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AnotherWeirdLemur t1_je8dtpu wrote

Why is ketchup not called tomato ketchup? Why is milk not called cow milk? I guess if something is by the far the most popular type in its category it becomes the default. It’s a lot easier to say “pickles,” “ketchup,” and “milk” rather than specify if everyone knows what you mean anyway. Obviously this is relative to the culture you’re part of.

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Pays_in_snakes t1_je8fra5 wrote

We also did this with Corn, where corn used to mean any grain or pellet-like food (see: barleycorn, peppercorn, etc.)

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[deleted] t1_je8gjjo wrote

[deleted]

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Pays_in_snakes t1_je8h1sx wrote

Maize

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Axe-of-Kindness t1_je8nvye wrote

Oh my god. A corn maize.

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Dcln-e t1_je8p6qr wrote

Sorry to disappoint but:

"The word 'maze' dates from the 13th century and comes from the Middle English word mæs, denoting delirium or delusion. The word 'labyrinth' may date as far back as the 14th century, and derives from the Latin labyrinthus and the Greek labýrinthos, or, a building with intricate passages"

https://www.nbm.org/brief-history-mazes/#:~:text=DID%20YOU%20KNOW%3F,a%20building%20with%20intricate%20passages.

"maze (n.) c. 1300, 'delusion, bewilderment, confusion of thought,' possibly from Old English *mæs, which is suggested by the compound amasod 'amazed' and verb amasian 'to confound, confuse' (compare amaze). Of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Norwegian dialectal mas 'exhausting labor,' Swedish masa 'to be slow or sluggish.'

https://www.etymonline.com/word/maze

I wish the world was cool enough that the origin of the word maze was related to corn as in corn maize. Although, to cheer you up here are 2 Labrynth/Maze facts that I shamelessly stole from mentalfloss.com

  1. LABYRINTHS—THE PREDECESSOR OF THE MAZE—WERE FIRST CREATED NOT TO CONFUSE, BUT TO SEND VISITORS ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY. 

Ancient labrynths were designed to be serene and introspective, and followed a single circuitous path. In Germany, for instance, young men would walk through a labyrinth as part of their initiation into adulthood.

  1. LABYRINTHS ARE UNICURSAL, WHILE MAZES ARE BRANCHING.

Though the terms are often used interchangeably, mazes and labyrinths have slightly different definitions. Officially, the word “maze” refers to a collection of branching paths, through which the traveler must find the correct route. “Labyrinth,” meanwhile, refers to a pathway which, while winding and potentially disorienting, is non-branching, and leads directly to its endpoint.

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Practical_Cartoonist t1_je8hamm wrote

Outside of Canada/US/Australia/New Zealand, it's usually maize. It used to be called "Indian corn", but I don't know if that's still used anywhere. If you're American, what you instinctively think of as "corn" is usually sweet corn, and some people will refer to it specifically as sweet corn.

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HandsOnGeek t1_je8rvmm wrote

Those of us who grew up on a farm that raised corn definitely do not conform to that convention.

Unless you're talking about eating it, just 'corn' is definitely 'field corn'. Raising it, hauling it, driving by it in the field, grinding it into animal feed; it's just 'corn'.

Picking or buying it to boil or roast and eat? That's definitely 'sweet corn', because you aren't eating 'corn'.

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zamfire t1_je8hi1w wrote

Maize, maiz, teosinte, mahiz, and Indian corn.

Edit: and scientists might call it zea mays.

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im_the_real_dad t1_jedxi9i wrote

When talking about food, corn can still mean a small hard particle, like the salt they use in making corned beef.

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djshadesuk t1_je8eqc1 wrote

>Obviously this is relative to the culture you’re part of.

Ask for a pickle in the UK and you will more than likely get a pickled onion.

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Fox_Hawk t1_je90uyq wrote

I feel like you'd be more likely to get a jar of Branstons.

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Vexar t1_je8gysm wrote

Ketchup is mostly certainly called tomato ketchup. Look at the bottle.

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UsefulNameless t1_je8mipe wrote

My ketchup is made from fancies.

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kyle-highwind t1_je8pcmh wrote

As an avid ketchup lover, I'm inclined to agree with this more than the person who is allegedly correct. Have you ever seen someone make ketchup? I always wondered why it doesn't taste like tomatoes.

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HaikuBotStalksMe t1_je8l7ti wrote

I believe ketchup used to be made out of, I think, carrots.

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Ralfarius t1_je8lwp8 wrote

Mushroom ketchup was a staple in the 18th century. Just ask James Townsend.

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HaikuBotStalksMe t1_je8mj9l wrote

Yes! Mushrooms. Not sure why I picked carrots.

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Ralfarius t1_je8mlyi wrote

They're a relatively sugary vegetable and prolific in European descended food so it would be a fair guess.

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BobLoblaw_BirdLaw t1_je8o3re wrote

Milk is on its way to becoming called cow milk. With the rise in other alternative

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johnnySix t1_je8q57p wrote

Are there other types of ketchup?

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HandsOnGeek t1_je8s0qa wrote

Mushroom ketchup predates tomato ketchup.
Banana ketchup is apparently also a thing.

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Kaneida t1_je8qrw8 wrote

Exactly this, it is slang to call something by its shorter name because vast majority knows what is referred to. If you deviate from the norm then you have to specify the exact produce, goat milk for example.

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AcidFactory420 t1_je8qtdr wrote

In India we actually do mention 'cow milk' because the most commonly produced and consumed variety of milk is buffalo milk. Commercially produced milk is overwhelmingly from buffalo.

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