Courgettes - zuchini in Italian - are much underrated as Julia Watson shows. They make great vegan French fries, absorb flavours, don't need peeling and can add a little extra to any southern Europe soup e.g. fasolada (sic) as well as being indispensable in the sauce for a couscous
Spot on - they are unfairly maligned. But as our Italian cooking teacher taught us, they're not zucchini but zucchine. Let's stand up for all things female... Sliced, coated in a batter and deep-fried, they're great dipped into tzadziki.
What fun how worked up we all get about pronunciation. My beef are the Australian diminutives of practically every word. Great ideas for courgettes. I’m rather partial to the fritters with feta.
I thoroughly enjoyed your article! As a native speaker of German, I can never get over the pronounciations of the simple „gnocchi“ and the beautiful seaport Chioggia.. any experience with that in English? 😂
'Kneeochee' is a common British pronounciation. And no-one pronounced Chioggia at all until the stripey beetroots hit on-trend restaurants. Since then, I've heard everything from Sheeoghia to Shoggier. It's a wonder diners get served their order. (Gosh. I had no idea I could be quite so pedantic...)
The pedant in me loves this; Guh-dough indeed! Along with all the French-origin words that Americans mispronounce by putting the emphasis on the last syllable. As for Spellchecker, I only ever use it for picking up typos, though everything needs a going-over with the Mark 1 Eyeball as well. As for the zucchine recipes, I'm in love - I use a lot of them, but largely very unimaginatively, so these recipes are great. Many thanks! Again ...
There's a terrific Patricia Lousarda cold courgette soup recipe which is made pretty as much as you would imagine but she throws it into the blender with a massive bunch of fresh coriander/cilantro. Makes a change from summer's vichyssoise.
I have to say that I can’t agree with you about the question of spelling or even pronunciation of cooking (and other) terms which come from other languages. I surprise myself, because I am a pedant at heart, and I grit my teeth every time some says “brew-sketta.” I know how it should be pronounced in Italian, from my own rather limited knowledge of the language. But when nouns and proper nouns make their way from one language to another there are inevitably changes made. Do you always say Paree, or do you say Paris? Do you invariably say Roma or do you say Rome? Dare I ask how you pronounce the name of Amsterdam’s airport, Schipol? It’s nice to know and honor the origin of cooking terms, but it is probably better (and easier) to be grateful that so much international culinary knowledge and so many products have made their way into our cooking and accept the adaptation of foreign words into the language. Yes, I do believe that in English it’s zucchini, lasagna, and ravioli, singular or plural. We don’t have to insist on vinaigre, or moutarde, even tough the English words vinegar and mustard clearly derive from the French. And even though the words came with the Norman conquest, you write pork, not porc, and beef, not boeuf. And don’t even start on “curry.” Much as my pedantic heart would like to agree with you on zucchine, unless I’m in Italy or just showing off, I can’t. Basta!
I was unquestionably indulging in pedantry - and loved the opportunity. I took the classes primarily to brush up my Italian, so the discoveries about Broccolo and Zucchine brought great delight. I don't plan on correcting my future use of either zucchini or broccoli. But I'm not so relaxed about bruschetta. From borscht to tzadziki and beyond, foods tend to be known as they are in their countries of origin. And we're not consistent with our mispronunciation of 'sche'. If we said sherzo, not scherzo, shema not schema, I might be less picky. But we demonstrate we do understand that an 'h' hardens the 'c' it follows. And besides, I come from a country where the name Featherstonehaugh is pronounced Fanshaw, Godmanchester is Gumster, and Worcestershire Sauce is pronounced Lea & Perrins.
Frigorifero is my second favourite kitchen word in a foreign language. The best FOREVER AND ALWAYS is the Welsh word for microwave...
POPPITY-PING!!!!
Poppity-ping beat all!
Poppity-ping - I love it! Like my infant word for a puddle - a splooshity-splosh.
Ace description of a puddle!
And, not to start another thread but just to amplify this one, my old partner Norman - a regular visitor to Italy, used to fume about panini/panino .
