The Language of Food

October 1, 2014
The evolution of the names and ingredients in popular foods.Have you ever wondered why ketchup bottles have the word "tomato" on them, why you "toast" to someone's health or why salt is used in the process of making ice cream? In this thoroughly researched book, Jurafsky (Linguistics and Computer Science/Stanford Univ.) answers these questions and many more as he explores the interconnected worlds of food and words. Combining history, geography and etymology, the author travels the world searching for the origins of ethnic dishes and provides readers with a fascinating study of how foods, and the words used to describe them, have been modified over the centuries as cuisines have been absorbed into local cultures. English, Dutch and Portuguese sailors traveled to Asia and brought back fermented fish stews and sauces that added new flavor combinations to the European diet. Spices from India and the Middle East were traded around the globe, and the New World introduced turkey, corn and avocados to the large food-trading houses in Europe. Combining history with modern computer programs to analyze data, the author examines the subtle nuances in the language used on a menu, which can help indicate whether a restaurant is expensive or not. He also studies the way negative words used in product descriptions help push consumers into thinking one brand of potato chips is far superior to another, when in fact, both brands are made from potatoes cooked in oil and covered in salt. Jurafsky also includes intriguing recipes for dishes such as a version of fish stew from 13th-century Egypt or a 1545 recipe from a Tudor cookbook called Chekyns upon soppes ("basically chicken on cinnamon toast"). A highly informative and entertaining compendium of food and word facts sure to appeal to foodies and etymologists alike.

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October 1, 2014
Except possibly for sex, no other aspect of human language holds as much fascination for both the professional linguist and the layperson as do the words we use for food and eating. Jurafsky doggedly hunts down the origins of words such as turkey and sherbet. He offers a marvelous story showing that an Egyptian meat stew, sikbaj, migrated west and north across the Mediterranean basin, eventually becoming England's signature fish and chips. Traveling even farther and with greater consequence for the world's palates, ketchup began as a condiment made from fermented fish and journeyed from China and Southeast Asia to become an ecumenical phenomenon after the discovery of the New World's tomato. Liquors and other alcoholic drinks have their own ancient vocabulary, and it's believed that the world's oldest surviving recipe is for brewing beer. Jurafsky's parsing of the vocabulary used in online restaurant reviews should serve as an object lesson for all presumptive food critics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)