Why do the U.S. and the U.K. use different names for the same foods?

Even though we speak the same language as the Brits, walking into a grocery store across the pond can feel like learning a whole new code. Why do we use completely different terms for the exact same thing? Setting aside cooking and recipes, it all comes down to centuries of history, different language roots, immigration, and old trade roots. Here is the fascinating story behind the word origins that drove these transatlantic food names apart.

Over centuries of farming trade, these green onions have had different names. In the United States, we use the word scallion, which can be traced back to Old French (escalogne) and Latin (Ascalonius), meaning "onion of Ascalon", an ancient port city in the Levant (modern-day Israel) famous for growing this vegetable.

The preferred British term, in contrast, is a straightforward description based on the time of year (spring) when these young onions are harvested.

The general term sausage is rooted in the Latin salsus ("salted"), entering English via the Old French saucisse to describe minced meat preserved in casings.

The British colloquialism banger, however, is a 20th-century linguistic creation. Originating during the meat shortages of World War I, pork links were stretched with water, cereal, and starches. When placed into a hot frying pan, the trapped internal moisture turned to steam, causing the casings to rupture with a popping sound. The resulting noise gave rise to the moniker "bangers".

The history of baked goods reflects centuries of trade and travel around the world. The word biscuit comes from the Latin bis cactus (meaning "twice-cooked"). It passed through Old French as the word we use today to describe hard-baked items made to last on long ocean voyages.

The word cookie came to America through early Dutch settlers in New Netherlands (now New York). It stems from the Dutch word koekje, a diminutive version of koek ("cake"). In brief, British English kept the Latin-based term for dry baked snacks, and American English adopted the Dutch word to describe a treat similar to a small cake.

Used in British English, the word aubergine was adopted from French, which inherited the term from the Catalan albergínia. This European form can be traced back through the Arabic al-bāḏinjān, which itself borrows from the ancient Persian bādengān and ultimately the Sanskrit vāti-maṅga. The plant itself is native to southern or eastern Asia, so it’s no surprise that the word has undergone a linguistic journey rooted in the East.

But in the United States, we use the term eggplant instead, which emerged in the 18th century because early European varieties imported to America looked remarkably similar in color, size, and shape to white or yellow goose eggs.

While both words designate cured cuts from the hind leg of a pig, their historical roots reflect different aspects of Germanic and Romance vocabulary development in medieval Europe. Ham is a direct inheritance from Old English hamm, which originally referred not to the meat itself, but to the hollow or bend of the knee or the thigh of an animal.

Gammon, on the other hand, entered English during the Middle English period via Old French (gamon), deriving from jambe (leg), which traces back to the Late Latin gambum. While American English merged these terms under just "ham", British English kept the etymological distinction between the raw cured cut (gammon) and the finished product.

These tiny, colorful sugar decorations used on ice cream and baked goods have completely different names on either side of the Atlantic. In American English they are called sprinkles, a name derived from the verb sprinkle, which traces back to Middle English and Germanic roots meaning to scatter small particles or droplets.

Funnily enough, in Britain they are known as hundreds & thousands, a playful descriptive phrase from the 19th century that refers to the sheer multitude of tiny sugar beads packed together on a treat.

Both terms for this green summer squash share a distant ancestor in the Latin cucurbita ("gourd"), but they took different paths through Romance languages. Americans use zucchini, which comes directly from zucchina, the plural diminutive form of the Italian zucca ("pumpkin or gourd").

The British term courgette arrived via the French language as a diminutive form of courge ("gourd"). Therefore, both words etymologically mean "little gourd", separated only by whether Italian or French traders and loanwords dominated the respective nation’s lexicon.

Even though this peppery green has different names today, they both come from the same ancient word. Rocket, used in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, evolved from the French roquette. This French term is a direct descendant of the Latin noun eruca, the ancient name for the plant.

Arugula, on the other hand, entered American English as a loanword from regional Italian dialects (specifically rucola), which is a corruption of the Latin eruca. In the end, despite of sounding very different, both rocket and arugula are phonetic variations of the same ancient Roman botanical term.

The term French fries (often shortened to "fries" in the U.S.) refers to the culinary technique of "Frenching"—cutting vegetables into long, thin strips—popularized in American English during the early 20th century.

In British English, fried potato strips are called simply chips, using an existing English word traditionally used for carved pieces of wood or stone. To distinguish thin, bagged potato slices from hot potato chips, in the 20th century the British coined the term crisps, in reference to the adjective describing their brittle texture.

