Cupboard Love 2: A Dictionary of Culinary CuriositiesNominated in 1997 for a Julia Child Award, Cupboard Love is back, bigger and better than ever. In this updated and expanded edition, Mark Morton lays out a sumptuous feast of more than a thousand culinary word-histories. From everyday foods to exotic dishes, from the herbs and spices of medieval England to the cooking implements of the modern kitchen, Cupboard Love explores the fascinating stories behind familiar and not-so-familiar gastronomic terms. Who knew that the word ''pomegranate'' is related to the word ''grenade''? That ''baguette'' is a cousin of ''bacteria''? That ''souffl(r)'' comes from the same root as ''flatulence''? Who knew that ''vermicelli'' is Italian for ''little worms'', that ''avocado'' comes from an Aztec word meaning ''testicle'', or that ''catillation'' denotes the unseemly licking of plates? |
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Common terms and phrases
adopted by English American ancient Romans antipasto appeared in English Arabic arose became bestowed bread cake called centu cheese cooked costmary culinary term dates back denote derives its name developed diminutive dish drink Dutch early fifteenth century early nineteenth century early sixteenth eaten English adopted English borrowed English word entered English evolved fish flavour fourteenth century French name French word fruit gave rise herb humble pie Incidentally Indo-European source invented Italian known language Late Latin later Latin source Latin word literally means meal meaning little meant meat Medieval Latin mid eighteenth century mid nineteenth century mid sixteenth century nineteenth century Old English Old French Old Norse origin pastry phrase plant poutine referred resemblance respelt sauce sense seventeenth century sixteenth century soup Spanish spelling spelt spice spotted dick takes its name teenth century thirteenth century turducken turn tury verb Vulgar Latin wine word meaning word that derives
Popular passages
Page 7 - slithy' means 'lithe and slimy.' 'Lithe' is the same as 'active.' You see it's like a portmanteau — there are two meanings packed up into one word.
Page 7 - They must be very curious creatures." "They are that," said Humpty Dumpty: "also they make their nests under sundials — also they live on cheese." "And what's to 'gyre' and to 'gimble'?" "To 'gyre' is to go round and round like a gyroscope. To 'gimble' is to make holes like a gimlet." "And the 'wabe' is the grass plot round a sundial, I suppose?