Romaine wasn't built in a day The delightful history of food language

Some food names have obvious origins: Brussels sprout, Brazil nut, Roquefort cheese, Manhattan cocktail. Others are much more obscure. Accomplished medievalist Tschann turns her linguistic skills to sussing out the origins of all manner of food-related words. Examining whatever differences there might be between lunch and luncheon, she uncovers an older word from Jane Austen: noonshine. An entire chapter focuses on the roots of mixological terms. Not many know that a martini sprang from a Martinez, named for a town in California's Bay Area. Other cocktail monikers are simply inscrutable: fuzzy navel, Harvey Wallbanger. Celery derives ultimately from Greek, but in Middle English, the vegetable was called smallage. Tschann also addresses the roots of carrot, carat, karat, and caret. With good humor, Tschann romps through the etymology of deli staples pastrami and pumpernickel to hilarious effect. To delve further into oddities, she explains how holy butt was cleaned up to become halibut. Tschann's approach is lighthearted, but her aim is serious, and this well-indexed book will be useful in a library reference collection.