec 12 1989 17:497
    
    How about Buffalo Wings,  Maine Lobsters, and African Lobster Tails?
    
    There are also the various -schnitzel dishes...weanerschnitzel (from
    Vienna), Schweitzer schnitzel (from Switzerland), etc.
    
    And of course there's Hungarian Goulash.
749.14No matter how thin you slice itMARVIN::KNOWLESRunning old protocolTue Dec 12 1989 18:0112
    Boloney - there's a note about it somewhere (either Bologna or Poland,
    opinions differ).
    
    I don't understand .0's question about parmesan cheese; but the
    Italian's `parmiggiano', and that sort of cheese originated in Parma.
    
    FWIW - .12 referred to calamares. On the Costa Paquete a common dish is
    `calamares a la romana' - sort of French fried squid; I never saw them
    in Rome. I suspect the dish could more properly be called `calamares
    a la turista'.
    
    b0
749.15Here's some moreCAM::MAZURIt ain't the meat, it's the lotion.Tue Dec 12 1989 21:4010
    Sardinias 
    Turkey 
    Kiwi fruit
    Hot mug of Java
    Baked Alaska
    Chile
    Yukon Jack
    
    And everybody knows that when we're real Hungary, we pile all these
    geographic foods onto our fine China and make Slavs of ourselves.
749.16"English"? MuffinsCHEFS::BEVERIDGEJJohn @RDL 7899-5065Wed Dec 13 1989 09:551
And why do the Americans call those things "English" muffins?
749.17PASTIS::MONAHANhumanity is a trojan horseWed Dec 13 1989 11:199
    	I had always thought "English muffins" was some obscure national
    insult, rather like "French leave" or "French letter".
    
    	However, since the last two terms translate into a reciprocal term
    in French I was looking for a suitable English return insult. How about
    if we start referring to the stuff the Americans put on them (grape
    jam) as "American marmalade"?
    
    (OOps. There is another place name, this time in Spain :-).
749.18WELMTS::HILLTechnology is my Vorpal swordWed Dec 13 1989 12:0114
    Re .17
    
    What place in Spain, Dave?
    
    If you're referring to marmalade, I thought it was a corruption
    of Marie malade.  The legend I heard was that Mary Queen of Scots
    was ill and was given some orange jam.  She was so pleased that
    it was renamed in her honour.  The name subsequently getting shortened
    to marmalade.
    
    Talking of marmalade, the finest is Oxford Marmalade, because the
    makers were based in that city.
    
    Nick
749.19apropos the holidaysGNUVAX::BOBBITTnature abhors a vacuum...& so do IWed Dec 13 1989 13:206
    Turkey!
    
    (just kidding ;)
    
    -Jody
    
749.20Come to think of it, I _did_ know someone who drank inkMARVIN::KNOWLESRunning old protocolWed Dec 13 1989 15:186
    Not that this is anything to do with food, but the French for Indian
    ink is encre de chine.  It seems that people slap place names onto
    things (like `English muffin') just to make them sound different.
    Maybe it was originally a marketing ploy (tho' I can't see the angle).
    
    b
749.21Did batter originate in Battersea?LAMHRA::WHORLOWAre you proud of Digital's computers?Wed Dec 13 1989 22:0613
    G'day,
    Not wishing to start a cullinary war, but did not the humble English
    Muffin start life in England as some form of yeast based scone? I well
    remember the Muffin man with a tray of muffins on his head and a bell
    in his hand coming down my street when I was a kid. Muffin men have
    been around, I believe since forever.
    
    
    Derek
    
    How about Chester cakes? Yummeee 
    
    
749.22SHALOT::ANDERSONGive me a U, give me a T...Wed Dec 13 1989 22:2110
	"Sardine" and "baloney" are winners.

	"Marmalade" comes from the Portugese for "quince" (i.e.,
	conserve made from quinces), which ultimately derives from
	the two Greek roots "meli-" (honey) and "melon" (apple)

	Is there a ridiculous etymologies note in this conference?
	If not, let's start one.
	
		-- Cliff
749.23BOOKIE::DAVEYWed Dec 13 1989 22:4518
    English muffins are called English muffins in the US because the
    Americans just couldn't keep a straight face when we English presented 
    them with fairy cakes. So they called fairy cakes "muffins", and
    muffins "English muffins". Well, it almost sounds credible.
    
    How about Welsh rarebit, which was originally called Welsh Rabbit
    (as if the Welsh didn't know how to cook rabbit?) but got corrupted
    over the years (by someone who obviously didn't understand the joke).
     
