2012 Puddly Awards
 
 
Follow us on TwitterFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TumblrSubscribe to RSS


Recently Viewed clear list


Guests | February 8, 2012

Nathan Englander: IMG Big Think



Tonight is the first event for the new book, and I've spent most of the afternoon at home with curlers in my hair and cucumber circles on the eyes... Continue »
  1. $17.47 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

spacer
Free Shipping!

Ships free on qualified orders.
$6.95
Used Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Burnside Cooking and Food- Quotes and Trivia

Ladyfingers & Nun's Tummies: A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names

by Martha Barnette

Ladyfingers & Nun's Tummies: A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

"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 aren't refried beans fried twice? You'll 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"). You'll learn where people dine on nun's tummy and angel's 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 Nun's Tummies is a feast of history, culture, and language.

"Why didn't 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.

About the Author

Martha Barnette, the author of A Garden of Words, did graduate work in classical languages at the University of Kentucky.  A former reporter for The Washington Post, she is now a contributing editor at Allure.  She lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780812921007
Subtitle:
From Spare Ribs to Humble Pie--A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names
Author:
Barnette, Martha
Author:
Barnett, Martha
Publisher:
Vintage
Location:
New York :
Subject:
English language
Subject:
Gastronomy
Subject:
Food
Subject:
English language -- Terms and phrases.
Subject:
Reference
Edition Number:
1st ed.
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Series:
Vintage
Series Volume:
104-655
Publication Date:
19981124
Binding:
Hardback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
224
Dimensions:
8 x 5 x .25 in .6875 lb

Other books you might like

  1. $6.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Candy Apple Dead

    Sammi Carter 9781101043615
  2. $4.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    The Way Men Act

    Elinor Lipman 9780671748418
  3. $23.75 New Trade Paper add to wish list
  4. $14.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Pin Up a Modest History

    Mark Gabor 9780517144350
  5. $5.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list
  6. $61.25 New Trade Paper add to wish list

Related Aisles

Ladyfingers & Nun's Tummies: A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$6.95 In Stock
Product details 224 pages Times Books - English 9780812921007 Reviews:
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...


Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.