# Unusual (to me) food name **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331 "2013-08-04T16:12:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/21 "2013-08-04T19:35:47Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Agreed, its right next to aubergine in my brain, filed under “shit British people say.” > > Arugula is an Italian word, and probably arrived on our shores via Italian immigration. The British, I think, got “rocket” from the French. > [@elfkin477](#): > > I know what it is, but I’ve been under the assumption it’s a phonetic misspelling of roquette. I have no idea if this is accurate, but I was told the French word was _roquette_. [Online Etymology Dictionary](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=arugula) > [@](#): > > arugula (n.) edible cruciform plant (Eruca sativa) used originally in the Mediterranean region as a salad; the American English and Australian form of the name is (via Italian immigrants) from dialectal variant of Italian ruchetta, a diminutive form of ruca-, from Latin eruca, a name of some cabbage-like plant, from PIE \*gher(s)-uka-, from root \*ghers- “to bristle” (see horror). > > In England, the usual name is rocket (see rocket (n.1)), which is from Italian ruchetta via French roquette. It also sometimes is called hedge mustard. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/22 "2013-08-04T19:46:10Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Why is arugula not acceptable for the OP’s word game? Is it not an English word? Is it Spanish? It was asking for a specific word, based on a picture. The letters for arugala were not available in the scrambled tiles (which also includes extra letters–think Scrabble) And there were only a certain number of letters in the word (think hangman). Here’s a [screenshot](http://s9.postimg.org/x1sejwwpb/i_Phone_word_game_rocket.png) of the game she sent me. In fact, I used a Scrabble dictionary just to help her so she could move on to the next word. Rocket was in it, but I had no idea it could be a green. I also had to help her with bolognese. And that wasn’t in the Scrabble dictionary. I only figured it out after she “bought” a couple free letters and told me the word was \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ e \_ e. Firefox doesn’t even recognize it as a word. And, to be honest, I only knew the word because of the Dope. I, like her, would have just thought spaghetti or pasta. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/23 "2013-08-04T19:51:52Z")
I’m Canadian. Of course I know what Rockets are. They’re those pill-like little candies that come in wrapped clear packages. They’re what Americans call “smarties,” but Canadian smarties are something entirely different. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/24 "2013-08-04T20:04:31Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Never heard of it before, never used arugula in my cooking either though, and wouldn’t be able to point out arugula in a line-up of various salad greens. US citizen, born and raised in Oregon and moved to Houston for several years now. Never once ever heard it, and cooking is a hobby of mine. When you buy [bagged “spring mix” salad](http://www.freshexpress.com/product/tender-leaf-mixes/spring-mix.aspx), arugula is one of the greens in that mix. There’s probably bagged arugula right next to it in the supermarket. It’s not real visually distinct from other lettuces and greens especially when it’s a young plant. It has a taste sort of like black pepper, that’s how you know it. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/25 "2013-08-04T20:59:46Z")
The only “rocket” food I’ve ever heard of is “[rocket pops](http://www.grocerycouponnetwork.com/images/food-products/Giant_Rocket_Pops.jpg).” ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/26 "2013-08-04T21:27:43Z")
I know what it is because rocket salad was referenced on Venture Brothers and I went 😕 and looked it up. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/27 "2013-08-04T21:41:01Z")
I know what it is from gardening many years ago, going to the farmer’s market and cookbooks. missred, originally from the midwest and has resided in Tennessee for the past 18 years. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/28 "2013-08-05T01:38:36Z")
I only learned the name rocket within the last five years and that was from cooking shows. I grew up in an Italian neighborhood and am more used to calling it arugula. But the only time I use it in conversation is to say “no thanks, I don’t care for arugula.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/29 "2013-08-05T01:54:17Z")
Lived in West Texas and points west. Never heard of this. and I never heard it from my relatives in Arkansas that I can recall. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/30 "2013-08-05T01:55:15Z")
I would describe the taste as more radishy than peppery, myself. But it definitely has a zing of some sort to it. And I’ve never heard of it being called “rocket”. If pressed, I might have guessed that “roquette” was some sort of salad green, but wouldn’t have known that it was the same thing as arugula. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/31 "2013-08-05T02:01:15Z")
I’m going to move this to CS. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/32 "2013-08-05T02:15:52Z")
I never would have guessed it, but after hearing the answer I realized that I’ve encountered rocket for arugula a few times but never enough to stick it into memory. I also don’t like arugula. I get mixed salad greens at the supermarket regularly but avoid the ones with arugula. Too bitter. I think I might be a bitter supertaster. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/33 "2013-08-05T02:42:37Z")
I’ve never heard of rocket in this context. The first time I ever heard of arugula was from Steve Martin’s character in the movie **My Blue Heaven**. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HVbFk8-eP7c/maxresdefault.jpg "Arugula - My Blue Heaven") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVbFk8-eP7c) ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/34 "2013-08-05T04:32:20Z")
Rocket is what it is called in England. I got strange looks for calling it arugula at a meal there many years ago. But hey, they call zucchini “courgette” so they clearly borrow more food words from the French and we do from the Italian. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/35 "2013-08-05T04:41:16Z")
Yeah but I worked in fine dining for many years so I learned about a lot of different produce. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/36 "2013-08-05T05:08:37Z")
If you said, “rocket” and pronounced it like a space rocket, I would have no idea. If you said, “roquette” and prnounced it with the “long o” sound, then I would know it was some sort of greens. I did not realize it was the same thing as arugula, though. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/37 "2013-08-05T06:15:52Z")
It’s always been rocket here, and it’s quite common in salads. I had to look up what arugula was when the Obama thing came up, like I had to look up cilantro when I first encountered it. Just to add more confusion, while I now know cilantro as coriander, when I grew up, that was _dhania_. And aubergines were _brinjals_. And courgettes were _baby marrows_. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/38 "2013-08-05T11:24:50Z")
Cilantro/coriander: Typically in the US, we call the leaves cilantro and the seeds coriander. Apparently we got the first term via Mexican cuisine and the second via Indian/not-Spanish European/UK English terminology. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/39 "2013-08-05T11:40:34Z")
I thought this thread was going to be about “[nutffles](http://www.nutffles.com/)” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331/40 "2013-08-05T12:33:04Z")
Upstate NY, and never heard it used to referred to food, other than Rocket Ice Cream bars, though I’ve never heard them called a “rocket” alone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-me-food-name/665331.md?page=3)