Skip to main content
Skip to main content

Hot on HuffPost Food:

See More Stories
Tell us what you think for a chance at $1000!


You say apricot, I say...

I noticed a lot of comments about the name of the potential Ben & Jerry's flavor "Apricotabra." Whether or not the flavor - vanilla with apricot preserves - sounded appealing, most people didn't seem to like the name. I, too, found it awkward to think about, let alone to say aloud. The reason is that they word is a play on "abracadabra" that does not work for all English speakers because there are two entirely different ways to pronounce the name of the small stone fruit: ah-pricot and ape-ricot (I'd put the significantly more accurate phonetic transcription for any linguists out there, but my IPA fonts would probably not be visible on your screens via the Slashfood interface anyway).

If you take the ape-ricot pronunciation, they play on words that is supposed to be there just doesn't quite work. Doubtless, this would not be a selling point for Ben & Jerry's, who probably want people to be able to speak the names of their flavors aloud without stumbling over poor constructions. It may taste great, but no one will ever know if they're disinclined to buy it in the first place.

Filed Under: Ingredients
Tags: apricot, apricots, ben and jerry's, fruit, fruits, ice cream, linguistics, pronunciation, recipe

Sponsored Links

Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

Darcy

9-23-2006 @4:56PM Darcy said... For some reason that name reminded me of chupacabra...lol.
Reply

lottie

9-24-2006 @10:57AM lottie said... so that's what the name refers to! i had no idea where they were trying to go with it.
Reply

david kralik

9-24-2006 @9:24PM david kralik said... here's a video on how Ice Cream is Made from the National Association of Manufacturers.

http://blog.nam.org/archives/2006/09/cool_stuff_bein_35.php
Reply

3 Comments / 1 Pages

Most Popular Stories

  • FDA Still Struggling to Define

    FDA Still Struggling to Define "Gluten-Free"Read More

  • This Omelet Recipe Is Written On the Egg Itself

    This Omelet Recipe Is Written On the Egg ItselfRead More

  • Why Jewish Food Disappoints

    Why Jewish Food DisappointsRead More

Latest Flickr Feed


Sponsored Links