Eponyms: Names, Faces, Menus
Posted by Penny in Across The CommonsEver wonder why food is named the way it is? The Commons has some answers…
| Queen Margherita turned up in this week’s Library of Congress uploads to Flickr Commons. She’s the eponym of the “margherita pizza,” a standard combination of toppings (mozzarella, tomato, basil). Margherita pizza was served to the Queen Consort in 1889, in Naples, as an edible representation of the Italian flag (red/white/green). The name stuck. |  Library of Congress |
| Another famous Italian woman of the late 19th/early 20th century, coloratura soprano Luisa Tetrazzini, inspired a San Francisco chef to create “tetrazzini,” a dish with pasta, almonds, mushrooms, and parmesan sauce. |  Library of Congress |
| Staying in the music world, we find Dame Nellie Melba, Australian opera singer, who was honored with several namesake dishes, including Peach Melba (ice cream with peaches and raspberry sauce), and melba toast (a dry flat cracker). |  State Library of New South Wales |
| Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova had a meringue dessert named for her, because it was said to be as “light as Pavlova.” |  State Library of New South Wales |
Want more? Wikipedia has a List of Foods Names after People, and a List of Foods and Drinks Named for Places, for your all edible history needs.