The many names of Cassava

The next crop to be profiled will be Cassava. Cassava, Manihot esculenta, is also known as Tapioca and Manioc in English. It's important worldwide as a food crop, a feed crop for livestock, and, increasingly, as a biofuel crop. Below are some of the common names for M. esculenta (Source).

Photo from the Cassava Genome Project

Manihot esculenta Crantz
 
SYNONYM(S) : Janipha manihot H.B.K. , Jatropha janipha Lour., Jatropha loureiri Steud., Jatropha manihot L., Manihot loureiri Pohl, Manihot manihot (L.) Cockerell, Manihot melanobasis Muell. Arg. 

CHINESE : Mu shu.
DANISH : Maniok.
DUTCH : Cassave, Maniok.
ENGLISH : Cassava, Manioc, Tapioca, Tapioca plant.
FINNISH : Maniokki, Kassava.
FRENCH : Manioc, Tapioca.
GERMAN : Cassava, Maniok.
HINDI : Marachini, Mara valle kilangu, Maravalli, Simla aloo, Simul alu.
ITALIAN : Manioca.
JAPANESE : Imo noki, Kyassaba, Maniokku, Tapioka noki.
KANNADA : Maragenasu.
MALAY : Ubi kayu, Kaspe (Indonesia).
MALAYALAM : Kappa, Marakizhangu.
NEPALESE : Simal tarul.
PORTUGUESE : Aipim (Brazil), Macaxeira (Brazil), Mandioca (Brazil), Maniba (Brazil).
SANSKRIT : Karrapendalamu.
SPANISH : Caxamote (Guatemala), Guacamote (Ecuador), Farinha, Huacamote (Ecuador), Mandioca (Paraguay), Mañoco (Puerto Rico), Yuca (Lat. America).
SWAHILI : Mhogo.
SWEDISH : Maniok.
TAGALOG : Kamoteng kahoy.
TAMIL : Maravallikizhangu.
TELUGU : Karrapendalamu.
THAI : Mansampalang (Man sam parang, Mun sumpalung).
VIETNAMESE : Bosan hot.

There may be a sweet form / subspecies / species that ought to be recognized. In which case some of the above botanical and common names may apply to it. Some authors place the sweet cassava under M. aipi and the bitter cassava under M. utilissima. Many countries recognize the two types and it seems wise to do so from the culinary and medicinal view points.  Taxonomists need to address this perhaps?

Where are the eggplant?

The other day, I went to the grocery store to buy an eggplant for a dish and I couldn't find them. When I asked one of the guys in the produce section if they had any eggplant, he told me that he hadn't seen any in about a month. A quick Google search informed me that the winter eggplant crop has largely been lost due to frost. About half of the U.S. winter eggplant supply comes from Mexico, which experienced their first freeze since 1957 in February affecting most of the country’s key eggplant-growing regions. The other half of US supply is grown in Florida where farmers also suffered heavy losses due to frosts in December and January. The shortage should end soon due to harvest of Canadian greenhouse-grown eggplants and another crop of Florida-grown eggplant.  

Eggplant wasn’t the only crop affected by poor weather. The unusual freezes in Florida and Mexico have also affected the supply and availability of green peppers, tomatoes, yellow squash and zucchini. “Produce experts say Almost the entire crop of green beans was lost because of the freeze; and zucchini took an 80 to 90-percent hit. Cucumbers and green pepper crops suffered a nearly 80-percent loss.”

There may be a shortage of eggplant at the grocery store, but there's no shortage in my affection for eggplant. Here are some interesting facts about Solanum melongena L.(eggplant). 

- Eggplant is a common name that is used for three closely related species belonging to the genus Solanum; those three species are Solanum melongena L. (this is the species that we’re probably most familiar with and includes varieties like Thai eggplant. Brinjal eggplant, and aubergine), Solanum macrocarpon L. (gboma eggplant), and Solanum aethiopicum L. (scarlet eggplant) (Source).

- S. macrocarpon and S. aethiopicum were domesticated in Africa and cultivation of these species is primary limited to Africa (Source). 

 

   Scarlet eggplant (S. aethiopicum)- Source

 

 

 

 

Scarlet eggplant (S. aethiopicum)- Source

  

Gboma eggplant (S. macrocarpon) - Source

 

 - These two species do not have the diversity of size and shape that aubergine has, but they do have a diversity of color.

Gboma eggplant (S. macrocarpon) - Source

- Aubergine, S. melongena, was domesticated in India and southeast China (Source). In the United States, the word 'eggplant' refers to this species (As such, the rest of the eggplant "fun facts" refer to S. melongena).

