Monday 6 December 2004

The language of dried fuit

What makes a dried plum turn into a prune? Or a partially-dried grape transform into a raisin or sultana?* A dried fig is confusingly called a dried fig. If you want to dry an apricot, it’s still an apricot. It's clear that the simplistic language of dried fruit needs to be expanded to help people distinguish between dry and wet fruit. It is a problem that affects thousands of people every day, causing untold shopping embarrassment.

Raisins -- not grapesmiscellanean humbly presents the beginnings of the ‘Fruit: Dried fruit table’, see below. This extensive project will be build up over time and once completed will be sent to the Food Standards Agency for their pleasure.

* To be precise, all sultanas are seedless grapes in previous lifetimes

Fruit: Dried fruit table
Apricot: Prichet
Fig: Frig
Peach: Cheab

All comments for new terms that can apply to dried fruit are gratefully accepted.

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