What’s In a Name?
The fancy names always have lent extra appetite for our favourite cuisines. And as they say, “Everything happens for a reason”, we bring you some solid reasoning behind the naming of some of the iconic dishes. We bring you the interesting history behind the etymology of 5 iconic dishes.
- Barbecue
The history behind this etymology is very vast. The light thrown on the French origin states that the name is derived from the combination of two French words for beard and tail, “barbe” and “queue”. Supposedly it means that a dish prepared this way was cooked throughout the length. It is said that the combination is meant to refer to roasting a pig when you cook it from its top (beard) to its tail. But a majority of the sources claim that the name is derived from the Carribean word “Barbacoa” which originally refers to the wooden structure used to cook food. Eventually, with frequent usage, the word came to mean the cooking technique altogether.
Source-
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/12/origin-word-barbecue/
2. Hot Dogs
Sausages were immensely popular in Germany. Different people decided to name sausages differently. The place of origin was debated and disputed. The sausages were named as Frankfuters by people who claimed that it originated in Frankfurt. Others called it “ Wiener” claiming that it originated in Vienna (Wien). How it came to be called a “Hot Dog” is another interesting story. The makers tried to popularize the sausage dish among the people by shouting out. Vendors used to shout, “They are red hot! Get your Dachshund while they are red hot!”. A cartoonist drew a barking sausage wrapped warmly in rolls, signifying the clamor around the dish. Eventually, this sausage came to know as Hot Dog.
Source-
http://www.hot-dog.org/culture/hot-dog-history
3. Hamburger
Hamburger is a demonym which is derived from Hamburg. Hamburg, in Germany, is the place of origin of this dish. Ground meat was a sensation long before this dish was invented. The modern hamburger was a product of the culinary needs of a society rapidly changing due to industrialization and therefore having less time to prepare and consume meals. The history of Hamburger is very disputed. To make the meat more tender, the German immigrants would grind up the steak and named it “Hamburg Steak” which eventually came to be known hamburger, as a short form. The claims to the origin of this dish is highly disputed.
Sources-
http://burgerdoctor.com/burgerology-origin-of-the-hamburger.html
4. Graham Crackers
These crackers are named after a Minister,Sylvester Graham. His goal was to curb carnal desires and a “Graham Diet” like this, he thought, would proved instrumental in that direction.In 1800s, with industrialization, the mass production of bread lacked essential nutrients and the wholesomeness reduced considerably. Thus Graham began to market whole wheat flour which was named after him.he encouraged people to bake their own bread including his recipe of “Graham Cracker”. But today this dish has undergone a makeover.It is a very popular snack and sometimes an essential ingredient in preparing other dishes.
5. Nachos
Though served in Mexican restaurant, Nachos don’t have Mexican origin. This dish was named after its creator, Ignacio Anaya. He was nicknamed, Nacho, since he was short in stature. Nacho was an accidental invention.