Early Tabled alert: I tackle the pronunciation of pistachio this week...another irritation!
In the States, pizza pie is a firm favourite.
Courgettes - zuchini in Italian - are much underrated as Julia Watson shows. They make great vegan French fries, absorb flavours, don't need peeling and can add a little extra to any southern Europe soup e.g. fasolada (sic) as well as being indispensable in the sauce for a couscous
Spot on - they are unfairly maligned. But as our Italian cooking teacher taught us, they're not zucchini but zucchine. Let's stand up for all things female... Sliced, coated in a batter and deep-fried, they're great dipped into tzadziki.
What fun how worked up we all get about pronunciation. My beef are the Australian diminutives of practically every word. Great ideas for courgettes. I’m rather partial to the fritters with feta.
Oh, don't get me started on words shortened and shackled to a 'ies' suffix as though the speaker and their listener were of nursery age!
Hamm's disgusted observation about the deus absconditus is: 'The bastard! He doesn't exist! '
and, an old pal of yours talks Beckett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ3SG6HaYmU
xS
Good grief...tiny world! And so much of it Beckett's
I thoroughly enjoyed your article! As a native speaker of German, I can never get over the pronounciations of the simple „gnocchi“ and the beautiful seaport Chioggia.. any experience with that in English? 😂
'Kneeochee' is a common British pronounciation. And no-one pronounced Chioggia at all until the stripey beetroots hit on-trend restaurants. Since then, I've heard everything from Sheeoghia to Shoggier. It's a wonder diners get served their order. (Gosh. I had no idea I could be quite so pedantic...)
yeah, it never ceases to amaze me 😀
The pedant in me loves this; Guh-dough indeed! Along with all the French-origin words that Americans mispronounce by putting the emphasis on the last syllable. As for Spellchecker, I only ever use it for picking up typos, though everything needs a going-over with the Mark 1 Eyeball as well. As for the zucchine recipes, I'm in love - I use a lot of them, but largely very unimaginatively, so these recipes are great. Many thanks! Again ...
There's a terrific Patricia Lousarda cold courgette soup recipe which is made pretty as much as you would imagine but she throws it into the blender with a massive bunch of fresh coriander/cilantro. Makes a change from summer's vichyssoise.
I have to say that I can’t agree with you about the question of spelling or even pronunciation of cooking (and other) terms which come from other languages. I surprise myself, because I am a pedant at heart, and I grit my teeth every time some says “brew-sketta.” I know how it should be pronounced in Italian, from my own rather limited knowledge of the language. But when nouns and proper nouns make their way from one language to another there are inevitably changes made. Do you always say Paree, or do you say Paris? Do you invariably say Roma or do you say Rome? Dare I ask how you pronounce the name of Amsterdam’s airport, Schipol? It’s nice to know and honor the origin of cooking terms, but it is probably better (and easier) to be grateful that so much international culinary knowledge and so many products have made their way into our cooking and accept the adaptation of foreign words into the language. Yes, I do believe that in English it’s zucchini, lasagna, and ravioli, singular or plural. We don’t have to insist on vinaigre, or moutarde, even tough the English words vinegar and mustard clearly derive from the French. And even though the words came with the Norman conquest, you write pork, not porc, and beef, not boeuf. And don’t even start on “curry.” Much as my pedantic heart would like to agree with you on zucchine, unless I’m in Italy or just showing off, I can’t. Basta!
I was unquestionably indulging in pedantry - and loved the opportunity. I took the classes primarily to brush up my Italian, so the discoveries about Broccolo and Zucchine brought great delight. I don't plan on correcting my future use of either zucchini or broccoli. But I'm not so relaxed about bruschetta. From borscht to tzadziki and beyond, foods tend to be known as they are in their countries of origin. And we're not consistent with our mispronunciation of 'sche'. If we said sherzo, not scherzo, shema not schema, I might be less picky. But we demonstrate we do understand that an 'h' hardens the 'c' it follows. And besides, I come from a country where the name Featherstonehaugh is pronounced Fanshaw, Godmanchester is Gumster, and Worcestershire Sauce is pronounced Lea & Perrins.