What’s in a Name?
Working at hungryhouse can be a challenging business at times. Having to consistently write about food means that I’m quite simply always hungry. There’s not many days that don’t pass when I haven’t craved pizza, Thai or Chinese food at least once, but more than likely several times throughout the day, sometimes simultaneously.
Cheddar, also a town in Somerset. Image by Quinn Anya
Fighting the cravings comes with the job and, as occupational downsides go, I can think of a lot worse. But what about those individuals who live in a place that inspired a type of food? Think of those poor folk in Bakewell whose locale will forever be associated with the sweet sticky tart of the same name. Are they constantly fighting sweet cravings? Or the cheese addicts who live in the village of Cheddar in Somerset, who are subconsciously reminded of cheese just in mentioning their town.
When you think about it the list is endless – Yorkshire pudding, Eccles cake andLancashire hotpot are just some of the many other foods indebted to a particular place.
It’s not just within the UK either. The USA has a strong history of linking food to place names – think Mississippi Mud Pie, New York Cheesecake and Long Island Iced Tea to name but a few. But these are just some of the more well-known associations. Travel through the South of the US and you’re likely to hit places such as Cookietown (Oklahoma), Pie Town (New Mexico) and even Spuds (Florida). There’s also numerous towns named Sandwich (Illinois, New Hampshire and Massachusetts) whilst Hot Coffee (Mississippi) and Burnt Corn (Alabama) are firmly linked to famous staples of southern cuisine.
New York Cheesecake - the best kind of cheesecake! Image by Puamelia
France, producers of fine cheese and wine, also make no secret of where they’re produce comes from. Brie, Camembert and Roquefort all being areas of the country which have given names to cheese, regardless of whether it is made there or not these days. Champagne, on the other hand, is only really champagne if it is from the region of France of the same name. Anything else is merely a pretender. One wonders whether residents of champagne are inhabiting one long party as a result.
Germany is also high on the list for linking food to towns. Hamburgers were named after Hamburg, the town from which they derive and Frankfurter sausages are indebted to Frankfurt. Hamburger and Frankfurter can also be used as descriptive nouns when describing a resident of either town as can ‘Berliner’ when used in the correct context, though this is something which has proved a confusing notion to some in the past.
One of the most famous polical gaffes of all time pertains to a 1963 speech given by President Kennedy. In declaring his support for West Germany after the construction of the wall, President Kennedy famously orated ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’, which rather unfortunately translates as ‘I am a jelly doughnut’, (a Berliner also being a type of doughnut that is traditionally eaten by Germans at New Year and on public holidays.)
Berliner doughnuts. Not to be confused with US presidents. Image by Greenwich Photography
Do you live in a food-related location and are you constantly hungry as a result? Ever come across a bizarrely-named location that has been named after a food type? Maybe snack on a Danish whilst you think about it and let us know below!