THIS ARTICLE AIN’T NO HARDTACK

An Educated Sailor’s Lingo: 10 Old Whaling Terms Explained

Even though every profession has its own lingo, few are as colorful as the nautical ones. Maybe it has to do with the sea breeze or the adventurous nature of the people who dared to spend a long time at sea at a time when neither medicine nor safety were very advanced. In any case, the sea has always been a treasure trove of specific terms, and the ancient whaling profession had quite a few idioms of its own. In the following list, we embark on a voyage across ten of these terms. So, scroll on and learn a thing or two, sailor!

Everybody has to start somewhere, and that includes whaling ships. A green hand was the term used to describe an inexperienced crew member of a 19th-century whaler on his first voyage, who would typically have the smallest "lay", or share, in the profits.

Green hands would usually take care of the simplest chores, like moping the decks, cleaning, and doing the things that the rest of the crew didn’t want to do.

A very different ranking position, compared to the green hands, was the boatswain, also known as a deck boss or a qualified member of the deck department. This person was the most senior rate of the deck department and was responsible for the components of a ship's hull.

The boatswain supervised the other ship's deck department members, and typically was not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews. Additional duties varied depending on the ship, crew, and circumstances.

"Scrimshaw" is the name given to carvings done in bone or ivory, typically created by whalers, and engraved on the byproducts of whales, such as bones or cartilage. It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth of sperm whales, because of their size.

This art form recreates elaborate engravings of pictures and lettering on the surface of the bone or tooth, with the engraving highlighted using a pigment. Scrimshaw probably began on whaling ships in the late 18th century and survived until the ban on commercial whaling.

As the name implies, a "Crow’s Nest" is something that is high. Originally, it was a barrel lashed at the highest section of the mainmast where a man was stationed to look for whales or ice.

On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land by using the naked eye or optical devices such as telescopes or binoculars.

A "gam" was a social visit between whaling vessels, whalers, or the crew. It was coined in the 1840s and generally means pulling alongside another whaling vessel and "hopping" aboard to enjoy a social meeting.

Gamming was a way of taking a break from the monotony of the sea, seeing different faces, enjoying a pint of grog, some music, relaxing for a while, and helping boost the crew’s morale for all the ships involved

Back in the days when electricity and refrigeration were not around, food conservation was a complex endeavor, especially onboard ships that sailed for years on end. "Hardtack" is a type of dense cracker made from flour, water, and sometimes salt.

Being inexpensive and long-lasting, it was used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voyages, land migrations, and military campaigns.

Whaling vessels were sturdy ships, capable of enduring the hardships of long voyages, and easily fixable, even far away from their home port. The word "hove" is the past tense of "heave", which in a nautical context means to move into a certain direction, position, or situation.

A vessel that is hove down is intentionally laid or tipped onto its side for repair, painting, or cleaning.

Even to this day, the Cape Horn is a feared place for sailors due to its terrible weather and conditions that have brought disgrace upon many ships. Back in the whaling days, this route was a common passage required to access the Pacific whaling grounds for whalers coming from Nantucket and New Bedford.

A large, square-rigged ship built to withstand the rigors of a Cape Horn passage was known as a Cape Horner.

A "schooner" is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. This type of ship was commonly used as a whaling ship.

A topsail schooner also has a square topsail on the foremast, to which may be added a topgallant.

Having mentioned the crow’s nest in a previous entry, we can complete the description and this whole list with the role that is most usually connected to such a high place on the ship. The lookout is the person at the ship’s crow’s nest, or also bridge, who maintains a continuous watch of the sea to report the sighting of whales or any kind of hazard that can be an obstacle in the navigation and cause harm to the ship.

You said it comes from where?

French fries from Belgium: dishes with an incorrect nationality

Many dishes carry an origin in their name. But were they created in those places? Canadian bacon is back bacon, Russians eat Olivier salad, and Thai people do call it pad Thai, but is this the norm? Some dishes that are popular in America are associated with certain cuisines in their names when, in reality, they have a different origin. Let’s explore some of them and find out how they came to be called this way!

