[I’ve posted this in CS as it’s about a book, although one still being written. If IMHO or elsewhere is deemed more appropriate, please move it mods, and delete this para.]
The idea is a light-hearted and entertaining collection of articles about things that don’t come from where they sound like they do. I have quite a list of candidates and have written maybe 30 of the articles so far. I’ve gone through foods, dog and cat breeds, plants, diseases, and many other categories but I fear I’ve missed a lot of possibilities. To give you the idea here are some I’ve done so far:
Guinea pigs
Panama hats
Spanish Flu
Damask cloth
Balinese cats
French Letters
Dutch caps
Dutch treat
Parmigiana
Norway rats
A second list I’m gathering (either for a follow-up book or to extend the one I’m working on) is kind of the opposite - things which are named after places but don’t sound like it (or that it’s little-known that they are), such as denim, spa and bayonet.
I’d appreciate any ideas anyone has for either list! I’ll let you know here if any get posted that I don’t have yet and which check out; I’ll be happy to credit any contributors if they so wish.
Catgut (from sheep and horses)
October revolution (November on our calendar)
Camel’s hair brush (e.g. squirrel)
Canary Islands (probably from canaria = dog)
Chinese Gooseberries (Kiwifruit, from New Zealand)
Welsh Rabbit (/rarebit) (= cheese on toast!)
panache45: thanks, that’s a good possibility I’ll add into the “maybe” list, it’ll go well with Chinese Burn and Chinese Whispers.
AppallingGael: I had jeans but not dungarees in my second list, so that’s a definite! Thanks!
glee: both lists are exclusively geographical, so stuff like catgut doesn’t work for me. I do have Kiwifruit/Chinese gooseberries (which BTW originate from Thailand). The Canary Islands is an interesting one I hadn’t thought of in this context; it’s a place apparently named after dogs whereas I have dogs apparently named after places.
I greatly appreciate the contributions, and would love to get more!
I’m sorta confused…but does Boston butt count? It’s the name of a cut of pork, named for the way it was cut in Boston. But it’s not the ass it’s the shoulder.
French letters – neither letters nor French (though a bit dated)
Turkeys – not from Turkey at all
Indians (in the New World)
German Chocolate Cake – invented in the US by Samuel German
Salad dressing are fertile ground:
Russian dressing – invented in the US
Thousand Island dressing – may be named for the Thousand Islands in NY, but did not originate there.
French dressing – what is usually bottled as French dressing in the US is unknown in France, though the term also is used outside the US to mean “vinaigrette,” which is French.
Italian dressing – US version unknown in Italy.
ZipperJJ: no, but thanks; for the main list it has to be a misleading origin, so the geographical term has to be wrong. For the second list it has to be obscure that the name comes from a geographical source at all.
kenobi 65: Yep, got those two, but thanks for contributing.
jormundgondir: I’d never heard of the Irish Carbomb, cocktails are an area I hadn’t really thought of, aside from the Manhattan which sadly does come from there. Not so sure about the pizza, but I should at least go onto my maybe list. Thank you!
RealityChuck: I have French letters (in my OP actually) and Indians are covered in the Indian Giver article. Turkeys are a great one, definitely in! I should have thought of that once I had Guinea Pigs. I didn’t know German Chocolate Cake was a specific variety in the US … we have Chocolate Bavarian cakes here which look very similar. Another definite maybe Thank you!
:smack: I already had turkeys in my Definite list
I had Bombay Duck but sadly it does come from the area around Bombay/Mumbai so is ineligible
I’ll check out those hot dogs though; food is a really big source of this kind of stuff! Thanks.
Thank you!