endrift 🏳️‍⚧️
Oh my god the Chinese word for potato is "earth bean". Filing this under the same category as the French word for potato being "earth apple".
Mar 7 at 12:48amWeb
Show threadendrift 🏳️‍⚧️Mar 7
I realized this by looking through a Chinese menu and seeing 土豆 on the potato dishes. I don't know Chinese but I know what those characters mean individually in Japanese...
Show threadendrift 🏳️‍⚧️Mar 7
(And also I confirmed after that to make sure they meant the same thing in Chinese)
Show threadrifterMar 7
@endrift back when I was buying things on taobao, the passing familiarity with kanji helped more than once
Show threadfincsMar 7
@endrift Meanwhile Japanese calls them "Jakarta tubers" (and the sweet ones are "Satsuma tubers"), which is fascinating...
Show threadNullMar 17
@fincs @endrift right! Before they were called Satsuma tubers, they were Ryūkyū tubers, and before that, Kara (Chinese) tubers, reflecting how the Portuguese brought them to China, from China to the Ryūkyū kingdoms (the trade backdoor between China and Japan), and then finally to the Satsuma domain, who dominated the Ryūkyū kingdom. It’s a big ol chain of cultural transmission along a trade route expressed in the name.
Show threadbeeps Mar 16
@endrift The Swedish word for an orange is “Chinese apple”!
Show threadLuck Goddess 🌒🌕🌘 (They/She)Mar 17
@beeps @endrift northern dialects of German use that as well :) (just like southern dialects of German like to say earth apple haha)
Show threadhazelnot Mar 17
@endrift the Romanian word for potato is "cartof", which means potato 😎
Show threadEve, Over Here NowMar 17
@hazelnot @endrift Language is amazing
Show threadEmily  Mar 17
@endrift Swiss German also calls it earth apple (Herdöpfel) 🥔
Show threadHermannus StegemanMar 17
@endrift you can match the dutch with the French: earth apple