You say "bergamot"...

[muckefuck]

I couldn't help but notice that most of you haven't responded to my impromptu "bergamot" quiz. I understand that free response questions can be a little intimidating, so I'll make this multiple choice. "Bergamot" refers to:

A. A kind of citrus.
B. A kind of pear.
C. A kind of mint.
D. A native American herb.

And the answer is: "All of the above", naturally!

"Citrus" was the answer favoured by most respondents. The fruit in question is that of the Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia, a cross between the Seville orange and something called the "pear lemon" (C. limetta), and as it is somewhat pear-shaped, there may be something to the explanation found in German etymological sources that the name was originally applied to a variety of pear. A proposed derivation from Turkish beğarmudı "bey's pear" is a bit harder to credit, even when etymologists readily admit that the original form seems to have been corrupted by association with the Italian town of Bergamo (despite its location a thousand kilometres from the part of the Italy where bergamot oranges originated, namely Calabria).

However, this was all news to me. Not being a fan of Earl Gray now or ever, my first introduction to "bergamot" was in the form of wildflower whose bright red blossoms drew bees and butterflies to our herb garden. For this reason, Monarda didyma (and its wild cousin Monarda fistulosa) is also called "bee balm". As a chief reason for having the herb garden in the first place was in order to grow leaves for teas, this was the plant I thought the English earls used to spice up their breakfast.

And the confusion doesn't end there! According to Wikipedia, "bergamot" is also used to refer to a species of mint, Mentha citrata. Under its plethora of alternative common names are two I recognise: "orange mint" and "lemon mint". Both of those were included among the 17 varieties in the fabled mint patch on the south side of the garden. Different cultivars? They looked and tasted different enough to me, but that could just be the false certainty of memory.

Comments

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

I thought it was an orange.

[pklexton.livejournal.com]

I would have guessed (B) pear.

Hummmm

[monshu.livejournal.com]

Actually all of the above--tricky word eh!

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

I said citrus. Now I'll go look up what it really is.

[ceirdwenfc.livejournal.com]

I said a pear

[areia.livejournal.com]

I've always loved Earl Grey (in fact, there's a cup of it on my desk right now); I think I've only ever encountered bergamot in that context. So I would go for

A. A kind of citrus.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Now for the bonus round: Hoe noem je het dan in 't Nederlands?

[areia.livejournal.com]

Net hetzelfde, denk ik. Voor zover ik weet bestaat er geen dialect woord voor.

[grunter.livejournal.com]

It wasn't the free response format that put me off.

It was the total lack of prize money.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Didn't I mention the signed naked Gandolfini posters for the first five lucky respondents?

[niemandsrose.livejournal.com]

I love the smell of bergamot in lotions and such, but hate Earl Grey. Wonder what's up with that?

[2007april.livejournal.com]

I used to read that it's 1.water pear; 2. leaves of some plant

[grunter.livejournal.com]

Signed in bio-matter?

*eyes a-wide*

[kutsuwamushi.livejournal.com]

I was afraid to answer because I knew if you were asking the answer couldn't be the obvious, and I didn't want to cheat by looking it up on Google. ;)

I've only heard of bergamot the citrus, in relation to tea. I didn't know that bee balm was also called bergamot.

[bwillsouth.livejournal.com]

My answer:

E. That stuff they put in Earl Grey

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

I read your quiz and mumbled something along the lines of "Herby sort of plant? Maybe?" Didn't have the nerve to say anything.

[pne.livejournal.com]

Same here.