Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Canola Oil
Am I the last person to find out that Canola Oil is: Canada + Oil ? According to Delicious Living Magazine, it is just a play on words. I guess I never really thought about it. I just assumed it was some sort of corn oil. Evidently "Canadians bred canola from the rapeseed plant in the early 1970s..." Who knew? Now you do!
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7 comments:
You are definitely NOT the last person to find out...I had no idea!
Yep. It's a Brassicaceae (cabbage, turnip, mustard, broccoli...) 'Rape' comes from the latin word for turnip. The Canadians bred it to have low levels of Erucic acid. The Europeans have a similar cultivar called LEAR (Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed.)
They've also bred a high erucic acid version. That oil isn't for human consumption, but it is useful for paints and varnishes.
So what's the hook to UU?
Dana - I am glad I wasn't the only one!
David - Thanks for all the info. I feel like I should have realized this a long time ago...
Hmm, the UU hook. Maybe more UUs prefer it over Vegetable oil? We believe in the interdependent web of life and that includes our Canadian friends and the much maligned turnip?
Silly me, I actually thought there was a flower called canola. Duh.
I blush to report it—although I might point out that I never had any first hand knowledge because I seem to be the only “hippy” to have missed most of the sexual revolution—but back in the early ‘70’s a “Canola party” referred to a certain group recreational activity requiring no clothes and rubber sheets. Bon appetit!
Bridgett - I wasn't even creative enough to think that there was a possibility of a canola flower!
Patrick - Oh my goodness, I had no idea of the "alternative" meaning. Hee hee, I hope I don't get a lot of hits looking for its explanation!
I didn't know the etymology of "canola" either--thanks!
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