Aubergine (S. melongena) include a wide variety of colors and shapes - Source

I was unable to find an estimate of how many varieties of eggplant exist, but there are a lot - Source

- Cultivation of eggplant spread to the Mediterranean in the seventh century as a result of the Arab conquests in South Asia (Source).

- Eggplant received its name from Europeans who were most familiar with a variety with white, egg-shaped fruit (Source).

- Eggplant is closely related to the tomato and potato; they are all members of the genus Solanum.

- Thomas Jefferson is thought to have introduced the eggplant to the United States. He grew the vegetable in his garden at Monticello.

- 83 percent of world eggplant production comes from India and China (2010 stat)

Eggplant Excitement

I've been working on an eggplant entry for a couple days and I keep getting distracted by interesting articles about the diversity of plants that are called eggplant. While I finish up this more substantive entry on eggplant, I thought I'd share this list of the word for "eggplant" in a bunch of different languages. (Source)

Photo from the Ag Marketing Resource Center

SYNONYM(S) : Solanum melongena L. var. esculentum (Dunal) Nees, Solanum edule Schumann & Thonning , Solanum esculentum Dunal

AFRIKAANS :  Eiervrug.

ARABIC :  باذنجان   Bādhimjān,  الباذنجان    Badinjan (al baðinjān).

ARMENIAN :  բադրիջան  Badriǰan.

BENGALI :  বেগুন   Begun,  বার্তাকু  Baingan.

BULGARIAN :  Патладжан  Patladzsan . 

BURMESE : Kayan.

CATALAN :   Albargina, Alberginiera.
CHINESE : 茄 Qie, 茄子  Qie zi, Ai gua / ngai gwa (Cantonese name).

CROATIAN :  Патлиџан   Patlidžan .
CZECH :  Lilek, Lilek baklažán, Lilek vejcoplodý.
DANISH :  Ægplante, Aubergine.

DUTCH : Aubergine, Eierplant, Eiervrucht, Melanzaanappel.

ENGLISH : Aubergine (UK.), Eggplant (USA), Brinjal (India), Large-fruited eggplant, Melongen (Caribbean Trinidad).

ESTONIAN :  Baklažaan.
FINNISH : Aubergiini, Munahedelmä, Munakoiso.

FRENCH : Albergínia (Catalan), Aubergine, Bringelle, Mélongène.

GERMAN : Eierfrucht, Eierpflanz.

GREEK :    Μελιτζάνα  Melitzana.

GUJARATI :   રીંગણ  Ringan, Ringna, વેંગણ  Vengan. 

HEBREW :  חציל  Hatzil, חָצִיל  Hatzil.

HINDI :  औबरजाइन्स  Aubarajā'insa,  बैंगन    Baigan, Baijani, बैंगन  Baingan.  

HUNGARIAN : Padlizsán , Padlizsános, Tojàsgyümölcs.

ICELANDIC :  Eggaldinjurt.
ITALIAN :  Maranziana, Melanzana, Mulignana, Petonciano, Petrociana.

JAPANESE :  ダ イマルナス  Daimaru nasu,  大丸なす Daimaru nasu, 大丸茄子  Daimaru nasu, エッ グプラント Eggupuranto,  茄子 Nasu, なす Nasu, ナス Nasu.

KANNADA :  Badanekai.
KASHMIRI :  वाँगुन्.
KHMER : Trâb vèèng, Trâb put lonhoong.

KOREAN : 가지.

LAOTIAN : Khüa ham maaz, Khüa hlèèz, Khüa poom.

LITHUANIAN :  Baklažanas.
MACEDONIAN :  Патлиџан Patlidžan.
MALAGASY :  Baranjely.
MALAY : Terong, Terung (Indonesia), Encung (Indonesia), Tiung (Sumatra).

MALAYALAM :  Valutananna, Vazhudhanaikkai, വഴുതന Vazhuthana, Vazhuthananga.

MARATHI :  वांगे Vangi.

NEPALI :  भन्टा   Bhanta.
NORWEGIAN :  Aubergine, Eggfrukt.
ORIYA :  Baigana.
PERSIAN :   بادنجان   Bâdenjân,   بادنجان    Bâdinjân.

POLISH :  Bakłazan, Gruszka miłosna, Oberżyna, Oberżynowy.

PORTUGUESE : Beringela.

PUNJABI :  ਵੈੰਗਣ , ਬੈਂਗਨ   Baingana.
ROMANIAN : Patlagea vanata, Pătlăgea vânătă, Pătlăgele vinete , Vanata, Vânătă, Vinete.

RUSSIAN :  Баклажан    Baklazhan (Baklažan).

