When I eat chicken, I call it chicken. Chicken wing; chicken drumsticks etc.

When I eat lamb, I call it lamb. Lamb shank; lamb cutlets.

So why do I not eat pig or cow? I eat pork or beef. Is there a reason for that?

  • abbadon420@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I guess the reason why it is “chicken” and not “poulet” or something, is because chicken was allready the poor man’s meat back than?

    • whenigrowup356@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      From what I can work out, yep it seems that way. Pork and beef were too expensive for the peasants so they just referred to them as the animals they were raising, but chickens were actually on their menu so we ended up keeping the animal words for it. We still got the word for pullet (young hen) though.

      I just read a theory that poisson, french for fish, didn’t come over because it sounded too much like poison, but who knows if that’s true lol.

    • holmesandhoatzin@slrpnk.net
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      1 year ago

      We do have “poultry” as a catch-all for domestic birds. Not exactly the same as beef/cow, but definitely has a Norman connection.