Loanwords of Dutch & FlemishFood and Drink

Gabriella Pan & Christopher Jianglin

Introduction

Both in Germanic family and thus bear many similarities

Some of the loanwords may also be from MLG (Middle Low German).

Common Ways of Dutch Words Borrowed by English

Through trade and seafaring

Via the New Netherland settlements in North America

Due to contact between Dutch/Afrikaans speakers with English speakers in South Africa

French words of Dutch/Flemish origin have been adopted into English

[1] Booze

Colloquial expression of drink or alcoholic drink (1732)

Online Etymology Dictionary (OEtD): The modern form from MDu (Middle Dutch) busen ‘to drink heavily’

Booze Oxford English Dictionary (OED): But

also derived from Middle English bous, and later bouse, bowse ‘drink,’ ‘to drink’ (1325, or ‘a drinking-vessel’)

Explanation: There is a common origin in Germanic language family but the MoE (Modern English) usage was introduced from MDu

[2] Brandy

A kind of alcohol distilled from wine, grapes or fruit (a1640)

The original form brandwine, brandewine is from Dutch brandewijn ‘burnt’ (i.e. distilled) wine

BrandyAbbreviated as brandy as early as 1657; the fuller form was retained in official use down to the end of 17th century)

OED: The spelling usually misled people to regard it as a compound of brand and wine.

[3] Coleslaw

OED: Also cold slaw, cole-slaugh (AmE) Sliced cabbage dressed with salt, pepper, vinegar, etc. (1794)

Coleslaw

Dutch koolsla, reduced form of kool-salade, kool cabbage plus salade salad

Cole also means cabbage in MoE.

[4] Cookie(AmE) ‘a small flat or slightly raised cake (Merriam Webster)’ (1754)

OEtD: From Dutch koekje ‘small cake’ dim. (diminutive, expressing slight degree or smaller size of the root meaning) of koek ‘cake,’ from MDu koke

CookieThis is sure for the U. S., but for Scotland the history of this word is unknown.

According to Scottish National Dictionary, it might be from Dutch during the Middle Ages or derived directly from the word cook.

CookieBiscuit in the U. K.

Interesting phrase that's the way the cookie crumbles ‘that's the way things happen’ from 1957

Famous derivation in Chinese restaurant in the U. S. fortune cookie

[5] Cranberry1640s, American English adaptation of Low German kraanbere, from kraan ‘crane’ and Middle Low German bere ‘berry’

Probably named from the likeness between the stamen of the plant and the bird’s bleak

Cranberry

Probably used by the German and Dutch settlers in America when recognizing the plant similar in Europe

They were marshwhort or fenberries originally in England

[6] Cruller

A fried pastry often made from a rectangle of dough with two twisted sides

CrullerFrom early 19th century Dutch krullen ‘to curl’

Why traditional crullers can be found more easily in the Midwest?

Youtiao ‘Chinese cruller’

[7] Gin

A spirit which derives its predominant flavor from juniper berries

GinFrom Dutch jenever (or genever), which means ‘juniper’

In the Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648)

Dutch courage: a feeling of confidence that comes after drinking alcohol

GinIn the Glorious Revolution (1688), gin became vastly more popular in Britain.

[8] Hops

Macmillan: a plant whose flowers are dried and used for making beer

HopsFrom Dutch hoppe

Imported from Holland to Britain around 1400

Hop cultivation in the U. S. (1629)

[9] Stockfish

unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore

StockfishFrom Dutch stokvis ‘stick fish,’ possibly referring to . . . 1. the wooden racks2. resemblance bet. the fish & a stick

3. a wooden yoke or harness

German Stockmaß ‘the height of a horse at the withers’

[10] Waffle

Macmillan: a flat cake that has deep square marks on both sides

WaffleFrom the Dutch wafel and related to Old English wefan ‘to weave’

Discovered by the Pilgrims in Holland and brought across the Atlantic in 1620

Dutch immigrants popularized the dish in New Amsterdam

References

Kemmer, S. (2011, August 22). Loanwords . Retrieved from http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words/loanwords.html

In Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.etymonline.com/index.php

References

Retrieved November 1, 2012 from Wikipedia: List of English words of Dutch origin

(October 12, 2012) Cruller (October 12, 2012) Gin (October 28, 2012) Hops (October 27, 2012) Stockfish (September 30, 2012) Waffle (October 7, 2012)

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