Contrary to what the name suggests, French fries originated in Belgium, not France. According to a popular story, 17th-century Belgian villagers, unable to fish on a frozen river, decided to fry their potatoes instead.

So, why French and not Belgian fries? There are several likely stories, but the term ‘French fried’ has been synonymous with ‘deep fried’ long before it was used for potatoes.

Pineapple as a pizza topping might be one of the most divisive food choices, and Hawaiians unjustly bear the brunt of the anti-pineapple side. But this controversial pizza combination is the result of many factors, none of them related to the Aloha state.

The idea behind this pairing came from a Greek-Canadian restaurateur from Ontario who had experience cooking Chinese food, abundant with sweet and sour combinations. Why Hawaiian then? It was the brand of the canned pineapple.

Spongy chocolate layers and a coconut-pecan frosting; no wonder this cake is a tried and true classic. But it is not the German chocolate classic, as that title is held by Black Forest cake. This one is all American.

The original name of this dessert was German’s chocolate cake, after chocolate-maker Samuel German. With the recipe becoming popular and rival chocolate brands developing their versions, the possessive in the name was eventually dropped.

Danishes are one of those pastries that are simply versatile. They have a multitude of fillings and flavor profiles, and make excellent snacks. But are they actually Danish?

If you were to ask someone from Denmark, they would tell you that their real name is wienerbrød, or Viennese bread. But, although they were an Austrian import into Denmark, the truth is that Danish bakers developed their own distinct recipe. So, they are sort of Danish.

While this snack was developed by a Japanese person, it doesn’t exist in Japan as we know it. It originated in Mexico, where a recently unemployed Japanese immigrant took up selling snacks as a way of providing for his family.

Inspired by mamegashi —a Japanese snack of seeds coated in spiced flour and fried— he chose peanuts to adapt them to the Mexican taste. The snack became popular instantly and was known as ‘Japanese-style’ peanuts.

The trick of wetting and cooking stale bread is older than the country of France. A 1st-century Roman cookbook contains what is considered to be the first recorded (eggless) French toast recipe, called aliter dulcia (‘another sweet dish’).

The dish does exist in France, but it’s called pain perdu, or ‘lost bread’. Possible explanations for the ‘French toast’ name talk about either a desire to make it sound more upscale or about a man called Joseph French popularizing it in America.

After a few dishes wrongly attributed to France, we encounter a French dish wrongly attributed to Macedonia. This dish can be found across southern Europe, but the term macédoine comes from French cuisine and is used for a salad made from small pieces of fruits or vegetables.

Though disputed, several sources claim that Macedonia refers to the mix of fruits or vegetables, as a reference to the mix of people that were part of the empire of Alexander the Great of Macedonia.

This one’s tricky: some Swiss cheeses come from Switzerland, but not all. The term ‘Swiss Cheese’ is used in America in a generic sense to talk about cheeses similar to Swiss Emmental (the yellow cheese with holes, in case you don’t recognize the name).

While Emmental is a registered name for cheeses made in that specific region, it’s still used for similar products from other countries. Also, true Emmental cheese might be sold as ‘Swiss cheese’ in the U.S.

Spanish people are well-known for a specific rice dish, but it’s not this one, because this one’s Mexican. Sometimes called Mexican rice, this dish is a common side dish in Mexican cuisine, which is simply known as arroz rojo, or ‘red rice’.

Why the association with Spain, then? The name is used in the context of Tex-Mex cuisine: some say it’s because the dish is perceived as a simpler version of the Spanish paella, while others think it’s because it comes from a Spanish-speaking culture.

If you ever travel through Italy, don’t expect to find Italian dressing available in restaurants or supermarkets. Despite its name, this one is one hundred percent American.

But it does have a connection with Italy: it originated in Massachusetts, where a restaurant started selling a salad vinaigrette made by the owner’s wife. She was the daughter of Italian immigrants, and this was her family’s recipe, so everyone called it ‘the Italian dressing’.