What people call this plant actually depends on whether they mean the seeds or the green leaves. The word coriander has ancient roots, entering English via Old French from the Latin coriandrum, which was borrowed from the Greek koriannon. Interestingly, linguists trace the Greek root back to koris (a bug), likely a reference to the pungent aroma of the fresh leaves.

Cilantro, used in American English specifically for the leaves, is the Spanish word for the plant, derived from the same Latin root (coriandrum).

WORDS AHOY!

Sail Away With These 10 Idioms And Words With Nautical Origins

Image: Crissy Jarvis

English is a true seafaring language, forged in the journeys of merchants and navies across the world’s seas. Contact with different cultures and languages has left an indelible mark on the language, and also, unsurprisingly, many nautical terms have seamlessly woven themselves into our vocabulary.

Let's dive deep into the origins of many common idioms and words with maritime roots, and discover the captivating stories behind these linguistic tides.

Image: Hilthart Pedersen

From sea battles to gambling tables, the term "long shot" has sailed through time with its core meaning unaltered. Dating back to the age of naval warfare, it referred to an improbable cannon shot from a considerable distance. Taking into account the inherent inaccuracy of early cannons, and the difficulties of aiming at sea, hitting your target in such conditions was considered more a result of luck than skill. Today, we still use it when the odds seem distant and success is a gamble.

Image: Robert Linder

Now mainly used together to refer to useless and discarded objects, these two terms describe slightly different things. Flotsam refers to floating objects that were accidentally lost at sea, or debris from a shipwreck that floats, while jetsam is deliberately thrown overboard. Interestingly, these words are still part of the legal lingo of maritime law.

Image: Yuda Feby

Ever felt slightly blue on a cloudy day? Well, you can thank sailors for that, too! While experiencing melancholy or feeling homesick during prolonged journeys was a common occurrence among seafarers, it turns out that the word initially referred to the blue flags that a crew would fly after the death of a captain or officer at sea. Eventually, the color became strongly associated with feelings of sadness and grief.

Image: Craig Cameron

When the wind unexpectedly shifts and blows the sails flat or against their masts, it is said that the ship is "taken aback." The term originated around the year 1200, derived from the Old English phrase "on bæc," meaning "at or on the back." In everyday language, it refers to being surprised or caught off guard.

Image: Annie Spratt

Sailors once proudly displayed their ship's flags to indicate their allegiance. However, some would deceptively fly a false flag (another phrase that became part of our modern vocabulary) until they were close enough to attack. It was generally accepted, even among pirates, that a ship should not fire without showing her true colors. Today, "showing one's true colors" means revealing one's real intentions. The phrase "to pass with flying colors" has a similar origin, as ships would hoist their regimental flags after winning a battle.

Image: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

When a ship keeps a safe distance from the shore to avoid underwater dangers, it's said to be "loof" or windward. It’s opposite would be "alee." The sailing technique of keeping aloof by steering away from the shore eventually influenced other uses of the word, regarding someone keeping physical or emotional distance from others.

Image: orbtal media

This expression combines "by the wind" and "large," two nautical terms that refer to different sailing directions. To sail "by the wind" means sailing into the wind, or as close to the wind as possible, while sailing "large" means to sail in the opposite direction of the wind, or as far from it as possible. Eventually, the combined terms evolved to mean "on the whole", or "considering all factors."

Image: Kevin Keith

Sailing through the equatorial regions of the globe, where sometimes there is little to no wind, became known as being "in the doldrums." Sail-powered ships would often become stuck in this region for weeks at a time until a sufficiently strong current of air could take them out of the dangerously quiet waters. Now, the phrase symbolizes a period of depressed inactivity or general stagnation.

Image: Robert Zunikoff

Sailing novices of yore had to learn the numerous ropes and rigging of ships to become able crew members. Learning to identify the many different types of ropes, knots, and sails aboard a ship was a complex task that required time and practice, but it was a crucial learning process. Thus, knowing the ropes became synonymous with being knowledgeable and experienced.

Image: Rock drum, CC BY-SA 4.0

This phrase has quite a humorous origin story. Reportedly, Admiral Horatio Nelson gave birth to this expression during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, where he literally turned a blind eye to orders by putting his telescope to his blind eye, ignoring a flagship’s signals to withdraw from the battlefield. Today, the phrase signifies willful ignorance, or pretending to not see something.