Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Friday, April 28, 2023

Potatoes, yams, and tomatoes around the world

The following data tend to show that many foreign-introduced fruits and vegetables are called something to the effect of 'foreign [type of produce]'. See below for all the fun details!

Lisu 

In Lisu, Hꓶ; Bꓲ; [xɯ̂ˀ bîˀ] 'potato' in Lisu comes from Hꓶ: [xɯ̂] 'Chinese' and Bꓲ; [bîˀ] 'taro/yam', so literally 'Chinese taro/yam'.


Chinese
In Chinese, 土豆 tǔdòu (lit. 'earth bean') refers to 'potato' in mainland China, and 'peanut' in Taiwan. 

Other Chinese words for 'potato' or 'yam' include: 
马铃薯 mǎlíngshǔ (lit. 'horse bell potato/yam') 'potato'
薯 shǔ 'yam/tuber/potato'
地瓜 dìguā (lit. earth melon) 'sweet potato'
红薯 hóngshǔ (lit. red yam/tuber/potato) 'sweet potato'
番薯 fānshǔ (lit. foreign yam/tuber/potato) '(dialect) sweet potato / yam'
洋芋 yángyù (lit. ocean/foreign/western taro) '(dialect) potato'.

As a bonus, here are Chinese words for 'tomato':
西红柿 xīhóngshì (lit. western red persimmon) 'tomato'
番茄 fānqié (lit. foreign eggplant) 'tomato'

Thai
Thai words for foreign fruits and vegetables:
มะเขือเทศ má-khʉ̌a thêet (lit. eggplant foreign = foreign eggplant) 'tomato'
มันเทศ man thêet (lit. yam/tuber foreign = foreign yam/tuber) 'sweet potato'
มันฝรั่ง man faràŋ (lit. yam/tuber foreign = foreign yam/tuber) '[general] Irish potato; potato'

French
In French, pomme de terre (lit. apple of [the] earth) means 'potato'. (In Old French, pomme originally meant 'fruit'.)

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