Bajan retronymy, or, der Sauerampfer, der es nicht ist

[muckefuck]

I thought I'd written about retronyms here before, particularly in the context of the Americas, but if so I can't find the entry. (Surprising, because it really is one of my favourite topics in lexicography.) In any case, a rather confusing new example came down the pike recently: One of my co-workers is from Barbados (in the Lesser Antilles). When I mentioned that there was an African/Caribbean market near me where we'd managed to find jugo de naranja agria for mojo criollo, she asked me to keep an eye peeled next time I visited for "sorrel".

I was intrigued; I've never really heard of anyone cooking with sorrel outside of northern Europe (particularly Germany and Latvia) so I asked her what the Barbadians used it for. "Oh, we make a drink out of it." Really? Must be awfully sour! "No, it's kind of sweet." Hmmm....I described to her the plant I was thinking of--herbaceous, low-growing, wide leaves--and, sure enough, it didn't match the woody shrub she was thinking of at all.

About a week later, she appeared while I was at the front desk and said "roselle". Huh? Oh, right, so it's not common sorrel at all, but a species of hibiscus. And so the drink made from it is just a Caribbean version of good old jamaica, the sweet tea of Mexico. Nice to have that cleared up before I decided to experiment with Sauerampfertee on my own!

Comments

[bwillsouth.livejournal.com]

The only reason I know the word "Sauerampfer" is because of a comedy from the DDR-Zeit called "Karbid und Sauerampfer". It's actually very amusing, and for me it was somewhat surprising that it wasn't censored until I realized the main character is a determined, selfless proletarian.

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

I've had sorrel in a Caribbean restaurant, and it was very different from jamaica.

[thedeli.livejournal.com]

In contrast, I only know 'sorrel' as being a common name for hibiscus, and was surprised to learn that oxalis is AKA 'wood sorrel'. Your third, common, leafy variety is relatively unknown to me.

[tyrannio.livejournal.com]

I've always thought that roselle was the same as Gongura, but Wikipedia claims it's a closely related species instead.

[richardthinks.livejournal.com]

I was caught off-guard by sorrel a couple of years ago in a Jamaican restaurant, in just the same way (and it was red!?!). Thank goodness my old friend Guanabana was there, under the misleading name "sour sop."

[pne.livejournal.com]

So "sorrel" is what that's called in English, is it? Learn something new every day.

(I remember eating sorrel leaves as a child.)

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

Then of course....