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Some deductions: >>potato grows in the earth >erdapfel I know a few French words, so I know that potato in French is pomme de terre (fruit of the earth) I

Some deductions: >>potato grows in the earth >erdapfel I know a few French words, so I know that potato in French is pomme de terre (fruit of the earth) I am learning German. I know that apfel means apple in German. I know that Erdbeere means strawberry in German. beere sounds like berry. straw sometimes lies on the earth (after it is cut). I just Googled for the word earth in German and it shows erde. so it seems like erdapfel means "earth apple", which sounds like the French "fruit of the earth". how's that for a bit(te) of logical deduction? I feel a bit(te) like a human Prolog interpret-a. now I'll go and finish my Bier(e), which inspired me-a. ;)

detaro 2y ago
But it can't have in 1462, when potatoes (and Jerusalem artichokes) weren't known to Europeans yet.
- throwup238 2y ago
  Yep, they weren't introduced to Europe until the late 16th century: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00029633 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00029633 At that time, "erdapfel" meant something else entirely: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erdapfel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erdapfel The reason I think it's a heirloom melon variety is threefold: a) "earth apple" fits because melons grow on the ground, b) there are green melons with yellow and pink stripes/patches, with the same elongated fruit shape, c) vines and leaf shape.
- fuzztester 2y ago
  You're right. Only after the Columbian Exchange were those plants known to Europe. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_exchange https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_exchange
fuzztester 2y ago
I just googled a bit more and saw this: https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/An_Etymological_Dictionary_of_the_German_Language/Annotated/Erdbeere https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/An_Etymological_Dictionary_...
draven 2y ago
> I know a few French words, so I know that potato in French is pomme de terre (fruit of the earth) "pomme" means apple, so it's even closer to the german etymology.
- fuzztester 2y ago
  good to know, thanks. joke: from now on, whenever anyone asks what type of computer i have, I will say: pomme! non! merde! meaning: Apple! no! https://www.dictionary.com/browse/merde https://www.dictionary.com/browse/merde ;)

detaro 2y ago

But it can't have in 1462, when potatoes (and Jerusalem artichokes) weren't known to Europeans yet.

throwup238 2y ago
Yep, they weren't introduced to Europe until the late 16th century: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00029633 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00029633 At that time, "erdapfel" meant something else entirely: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erdapfel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erdapfel The reason I think it's a heirloom melon variety is threefold: a) "earth apple" fits because melons grow on the ground, b) there are green melons with yellow and pink stripes/patches, with the same elongated fruit shape, c) vines and leaf shape.
fuzztester 2y ago
You're right. Only after the Columbian Exchange were those plants known to Europe. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_exchange https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_exchange

fuzztester 2y ago

I just googled a bit more and saw this: https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/An_Etymological_Dictionary_of_the_German_Language/Annotated/Erdbeere https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/An_Etymological_Dictionary_...

draven 2y ago

> I know a few French words, so I know that potato in French is pomme de terre (fruit of the earth) "pomme" means apple, so it's even closer to the german etymology.

fuzztester 2y ago
good to know, thanks. joke: from now on, whenever anyone asks what type of computer i have, I will say: pomme! non! merde! meaning: Apple! no! https://www.dictionary.com/browse/merde https://www.dictionary.com/browse/merde ;)