Fruity Names

If you're an American who has visited Britain or Australia, or vice-versa, you may have noticed that not all of our words match up, in particular when you're at a restaurant. In addition to the well-known cross-Atlantic synonyms such as fries and chips, and chips and crisps, quite a few foods have odd-sounding counterparts.

This dish with courgette and aubergine sounds so French, it must be good. Oh, it's just zucchini and eggplant. Shoulda tried the capsicum with swede. That's international cuisine !

In Spanish, or rather, in the various Spanish variations, the same scenario exists. With each change in currency, flag, and culture, so do the fruit names.

I learned my Spanish in Colombia, so I know that papaya tastes like vomit, guacamole is made of aguacate, yuca is the blandest food on the planet, pimenton (like capsicum above) is a vitamin C-rich fruit that come in green, red, and yellow/orange, and piña is necessary for a piña colada. For dessert, how about fresas and shortcake. Got 'em all ? Here's a quiz.

Now fill in the blanks with the Spanish synonym bank (answers below).

lechosa (Venezuela)    palta (Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia)    frutilla (Argentina, Bolivia)     

cambur (Venezuela)     morron (Paraguay)     anana (Paraguay)     mandioca (Paraguay)

Lunch was really great, honey. I especially liked the stuffed _____________. The

_______________ however didn't have much taste. It could use some garlic, perhaps.

Whadya say we make some veggie sushi tonight ? We can use _______________. And

for dessert, a ______________ split with sliced _____________ and _____________.

But I threw out the ______________ because it tastes like vomit.

Lunch was really great, honey. I especially liked the stuffed morron (bell peppers). The mandioca (yuca, 

cassava) however didn't have much taste. It could use some garlic, perhaps. Whadya say we make some 

veggie sushi tonight ? We can use palta (avocado). And for dessert, a cambur (banana) split with sliced 

frutillas (strawberries) and anana (pineapple).  But I threw out the lechosa (papaya) because it tastes like 

vomit.