Boston lettuce (1880); Rotelli/Rotelle Salad

Bapopik at AOL.COM Bapopik at AOL.COM
Tue Jan 21 05:32:36 UTC 2003


   I was just in my local supermarket when I was reminded that I didn't do
these two.

BOSTON LETTUCE--Not in the OED.  Not in DARE.  Hey, it's BOSTON lettuce, fer
cryin' out loud.  Not Sri Lanka--BOSTON!  Over 4,200 Google hits; over 500
Google Groups hits.
   WEBSTER'S NEW WORLD DICTIONARY OF CULINARY ARTS has "A variety of
butterhead lettufce with soft, pliable pale green leaves that have a buttery
texture and flavor and are larger and paler than bibb lettuce leaves."
   The American Periodical Series is not all there with digitizing its
agricultural periodicals, so I'll have to check back later..
   The Making of America-Cornell database has SCRIBNER'S MONTHLY, June 1880,
pg. 162, "...with canned vegetables and Boston lettuce that kept up a
make-believe spring all winter long."

ROTELLI/ROTELLE SALAD--The supermarket sold "Rotelli Salad."  It looked a
little strange with this spelling and without the word "pasta."  WEBSTER'S
CULINARY ARTS has "rotelle" as "Italian for small wheel and used to describe
pasta shaped like a wheel with spokes."  Neither "rotelli" nor "rotelle" is
in the OED.  The Google numbers:
ROTELLI SALAD--17
ROTELLE SALAD--35
ROTELLI PASTA SALAD--32
ROTELLE PASTA SALAD--39
ROTELLI PASTA--263
ROTELLE PASTA--681



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