"origin" news and stories

What the heck does 'gourmand' mean, anyway?

by Ellen Slattery, Posted Jan 23rd 2008 @ 3:00PM

Anu Garg's new book, "The Dord, The Diglot, and an Avocado or Two: The Hidden Lives and Strange Origins of Common and Not-so-common Words" combines two of my favorite things: food and etymology. Bibliophiles might know Garg from Wordsmith, his 600,000-subscriber word-a-day e-mail system.

Now, while the book isn't entirely about food, Garg, a vegan, devotes one entire chapter to the meaning behind food words (gourmand, by the way, comes from the word gormant, which means glutton - share that one at your next dinner party!)

Some other fun word origins? 'Calzone' means 'trouser leg,' 'taco' means 'plug' or 'wad' (ew), and a 'trencherman' is a hearty eater. Hey - what about us trencherwomen? Check out the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's review of the book for more.

So, next time you're gathered postprandial, use this book as fodder in your conversation about aristology to impress your guests.

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Filed under: Raves & Reviews, Books

US Meat labels to show origin

COMMENTS 1

by Jonathan M. Forester, Posted Jul 24th 2007 @ 12:01PM

I'm a big proponent in truth and origins in product labeling, so when I heard that finally the House Agriculture Committee had voted last Thursday night to require country of origin labels on meats beginning next year I was pretty pleased. This law has been on the table for many years, most recently back in 2002 the law came close but didn't make it because of political delays. Now it becomes law in 2008, partly because of all the food scares and problems with China. Because the law also pertains to seafood, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, it became law much easier than the meat labeling section. Several states have already required labeling laws, but now it will be much more widespread.

I like to buy local and regional whenever possible, but at least like to know where my food is coming from. Some meat products I'll buy from other areas such as New Zealand or Australian lamb because the rib chops on the rack are smaller and more full flavored than the much larger US lamb. So they are better for lamb chop 'lollipops' for hors d'ourves, while for a lamb roast I prefer the milder and larger US lamb.

I'm also glad that fruit, vegetables, and seafood will now require the origin label. Some countries fish or farm safely, and with sustainable agriculture and fishing methods; while others are known for less safe and more damaging methods. Now we will have the ability to make the choice on where we want our food dollars to go, whether for political or economical reasons, or just plain 'ole taste.

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Filed under: Farming, Business, Trends, Stores & Shopping, Did you know?, Ingredients

UK Farmers push for origin labels

COMMENTS 0

by Nicole Weston, Posted Feb 15th 2007 @ 2:06PM

Since excluding imported organic products from using the word "organic" is probably not something that is going to happen in the UK any time soon, farmers are still looking for ways to strengthen their appeal with consumers and the position of their products on supermarket shelves. They are now proposing that the country of origin be clearly labeled on all products. Currently, all foods processed in the UK can claim to be "made in the UK," but this labeling scheme would have the country that the ingredients were sourced from identified.

The real motivation behind it is that foods sourced from elsewhere have less traceability than UK-based products, as manufacturing and processing standards may be lower elsewhere. A move like this would potentially increase the trust that consumers have in UK-made products, where the processing standards are known, and as a result, support UK-based farmers.

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Filed under: Trends, Stores & Shopping

California tightening standards for wine labels

COMMENTS 0

by Nicole Weston, Posted Oct 5th 2006 @ 12:03PM

While some producers might balk at this legislative change, it is one that will add a little more clarity to the California wine industry. Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill last weekend that prohibits wineries from using "Sonoma" as part of their name unless at least 75% of the grapes used to produce it were grown in Sonoma County. "Sonoma transcends a county name and has become nearly a brand name synonymous with quality wine produced by some of the greatest vintners in the world," Schwarzenegger said. A similar decision was reached last year regarding Napa wines and regulations may eventually be put in place to regulate other wine-growing areas, such as Mendocino County, and restrict the use of those names.

Not too many wines should be affected by the change, but any brands that are out of compliance will have until December 31st, 2008 to change their labels to reflect a non-Sonoma origin. A California appellation will probably be used in place of county references for these wines.

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Filed under: Business, Drink Recipes

How hot dogs got their name

COMMENTS 2

by Nicole Weston, Posted May 19th 2006 @ 11:02AM

Perhaps with an eye towards ballpark munchies and the upcoming grilling season, someone asked Yahoo! how hot dogs got their name. They directed the questioner over to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council which has come up with a (semi) definitive answer, since no one really seems to know the exact origin. One thing is clear: it's an American name, even if the sausages themselves were German.

Apparently, the name originated in the 1800s, when a large number of German immigrants began to move to the US. With them, they brought lots of sausages, but they also brought long, thin, dachshund dogs. The similarity in shape between the two is what probably prompted someone to dub the sausages "hot dogs" and the name stuck. No one person can be attributed to this, but the name was so popular that for many years, when someone said they wanted a "dog," they were inevitably referring to the frankfurter and not to a puppy.

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Filed under: Did you know?, Ingredients