Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies: From Spare Ribs to Humble Pie--A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names

Everything in [this book] is delightful to learn. Barnette takes us through languages and across millennia in a charming style . . . that offers endless food for thought. --The New Yorker . What makes the pretzel a symbol of religious devotion and what pasta is blasphemous in every bite? How did a drunken brawl lead to the name lobster Newburg? What naughty joke is contained in a loaf of pumpernickel? Why is  cherry a misnomer and why arent refried beans fried twice? Youll find the answers in this delectable exploration of the words we put into our mouths. . Here are foods named for the things they look like from cabbage (from the Old North French caboche head) to vermicelli (little worms). Youll learn where people dine on nuns tummy and angels breast. There are foods named after people (Graham crackers) and places (peaches) along with commonplace terms derived from words involving food and drink (dope originally a Dutch word for dipping sauce). Witty bawdy and stuffed with stories Ladyfingers and Nuns Tummies is a feast of history culture and language.. Why didnt anyone think of this before? . . . What fun Martha Barnette has made of it all every name for every dish explained and traced and jollied. --William F. Buckley Jr.