SEMANTIC ENIGMAS

Why is orange "orange" and not "carrot"?

M Ainsworth, Leeds, UK

  • The current Co-op advert (why is a grape not a green, why is a cherry not a red, etc.) has led me to ponder this question.. Carrots can be orange or purple, grapes and cherries come in a variety of colours. an orange is... well orange! i can't think of any variety of orange where the peel is not orange. As carrots were traditionally purple until the Dutch introduced the orange variety 17th century as a sign of patriotism, I guess there were no other types of fruit/veg of an orange colour at the time... Just a thought!

    Nicc, NW6 UK

  • I can only assume that it's because the carrot is (reputedly in any case) not naturally orange. Apparently carrots are naturally a purplish colour and were genetically modified to be orange in homage to the House of Orange. I have yet to find an explanation as to why the gardener responsible thought that the Dutch royal family would be flattered by their newly established relationship with a root vegetable.

    Nick Taplin, London UK

  • Because European language and food cultivation both started in the fertile cresent. Citrus trees were domesticated and the term orange would have been useful to describe the fruit and colour. When food cultivation and language eventually reached the colder northern european lands, where root vegetables were domesticated the colours were already defined.

    James Massey, Dubai UAE

  • Because Ice Cream has no bones.

    Stu, victoria Canada

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