    Others I can think of:
    
    Eccles cakes (Eccles, Lancs)
    Bakewell tarts (Bakewell, Derbyshire - known there as "Bakewell
    puddings")
    Sherry (Jerez, Spain)
    Port (Oporto, Portugal)          
    
    John
749.24PASTIS::MONAHANhumanity is a trojan horseWed Dec 13 1989 23:324
    Whoops, yes. There is a Marmolado, but it is in Italy, not Spain, and
    it is too high up to make an orange jam credible as a product.
    
    You just can't believe what people tell you these days...
749.25SHARE::SATOWThu Dec 14 1989 17:149
The origin of "marmalade" is a chicken ranch in Florida.  The chicken farmer 
feed the chickens citrus peelings.  When one of the hens produced an orange 
instead of an egg, one of the chicks said



	Look at the orange marmalade

Clay
749.26ERIS::CALLASHey, heads we dance?Thu Dec 14 1989 17:174
    When I was in college (at university, for people on the east side of
    the pond), we called English Muffins "Saxon Bagels."
    
    	Jon
749.27I've heard of strange places, but . . .SHARE::SATOWFri Dec 15 1989 14:495
re: "Saxon Bagels"

Sounds like fun, if you are a kinky gourmet acrobat.

Clay
749.28TKOV51::DIAMONDThis note is illegal tender.Tue Jul 03 1990 11:195
    Some varieties of tea are named after places too.
    
    And then there are these candies.  In the States they're called
    Canadian mints, and in Canada they're called English mints.
    I forgot to look for them in England....
749.29but then I'm not a mint fanTLE::RANDALLliving on another planetTue Jul 17 1990 19:474
    I don't think I've ever run across a Canadian mint.  What is it
    like?  
    
    --bonnie
749.30But they do need air conditioningKAOFS::S_BROOKIt's time for a summertime dreamTue Jul 17 1990 23:0315
>                        -< but then I'm not a mint fan >-
>
>    I don't think I've ever run across a Canadian mint.  What is it
>    like?  
>    

I'm not sure you could exactly run across a Canadian mint, unless you
have some ladders and things ... There are only two of them you know ...
one in Ottawa and one in Winterpeg.   I dunno what the Winnipeg one is
like either, but the one in Ottawa is a dizzying two bit thing.  If
you try to go through it you must have an appointment and show up at
the designated dime.  They tell me it is the Royal center of town!


Stuart
749.31TRCC2::BOWERSDave Bowers @WHOWed Jul 18 1990 00:034
If you mean a Canada Mint (tm) they're around 5/8" in diamter by 3/16" thick
and used to come in white and pink variants.

-dave
749.32My grandma did, tooGNUVAX::QUIRIYChristineWed Jul 18 1990 02:342
    
    Horses love 'em.
749.33TKOV51::DIAMONDWed Jul 18 1990 03:131
    And if you run across one, it turns to powder.
749.34But _pink_?MARVIN::KNOWLESintentionally Rive GaucheWed Jul 18 1990 16:151
    Sounds like the things that are marketed here as Extra Strong Mints�.
749.35KAOFS::S_BROOKIt&#039;s time for a summertime dreamWed Jul 18 1990 16:381
Ohhhhhhhh!  That kind of mint! :-)
749.36Minudo (sp)SEAPEN::PHIPPSDTN 225.4959Wed Jul 18 1990 17:437
        RE: .30 -

        "...you must have an appointment and show up at the designated
        dime."

        You have to show up at the Mint at the designated DIME!?

749.37I'll have to get the brakes fixedTLE::RANDALLliving on another planetWed Jul 18 1990 18:029
>    And if you run across one, it turns to powder.
    
    That must be why I never noticed them -- by running across them,
    I've reduced them to little puffs of pink and white powder.
    
    Hm, sounds like something that could get me in trouble with the
    drug-testing authorities. . . 
    
    --bonnie
749.38KAOFS::S_BROOKIt&#039;s time for a summertime dreamThu Jul 19 1990 17:2911
re .36

You could say I was trying to coin a bad pun ....

The Royal Canadian Mint produces the country's coins ... and coins and medals
for countless countries around the world too.  They were responsible for some
of the new alloys that ended up replacing silver.  To visit the mint, you must
have an appointment ... they organise their tours that way.

Meanwhile back to Food places ...

749.39SSDEVO::EGGERSAnybody can fly with an engine.Mon Jul 23 1990 08:473
    Then there are Denver and Philadelphia mints ...
    
    The Denver product is a sandwich.