Product Description
by Martha Barnette (Author)
What naughty joke is tucked inside every loaf of pumpernickel? Why do we call it a Tootsie Roll? How did a drunken brawl lead to the name lobster Newburg? What squiggly creature inspired the name of the pasta called vermicelli?
Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies reveals the surprising stories behind the names we give to the foods we eat. With her witty, engaging style, Martha Barnette serves up a savory feast of history, culture, folklore, and science.
Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as one of the "The 100 Best Books of the Year," Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies is a delectable exploration of the language of food and drink. For cooking enthusiasts and word lovers alike, this book provides a smorgasbord of knowledge and bountiful food for thought.
"Everything in it is delightful to learn. Barnette takes us through languages and across millennia in a charming style that, starting with words describing things we eat, turns out to offer endless food for thought."
-- The New Yorker
"Truly delicious . . . a vast multicultural smorgasbord of our culinary delights . . . a tour de force."
-- Gene Bluestein, Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Ladyfingers will be savored by anyone with a fondness for food and a passion for language."
--Francine Prose, People magazine
"Why didn't anybody think of this before? . . . What fun Martha Barnette has made of it all, every name for every dish explained and traced and jollied."
--William F. Buckley, Jr.
Front Jacket
Everything in [this book] is delightful to learn. Barnette takes us through languages and across millennia in a charming style . . . that offers endless food for thought. --The New Yorker
What makes the pretzel a symbol of religious devotion, and what pasta is blasphemous in every bite? How did a drunken brawl lead to the name lobster Newburg? What naughty joke is contained in a loaf of pumpernickel? Why is cherry a misnomer, and why aren't refried beans fried twice? You'll find the answers in this delectable exploration of the words we put into our mouths.
Here are foods named for the things they look like, from cabbage (from the Old North French caboche, "head") to vermicelli ("little worms"). You'll learn where people dine on nun's tummy and angel's breast. There are foods named after people (Graham crackers) and places (peaches), along with commonplace terms derived from words involving food and drink (dope, originally a Dutch word for "dipping sauce"). Witty, bawdy, and stuffed with stories, Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies is a feast of history, culture, and language.
"Why didn't anyone think of this before? . . . What fun Martha Barnette has made of it all, every name for every dish explained and traced and jollied." --William F. Buckley, Jr.
