When I started pulling together Irish words and descriptive phrases relating to the potato, I found, on a preliminary trawl, over 50 easily enough (which is least partly a reflection of the fact that there are a great many adjectives that can be applied to various forms of potato in any language). Largely based on two Irish-English dictionaries – Ó Dónaill and Dineen – plus a bit of local knowledge, here is some of what caught my eye.
Potato, in Irish; just one word of many
The common word for potato in Irish is práta (pl. prátaí), though in the West of Ireland,fata (pl. fataí) is used, while an early way of referring to the potato was An Spáinneach(meaning the Spaniard, and which is now usually translated to mean sweet potato). It reflects the theory that potatoes may have come to these shores by way of the Spanish Armada, and it was certainly the Spaniards who were responsible for introducing them into Europe in the late 16th century.
The practice, in times gone by, was for part of the potato crop to be stored over winter for seed and, in spring, the eyes of the stored tubers, which would develop into new plants, were cut out, and the rest used for animal feed. Several Irish words – sciollán, sceallán,scoilteán, scoilteog – refer to the part of the potato cut out for seed, while sciollóg orlangán refers to the discarded portion. Caochán práta refers to an eyeless (or literally, blind) potato, while cailleach phráta describes a shrivelled or old seed potato (the same word, cailleach, is used to refer to an old hag). Falcaire also refers to an old or spent seed potato while bunchineál prátaí (literally, bottom species) are oldish, middling potatoes, not quite spent just yet.
There are numerous ways in the Irish language to denote a potato’s size. Sizable specimens include práta garbh, a large, lumpy potato, gillín práta, a fine, fat potato, andpeil, the same word as used for football. Póiríní are small potatoes, like pebbles, as are both creacháin and sceidíní prátaí. Luspairt phrátaí and scaillúin prátaí both refer to small, worthless potatoes, while broc prátaí means small, discarded potatoes. Dradairníní prátaíare even smaller again and also lacking in usefulness. The smallest of all are likened topaidríní or rosary beads: “Bhí na prátaí ina bpaidríní ar na gais” – the potatoes were like (rosary) beads on the stalks.
sounds like ‘schlummuck‘ – which captures something of its soggy meaning
The faults of a potato can also be many. Práta préacháin (literally, potato of the crow) is a crow-pecked potato while práta piartach is a worm-eaten one. Screamhachóirí prátaí are scabby, whilst a práta gréine (literally ‘potato of the sun’) has greened due to exposure to the sun. The práta fabhtach is hollow at its core, whilst sliomach describes that worst of offenders, a potato that is soft and soggy (and which may also be described as bogáin phrátaí (literally, soft potatoes)), while prátaí fliucha are wet and prátaí uisciula are watery. Tellingly, prátaí dubh (literally, black potatoes) are those that have been blighted.
The many ways in which potatoes can be cooked of course leads to many words to describe same, from roasties to mash to chips. There are several words – luathóg,bruthóg, bruithneog – to describe the common practice in times past of cooking a batch of potatoes in embers or ashes, generally those of a peat fire. Reflecting the Irish penchant for floury potatoes – prátaí plúrach – the language also has several ways of describing potatoes that have burst their jackets, including prátaí gáiriteacha (literally, smiling or laughing potatoes) and prátaí spréite (potatoes that spread or sprawl).
In some cases, these words tell us something about the ways in which potatoes were cooked when there was little else but potatoes to eat. Gealach phráta (literally, the moon of the potato) refers to the old practice of parboiling potatoes such that they were left with a small, hard centre. The outer parts would be digested easily, but swallowing the undercooked centres lead to a later, second digestion, which kept you going as you worked in the fields – hard potatoes for hard times.
http://www.thedailyspud.com/2014/08/25/irish-words-for-potato/comment-page-1/#comment-271999
Potato, in Irish; just one word of many
The common word for potato in Irish is práta (pl. prátaí), though in the West of Ireland,fata (pl. fataí) is used, while an early way of referring to the potato was An Spáinneach(meaning the Spaniard, and which is now usually translated to mean sweet potato). It reflects the theory that potatoes may have come to these shores by way of the Spanish Armada, and it was certainly the Spaniards who were responsible for introducing them into Europe in the late 16th century.
The practice, in times gone by, was for part of the potato crop to be stored over winter for seed and, in spring, the eyes of the stored tubers, which would develop into new plants, were cut out, and the rest used for animal feed. Several Irish words – sciollán, sceallán,scoilteán, scoilteog – refer to the part of the potato cut out for seed, while sciollóg orlangán refers to the discarded portion. Caochán práta refers to an eyeless (or literally, blind) potato, while cailleach phráta describes a shrivelled or old seed potato (the same word, cailleach, is used to refer to an old hag). Falcaire also refers to an old or spent seed potato while bunchineál prátaí (literally, bottom species) are oldish, middling potatoes, not quite spent just yet.
There are numerous ways in the Irish language to denote a potato’s size. Sizable specimens include práta garbh, a large, lumpy potato, gillín práta, a fine, fat potato, andpeil, the same word as used for football. Póiríní are small potatoes, like pebbles, as are both creacháin and sceidíní prátaí. Luspairt phrátaí and scaillúin prátaí both refer to small, worthless potatoes, while broc prátaí means small, discarded potatoes. Dradairníní prátaíare even smaller again and also lacking in usefulness. The smallest of all are likened topaidríní or rosary beads: “Bhí na prátaí ina bpaidríní ar na gais” – the potatoes were like (rosary) beads on the stalks.
sounds like ‘schlummuck‘ – which captures something of its soggy meaning
The faults of a potato can also be many. Práta préacháin (literally, potato of the crow) is a crow-pecked potato while práta piartach is a worm-eaten one. Screamhachóirí prátaí are scabby, whilst a práta gréine (literally ‘potato of the sun’) has greened due to exposure to the sun. The práta fabhtach is hollow at its core, whilst sliomach describes that worst of offenders, a potato that is soft and soggy (and which may also be described as bogáin phrátaí (literally, soft potatoes)), while prátaí fliucha are wet and prátaí uisciula are watery. Tellingly, prátaí dubh (literally, black potatoes) are those that have been blighted.
The many ways in which potatoes can be cooked of course leads to many words to describe same, from roasties to mash to chips. There are several words – luathóg,bruthóg, bruithneog – to describe the common practice in times past of cooking a batch of potatoes in embers or ashes, generally those of a peat fire. Reflecting the Irish penchant for floury potatoes – prátaí plúrach – the language also has several ways of describing potatoes that have burst their jackets, including prátaí gáiriteacha (literally, smiling or laughing potatoes) and prátaí spréite (potatoes that spread or sprawl).
In some cases, these words tell us something about the ways in which potatoes were cooked when there was little else but potatoes to eat. Gealach phráta (literally, the moon of the potato) refers to the old practice of parboiling potatoes such that they were left with a small, hard centre. The outer parts would be digested easily, but swallowing the undercooked centres lead to a later, second digestion, which kept you going as you worked in the fields – hard potatoes for hard times.
http://www.thedailyspud.com/2014/08/25/irish-words-for-potato/comment-page-1/#comment-271999
