To escape the heat from the street I popped into a coffee shop the other day and treated myself to a frappucchino with a slice of banoffee pie.
Whilst my eyes were checking my emails, my ears were alerted to the sound of a young child outside, excited at being allowed to walk the family’s Cockapoo.
Slowly from the back of my mind, more through smog than grey cells, there emerged the gradual awareness that all around me, all around us, there is a world of double meaning. If I had arrived at a harbour, its name was portmanteau.
A term originally used to describe a briefcase that opens up into two equal compartments, as carried by a vet or GP, the author Lewis Carroll gave new meaning to portmanteau as a word formed through the joining of parts of two or more others.
The smoke and fog of my brain was clearing as was the inbox of my electronic mail. The New England term of frappe for milkshake combined with cappuccino was the refreshing iced drink before me, banana and toffee the basis of my delicious slice, whilst the breeding of a cocker spaniel and a poodle has produced one of the most popular of dog breeds along with its close relation the labradoodle.
Some portmanteaus are obvious, such as chocoholic or a telethon, but did you realise that fourteen nights make a fortnight? Or that cosmetic surgery wrinkle removal combines a strain of botulism with toxin?
We humans have always been eager to create new recipes so that might explain why portmanteaus are so prevalent in the food and drink sector.
The spam created from spiced ham dates back to 1937 whilst the turducken is a three bird roast popularised in the eighties which combines turkey, duck and chicken. To follow I don’t mind a bit of camembert or gorgonzola but my favourite is the classic franco-italian combination of cambozola.
At SK we aim to bring the great tastes of the world to your doorstep so you can mix and match as you wish. A natural starting point might be the cuisine that celebrates the traditions of the Tejano people either side of the most southerly border of the US – anyone for Tex Mex?
About Oliver Parkinson
Sous Chef of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
