# Beantown **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 13, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777 "2002-06-13T03:04:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![larod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@larod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larod)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/1 "2002-06-13T03:04:42Z")
Cecil’s very detailed answer to the question, “Why is Boston Called Beantown,” left out a small but possibly important detail concerning the bean. The beans themselves were a valuable commodity on the triangle trade being sold in the West Indies as cheap food for slaves. As Cecil noted to this effect, they are cheap and store well. Perhaps the name “Beantown” is a little less benign than has always been interpreted. Was it the dish or the bean itself? after all, its not called “Bakedbeantown.” ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/2 "2002-06-13T03:32:59Z")
And the Mailbag Report being referenced is, [Why is Boston called “Beantown”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbeantown.html). ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/3 "2002-06-13T04:31:07Z")
Welcome to the SDMB, **larod**. Since this is a comment on a Staff Report and not one of Cecil’s columns, I’ll move this thread to the appropriate forum. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/4 "2002-06-13T16:05:30Z")
Naming a city or group of people after a peculiar food that they eat is not unique to Boston. The British called the French “frog eaters” which was shortened to “frogs.” The Brits themselves were called “limeys” because their sailors ate limes. And the people who live in Hamburg, Germany, are called … ---
**Author:** ![fgarriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c6cbf5/32.png) [@fgarriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fgarriel)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/5 "2002-06-14T20:41:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* > \*\*And the people who live in Hamburg, Germany, are called … \*\* Krauts? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2002, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/6 "2002-06-15T02:32:02Z")
As an informational point, the name “Beantown” for Boston appears first in print in 1901. One has visions of all this excess of molasses being dumped into Boston in Colonial times. What did they do with so much molasses? Invent Boston baked beans and export 'em to the other colonies? Was Boston a net exporter of molasses to other cities in other states during Colonial times? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2002, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/7 "2002-06-15T13:01:36Z")
If they exported molasses, what did they do with the rest of the mole? … speculation abounds. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/8 "2002-06-15T23:49:50Z")
> [@](#): > > what did they do with the rest of the mole? … speculation abounds. Divided it into thirds. One part was sent to Avogadro. Another was sent to John Le Carre. The last part was turned into a wonderful sauce from Mexico. But, hey DEX! You gotta admit: I give great straight line. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/9 "2002-06-16T01:07:41Z")
Well, the molasses conection continued in Boston for quite sometime, and in fact, in 1919 there was the [Great Molasses Flood](http://www.mv.com/ipusers/arcade/molasses.htm) which involved a tank containing two _imillion_ gallons of molasses exploding. 21 people died. Oh, and apparently the [molasses was often used to make rum](http://members.tripod.com/~earthdude1/molasses/molasses.html). ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2002, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/10 "2002-06-16T01:44:42Z")
**Melandry** Thanks for the links. So, Boston exported _rum_ back to England/Africa? Makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![larod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@larod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larod)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/11 "2002-06-20T17:49:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* > \*\*Naming a city or group of people after a peculiar food that they eat is not unique to Boston. The British called the French “frog eaters” which was shortened to “frogs.” The Brits themselves were called “limeys” because their sailors ate limes. And the people who live in Hamburg, Germany, are called … \*\* Yes, I’ve heard that one, but I remember a footnote somewhere that stated the French Royal Coat-of-Arms contained the image of a toad, and that it was misinterpreted by others as a frog - thus the frog appelation for the French. ---
**Author:** ![larod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@larod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larod)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/12 "2002-06-20T17:59:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* > \*\*Naming a city or group of people after a peculiar food that they eat is not unique to Boston. The British called the French “frog eaters” which was shortened to “frogs.” The Brits themselves were called “limeys” because their sailors ate limes. And the people who live in Hamburg, Germany, are called … \*\* Yes, I’ve heard that one, but I remember a footnote somewhere that stated the French Royal Coat-of-Arms contained the image of a toad, and that it was misinterpreted by others as a frog - thus the frog appelation for the French. ---
**Author:** ![Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smashed_Ice_Cream)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/13 "2002-06-20T19:10:00Z")
Hey \*\* Dex\*\*- I grew up near a town called Frogtown, PA, and I was always told that “Frog” in regards to the French was a butchered pronouciation of “Franq” - Franq-town = Frogtown to our delicate American ears. (Evidentally there was a settlement of French folks there.) You don’t happen to know if there’s any vaildity to that explanation, do you? (Although growing up in rural western PA, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was just a population of people who ate frogs. There are a lot of frogs around there. Or they named the town after the frogs. Or the frogs took over city hall and named it after themselves.) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beantown/113777/14 "2002-06-21T00:52:41Z")
**smashed** The “frog” appellation for a detestible person goes back before the US was was around. There is no evidence of a “mispronounciation of franq” in Europe. As to whether there was a town in Pa. in which people morphed “franq-town to frogtown”, who knows? Pennsylvanians(and Ohioans) never could pronounce things.