Yes, I have. But it’s not really my fault. There are different official spellings, and even different names, for some common culinary terms depending on where they’re coming from. And it’s important to respect a food’s origins as well as to respect the food itself…
Is it Arugula… ‘Ruchette’, ‘Roquette’, ‘Rocket’, ‘Tira Mira’, ‘Tarmura’, ‘Rucola’, or ‘Sharishapa’?
There are may different cases in which different cultures – some in widely separated locations – have developed similar dishes. And, as you might expect, they also developed different names for them…
Some differences are minor…
For instance, the French spelling for that fluffy egg dish is ‘omelette’. The common American spelling is ‘Omelet’.
Another subtly different spelling situation involves that layered Italian noodle dish: It’s ‘Lasagne’ in Italy and much of the rest of the world. In the US, it’s ‘Lasagna’.
… Some, more complicated
American Hot Dogs are referred to as ‘Vienna Sausages’ or ‘Frankfurters’ in Europe.
‘Shrimp’ and ‘Prawn’ are technically different species. But Brits call them all ‘Prawns’. Nobody knows why.
A ‘Tortilla’ in Mexico is a flatbread. In Spain, it’s an omellette.
What North Americans commonly refer to as ‘Oatmeal’, Brits call ‘Porridge’.
Brits call Zucchini by it’s French name, ‘Courgette’. And Eggplant is ‘Aubergine’. Now you know what Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay have been talking about all this time…
While we’re at it, Brits call ‘Arugula’ ‘Rocket’. It started out in Italy as ‘Ruchette’. Then came to France as ‘Roquette’. And finally jumped the Channel as ‘Rocket’. In Hindi, it’s Tira Mira’, in Urdu, ‘Tarmura’, in Maylaysian, ‘Rucola’, and in Sanskrit, ‘Sharishapa’…
They call it ‘Coriander’ in Asia. But in Spain and the New World, it’s ‘Cilantro’.
In Britain, ‘Biscuits’ are ‘Scones’. And ‘Cookies’ are ‘Biscuits’.
And the biggest Britboggle of all…
In the UK, ‘Chips’ are what we call ‘Fries’. In French-speaking countries, they’re ‘Frites’. And what we call ‘Chips’, the Brits call ‘Crisps’. Got it?
My take
There are many more such examples. If you run across an unfamiliar food name or cooking term, DO take the time to Google it. Chances are, you’ll find it’s just something familiar under a different name…
~ Maggie J.