Use Your Bean: The Origins of Food Idioms

Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong is a writer and public health dietitian focused on food systems, racial equity, and nutrition. Originally from Los Angeles, she has taught English in rural Japan, worked as a private chef in Malibu, and led an innovative city-funded corner store program in New Orleans that increased fresh food access in low-income neighborhoods. She was previously a contributing editor for The Kitchn, and currently lives in Denver with her husband and two kids.
Follow
updated Jun 4, 2019
pinterest
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Ever wonder why the wealthy are called “the upper crust” or why “sowing your wild oats” is a bad thing?

For food lovers who moonlight as word nerds, Smithsonian Magazine’s Food & Think blog offers a fun list of food idioms and their origins, which range from Shakespearean plays (“salad days” first appeared in Antony and Cleopatra) to 19th-century African-American competitions which “awarded a cake to the couple who strutted most gracefully and stylishly around it” — leading to the phrases “piece of cake,” “takes the cake” and “cakewalk.”

Even more fascinating is their follow-up list, posted a couple days later, which highlights a handful of foreign food idioms like the German “sticking your nose in every sour curd cheese” (being nosy) and the Hindi “to have mangos and sell the seeds” (to have it all).

Read more at Smithsonian Magazine:• Spilling the Beans on the Origins of Food Idioms
• Deciphering the Food Idioms of Foreign Languages

Do you have a favorite food idiom, foreign or otherwise? Share it in the comments!

Related: Word of Mouth: La Grigne

(Image: Neil Palmer (CIAT) licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Filed in:
history