Eat Your Words. Paul Convery
* flour from whole wheat grains, with some loss of bran and germ
wineberry * a contender for the earliest word for grape in the English language
winter banana * an apple cultivar recommended for eating fresh in the hand
witherslacks * a Northern dialectal term for damsons
witloof * the Belgian endive, a type of chicory mostly grown as a salad green
xocolatl * chocolate, or “bitter water” in the original Nahuatl; a plant food produced from roasted cocoa beans and spices given to Aztec warriors as a reward for bravery
yatsufusa * a hot speciality chilli pepper native to Japan
ynneleac * an Anglo-Saxon onion; as the name suggests, onions and leeks are alliaceous vegetable cousins
youngberry * a raspberry, blackberry, and dewberry triple-hybrid food fruit
yuca * cassava or manioc root, an edible tuber rich in starch
yuzu * a fragrant Japanese citrus fruit; the rind is a garnish and the juice a seasoning
za’atar * Middle Eastern spice mix
zahidi * a common semi-dry date; it “dates” as a human food crop to 4000 BCE
zedoary * white turmeric, an aromatic culinary root with qualities similar to ginger
zenvy * ground wild mustard seeds used as a food spice in West Country patois
zerumbet * Indian “bitter ginger,” a rare traditional spice and flavouring agent
zinziber * an archaic name for ginger
zizypha * a cover term for a range of sweet edible berries or dates, or “jujubes”
zucchini * the courgette as it is known stateside, a popular summer squash
Items and Ingredients from the Animal World
“Nothing helps scenery like ham and eggs.”
—Mark Twain
abalone * a species of edible marine snails, enjoyed raw or cooked
acacia * the most popular variety of honey among modern consumers
aileron * in culinary parlance, poultry wings or fish fins used as food
aitchbone * a beef cut lying over the buttock, or rump bone, of cattle
albacore * a commercially important table fish, being the chief source of canned tuna
albondigas * small Spanish or Latin American-style meatballs
alecs * herring; a name also sometimes given to pickled anchovies
amberjacks * a genus of food and game fish found in temperate and tropical waters
andouille * a spicy smoked pork and tripe sausage popular in Cajun cooking
angelot * a soft, rich cheese from Normandy
animelles * a culinary term for testicles, most especially from oxen and sheep, cooked and served as food
anthotyros * a fresh, “flowery” traditional Greek whey cheese
appetitost * a nutty semisoft Danish cheese made from sour buttermilk
asadero * a flavourful semisoft white cheese from Mexico
asetra * a highly prized type of caviar, obtained from the Ossetra sturgeon
asiago * a many-textured Italian cow’s milk cheese
aspic * a clear jelly obtained from meat stock used to glaze cold savoury dishes
Australorp * a breed of chicken with a reputation as a copious egg producer
axayacatl * “Mexican caviar,” aquatic insect eggs enjoyed since Aztec times
ayren * hen’s eggs, as they were known in days of yore
baconer * a pig reared solely to produce bacon
barramundi * the Asian sea bass, a popular item in Thai cuisine
bêche-de-mer * the flesh of the sea-worm, esteemed in the Far East as a delicacy
beefalo * a bovine-bison hybrid; its meat is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef
beestings * the protein-rich super-milk yielded by a cow or goat upon giving birth
beluga * the world’s most expensive type of caviar, from the fish of the same name
bierkase * a semisoft “beer cheese” originating in Germany
biltong * “buttock-tongue,” strips of lean, cured meat eaten as field rations in the veld
bindenfleisch * an air-dried beef product from Switzerland
blacang * a Malaysian fermented shrimp paste, also known as terasi
bloater * a whole herring soaked in brine before being smoked
blutwurst * German “blood” or black pudding
bockwurst * traditional German sausage made from ground veal
boerewors * South African spicy sausage
boloney * Bologna sausage
bonito * the flesh of a tunny-like food fish—a cheap substitute for skipjack tuna
bonnyclabber * a thickly clotted sour milk, somewhat akin to cottage cheese
botargo * mullet roe pressed to form rolls of fish paste or relish
boudin * French black pudding
boulette * a whiffy Flanders cheese
Boursault * an internationally popular modern French cheese made from cow’s milk
Brangus * a hardy trademarked beef cattle cross
branzino * the flesh of the sea bass used as food
bratwurst * German fresh link sausage, usually made from pork
brawn * cooked meat from the head of a pig or a calf, pressed and potted in jelly
bresaola * Lombardy air-dried salted beef
Brillat-Savarin * a triple-cream Brie named for one of the great historical gourmets
brisket * one of the nine primal beef cuts, taken from the breast of the animal
brisling * the Norwegian sprat, an abundant and versatile food fish
brynza * a feta-like cheese produced throughout Eastern Europe and Asia Minor
bucheron * a semi-aged goat’s cheese from the Loire
buckling * smoked and salted herring, gutted and throated but leaving the roe
bummalow * the “Bombay duck,” a lizardfish whose dried flesh is eaten as a relish
burrata * an Italian buffalo milk cheese, essentially a creamed mozzarella
busycon * a genus of edible sea snail; the term originally denoted a large fig
butterine * an artificial butter manufactured from animal fat with milk intermixed
caciocavallo * a semisoft, stretched-curd cheese made historically from mare’s milk
calamari * meaning “inkpot,” squid considered as a culinary resource
calico * a type of edible scallop harvested in open Atlantic waters
calipash * turtle meat, specifically the gelatinous green upper-shell portion