My lips are moving

[madbaker]

I was reading through Harold McGee's On Fud and Cooking last night and found these gems. Well, maybe some of them. You decide.

[Poll #945104]


"Arugula" comes from the Latin word "roc", meaning harsh or rough.
True. So does "rocket", another popular Elizabethan salad green.

"Avocado" comes from an Aztec word for "testicle", referencing its shape.
True. It's the Nahuatl word "ahuacatl".

Okra's species name comes from an African word meaning "slimy plant".
False. It should be true, though.

Tomatillos' species name comes from an Indian word meaning "sticky fruit".
True. The name is "ixocarpa".

"Squash" comes from an Indian word meaning "a green thing eaten raw".
True. It's from a Narragansett word.

"Persimmon" comes from an Indian phrase meaning "soft when frozen/frosted".
False. They do soften up with a hard frost, though.

"Tomato" comes from an Aztec phrase meaning "plump fruit".
True. The word is "tomatl".

Comments

[ermine-rat.livejournal.com]

You got my best off-the-cuff sleepy answers!

[lifeofglamour.livejournal.com]

They still call arugula "rocket" in England to this day.

[helblonde.livejournal.com]

ahuacatl beats "aligator pear" for sure

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

wow. I usually do better with blind guesses than this... ;)

[aastg.livejournal.com]

All of the answers are pretty intuitive except the one about arugula - but you knew that, hence the poll.

Naturally, I fell for it because I over-analyzed your motives, like always.

[fionnbharro.livejournal.com]

I thought 'Rocket' and 'Arugula' were the same thing.

And why is my eggplant a nice, deep aubergine color?

Probably for the same reason my 'Dried Plums' look like wrinkled prunes.