Caribbean food (Allsopp books); Notes on West Indies (1806)

[Sam Clements]

RHDAS suggest that "buckaroo" comes from the Spanish "vaquero", not from any
African language, and cites AS   XVII 10-15, XXXV 51-55, and LIII 4951, LIV
151-153.

SC
----- Original Message -----
From: "James A. Landau" <JJJRLandau at AOL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2003 11:03 AM
Subject: Re: Caribbean food (Allsopp books); Notes on West Indies (1806)


> In a message dated Thu, 18 Sep 2003 12:23:47 EDT,  Bapopik at AOL.COM
> quotes inter alia:
>
>
> > Pg. 245:  The hostess of the tavern is, usually, a black, or mulatto
woman,
> > who has been the favored enamorata of some _backra_* man;...
> > *The negro term used for _white_.
> >   (OED has "buckra," defined as "A white man (in Black speech)."  The
> > citations are 1794 Buckro, then 1833 buccra.
>
> Any connectin to the word "buckaroo"?
>
> >
> > Pg. 76: This sense of distinction is strongly manifested in the
sentiment
> > conveyed by the vulgar expression so common in the island--"neither
Charib,
> > nor
> > Creole, but true Barbadian," and which is participated even by the
slaves,
> > who
> > proudly arrogate a superiority above the negroes of the other islands!
Ask
> > one of them if he was imported, or is a Creole, and he immediately
> > replies--"_Me
> > neder Chrab, nor Creole, Massa!--me troo Barbadian born_."
> >   ("Charib" and "Chrab" for Carib?--ed.)
>
> Considering that "Bajan" is the common short form, or nickname, or
something,
> for "Barbadan", it is possible that palatalization occurs more often in
the
> dialect of Barbados than in other English-speaking areas.
>
>
> >
> > Pg. 115:  The food of the negroes is issued to them weekly, under the
> > inspection of the manager.  It is very simple and but little varied;
> > breakfast,
> > dinner, and supper being similar to each other, and for the most part
the
> > same
> > throughout the year.  It consists mostly of Guinea (Pg. 116--ed.) corn,
with
> > a
> > small bit of salt meat--or salt fish.  Formerly a bunch of plantains was
> > given to
> > each slave as the weekly allowance; but the plantain walks being mostly
worn
> > out, this is become an expensive provision.  Rice, maize, yams, eddoes,
and
> > sweet potatoes form an occasional change, but the Guinea corn is,
commonly,
> > issued as the weekly supply;...
>
> What is "Guinea corn"?  It can't be maize, listed as "an occasional
change".
>
> Also, what is an "eddoe"? (also occurs in the next paragraph)
>
> > Pg. 117:  A mess of pottage, or very hot soup, called pepper-pot, is one
of
> > their favorite dishes, and one indeed which is generally esteemed by the
> > inhabitants, and by strangers.  It is prepared by stewing various kinds
of
> > vegetables with a bit of salt meat, or salt fish, and seasoning it very
high
> > with
> > capsicum, or some species of the red pepper.  The vegetables, called
> > squashes, is
> > much used in these pepper pots.  Bread, which is esteemed so essential,
and
> > held as the staff of life by the people of Europe, is unknown among the
> > slaves of
> > the West Indies: nor, indeed, is it in common use among their masters,
but
> > they find very excellent substitutes in the yam, the cassda, and the
eddoe.
>
> "cassda" is a typo for "cassada" (the spelling used in the next
paragraph)?
>
> > Pg. 257:  Cassada cake and roasted plantains were served instead of
bread,
> > and with our fowls we had a sauce prepared from the cassada juice, which
> > loses
> > its poisonous quality by boiling and evaporation, and becomes somewhat
like
> > the
> > essence used under the name of soy.
>
> The reference to "poisonous" quality makes it fairly certain that
"cassada"
> is cassava, also called manioc.
>
>
> > Pg. 361:  We had afterwards pines, shaddocks, melons, water-lemons, and
> > multitudes of fruits.
>
> water-lemons?  Shouldn't that be "water-melons"?
>
>
> > Pg. 422:  ..also a Laba, whose flesh is esteemed the most delicious food
of
> > the country.  In appearance this animal somewhat resembles the hare, but
> > (Pg.
> > 423--ed.)  its meat approaches nearer to a mixed flavour of the hare,
and of
> > very delicate pork.
>
> If a laba resembles a hare, then is is possible the word comes from the
> French "lapin" (rabbit)?
>
>           - James A. Landau
>