SANSKRIT :  Bhantaki , Nattingan, वातिगगम  Vaatigagama  (vātiga-gama),  वृन्ताकम्  ,Vatinganah, Varttaka.

SERBIAN :   Плави патлиџан  Plavi patlidžan,  Патлиџан    Patlidžan.

SLOVENIAN : Jajčevec, Patlidžan jajcevec.

SLOVAK : Baklažán, Baklažány (plur.)

SPANISH : Berenjena, Albergínia (Catalan).

SWAHILI :  Mbilingani, Mbiringanya.

SWEDISH :  Äggplanta, Äggört, Aubergine.

TAGALOG : Talong.

TAMIL :    Kathiri , Kathirikai,  கத்திரி   Kattiri, கத்தரி .

TELUGU :  వంగ  Vanga,  వంకాయ   Vankāya,  బ్రింజాల్ ,  ఎగ్గ్ ప్లాంట్ ,  ఆబర్జీన్ ,  వార్తాకము.

THAI :  มะเขือ  Makhua, มะเขือยาว  Ma khuea yao (Ma khuea yaao, Makhua yao, Makhua yow) , Makhua chan,  มะเขือขาว   Ma khuea khao  (Má kĕua kăao, Makhua khao, Ma khua kow, Ma kuah kow).

TURKISH :   پاتلیجان   (patlıcan),  Patlıcan.

UKRAINIAN :  Баклажани.
URDU :  بینگن  Baingan.

VIETNAMESE : Cà tim, Cà bat, Cà tin, Quả cà.

VISAYAN : Bringhinas, Tarong.

Exploration: Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)

Exploration: Quinoa

The New York Times recently had an interesting article about how the growing popularity of quinoa in the US and Europe are increasing farmer incomes in Bolivia, but that this is also negatively effecting the affordability of quinoa for Bolivians. 

Quinoa plants growing in Peru

Incredible Photos of Agricultural Production Worldwide

This blog post from Wired.com had specular images of agricultural lands in countries ranging from the US to Brazil to Kazakhstan. I think it's an amazing reminder of how significant human impact on the environment is.
(Note: The webpage has much better and bigger images)

Crop Tops: Strange Agricultural Landscapes Seen From Space

• By Betsy Mason
• March 17, 2011  | 
• Categories: Earth Science

Agriculture is one of the oldest and most pervasive human impacts on the planet. Estimates of the land surface affected worldwide range up to 50 percent. But while driving through the seemingly endless monotony of wheat fields in Kansas may give you some insight into the magnitude of the change to the landscape, it doesn't compare to the view from above.

 

This is the first in what will probably be many posts on the mango (Mangifera indica L.). The video associated with this article has given me a new aspiration, to be labeled a "mango lover" as my identifier when interviewed. I also wouldn't mind being in the negotiating room when the US "talks mango with Pakistan."

U.S. Ban Creates Mango Black Market

By Max Fisher | August 02, 2010 3:04pm

Pakistan is the world's fifth largest producer of mangoes, growing 1.7 million tons of the fruit every year. And the only way Americans can get access to those mangoes is by purchasing them in Canada, which some people actually do, so delicious is the Pakistan mango reputed to be. CNN has dubbed this "the forbidden mango," interviewing trans-border buyers of the illicit fruit. They show the process of buying and transporting mangoes across the border, a cash-heavy process eerily similar to buying drugs.

But this burgeoning underground market may soon be ending. The Asia Society's Rafaya Sufi writes, "The US recently signaled that it was ready to talk mango with Pakistan in an attempt to ease relations between the two countries—and during her visit to Islamabad last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the country's mangoes could hit US retailers as soon as this winter."

Farmerettes?

Farmerettes? - An Ag-related history lesson

Image from the Smithsonian Institute

During WWI, from 1917-1919, women’s organizations, such as YWCA, established the Woman’s Land Army of America in order to support the war effort. The Woman’s Land Army, based on a similar British war effort by the “Land Lassies,” recruited about 20,000 women to take over farm jobs from men who had left for war. The women who worked on farms were called “farmerettes.”

An article for Smithsonian describes some of the women who worked in California to produce fruits like peaches and grapes.  

“While California fruit growers held lucrative contracts with the U.S. military to supply troops with dried and canned fruit, the extreme wartime farm labor shortage enabled the California Woman’s Land Army to demand extraordinary employment terms: a guaranteed contract, equal pay to what local male farm laborers could command, an eight hour day, and overtime pay. The employers also agreed to worker protections--comfortable living quarters, designated rest periods, lifting limits, and workers’ compensation insurance—considered radical for the time.”