The Diner's Dictionary: Word Origins of Food and Drink

About this book

Seasoned generously with literary wit The Diners Dictionary is a veritable feast tracing the origins and history of over 2 300 gastronomical words and phrases. John Ayto spreads across our table a veritable cornucopia from common fruits and vegetables (apples cherries apricots and broccoli to name a few) to exotic foreign dishes such as gado-gado nasi goreng satay and dashi and even junk foods such as doughnuts brownies and candy. Thoroughly revised the second edition boasts 1 000 new entries including the word origins of affogato bento cava goji berry jalfrezi mocktail rugelach vache qui rit and zigni. In addition Ayto has expanded the coverage of vocabulary from foreign cuisines such as Thai Korean Vietnamese and parts of South America. Throughout Ayto provides fascinating capsule histories of the various foods. He tells us for instance that cantaloupe was introduced into Europe from Armenia and was apparently first cultivated at Cantaluppi a former summer estate of the popes near Rome. We learn the ingredients of haggis and that the name of the Scandinavian drink "aquavit" ultimately derives from Latin aqua vitae or "water of life." From jambalaya and callaloo to arrowroot and shiitake The Diners Dictionary is a food-lovers dream filled with information and fascinating lore.