Rapeseed oil is what Canola oil is. Canola oil actually means CANadian Oil, Low Acid. It's totally understandable because, let's face it "rapeseed oil" is a marketing nightmare.
In fact when I was googling to find a picture of the plant most pictures called these flowers rapeseed blossoms instead of what they are, rapes. Just fields and fields of rape.
Jorge,
ReplyDeleteYea Canada! The leaders and best! Oh wait that's the University of Michigan chant!
A friend of mine is a photo editor for a stock agency and they have all kinds of photos of all kinds of subject matter.. one time she was looking down her list of the titles of photos she had been assigned to edit for the day.. one was called "field of rape".. she was scared to open it.. thankfully it was not what she thought (but is it weird that she DIDN'T think it was a typo? haha)
ReplyDeletethat's funny...very pretty though.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I am not sure that I would be able to enjoy something that uses an ingredient like that! However, I did learn something in this post. I had no idea the meaning behind canola oil! Thanks for feeding my brain. Also, the pictures of those rapeseed fields are gorgeous. For a second I was hoping that was a picture of your backyard! (Great, now I am hungry! Thanks!)
ReplyDeleteJorge, can you show me on the doll where the plant touched you?
ReplyDeleteHi Jorge, even though the name may sound weird, the product itself is perfectly safe and (at least over here) very common. And so is the view of vast yellow fields of blooming rapeseed. The name surely is horrible, but the sight is just lovely :-)
ReplyDeleteRegards from Germany
Julienne
In Canada we just call it Canola and it only has the yellow flowers for about two weeks a year. Should you ever end up here in the end of August I suggest trying to run through a field of it...it's like hitting a wall. We were chasing a neighbors cow and ended up ass over tea kettle when we hit that field...good times.
ReplyDeletethat's hilarious. You gotta chuckle out of me. :) Did you check out my sketch? if you did, and thought it was lame. ignore me :) if not, look, if you like :) The thought was to think of really funny parts in LOST that I loved, it was actually really hard to think of ones that would be funny in a drawing. Do you know of any, I want to draw Michael Emerson in one :)
ReplyDeletehttp://asimpleloveforart.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-am-not-crazy.html
That's actually gorgeous. Such a crime that something so beautiful can bring to mind something so vicious.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK we just call it rapeseed oil, so despite those connotations, rapeseed seems normal to me :P
ReplyDeleteI'd hate to have the job of reaping all that rape...
ReplyDeleteThat should be a headline... fields and fields of rape...
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing the first time I saw it.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean that the bottle of "Rape Soda" that I found is also not a typo?
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of these rape fields in Denmark, and the smell is just wonderful when they blossom... to me it is the smell of Summer on the way !
ReplyDeletePretty. I've seen fields of this driving through New Brunswick. It's breathtaking.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best thing I've read today.
ReplyDeletethank you.
Funny. In the midwest when canola oil first started popping up, people referred to the yellow blossoms as canola plants. Good to know what the real deal is, Jorge! :)
ReplyDeletewow that field of rape is quite beautiful!
ReplyDeleteyeah, no one wants to admit they have a rape field.
ReplyDeleteSome might even call it "colza" which apparently has more to do with rape than with coleslaw.
ReplyDelete"The Land of Rape and Honey" makes more sense now, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThis is crazy. I just saw this in an ingredient list a couple of days ago and thought the same thing. I never got to look it up. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteNow you know why we Canadians call it Canola oil! :)
ReplyDeleteHee! And please, do your best to avoid that evil, evil oil. Processed and altered to a degree that it qualifies as Frankenfood, IMO.
ReplyDeleteIn German they call it "Raps" -Öl ... with a rolling rrr
ReplyDeletenever saw the English term for it.
cool you point it out.
Yeah, rapeseed grows here in Ireland. The fields are crazy yellow.
ReplyDeleteExcellent, I've been on your blog for two whole minutes (linked by the lovely Anna Pickard, by the way) and I've already learned something! We don't talk about Canola oil here in the UK so I had no idea what it was. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteinformative and delightful, who could ask for more in a blog?
ReplyDeletep.s. my favorite oil is rice bran.
They sure are pretty flowers...whatever they are called! (wink)
ReplyDeleteTo further confuse things, rape is also "the residue of grapes, after the juice has been extracted, used as a filter in making vinegar".
ReplyDeleteOddly, I had heard of rapeseed oil, but had no idea of the origins of canola oil (though I use it all the time). Yours is a very informative blog.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't help but to giggle over the "fields and fields of rape". Makes you wonder just who named this plant?
ReplyDeleteHi Jorge
ReplyDeleteYou must check out this video on DarkUFO about getting the answers in Season 6. Funny video and song and you got big eyes to go with the larger version of your mouth. hehe
http://darkufo.blogspot.com/
Just scroll down past the Fantasy league stuff to the video.
Pen2
LA
Hope you all have a blast at the Lost on the beach there in Waikiki next weekend. Sure wish I could be there to see you. I will be over in June again but too late for any Lost. boohoooooooo
Yikes. I don't think I would go to the field of rape. I'm just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteThis is really weird... the first thing to pop into my head this morning was how funny it is that canola oil is really rapeseed oil. And now here's your post. Two days ago my friend and I both had dreams about BLT's... I must be psychic!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I (Canadian) remember being VERY confused when the word Canola came around.... what the heck is a canola??? Oh, rapeseed, why didn't you say so?
ReplyDeleteWell how's that for "you learn something new everyday."
ReplyDeleteI feel so educated now!! I had no idea what Canola meant AND if I saw rapeseed oil on a recipe I'd think the same thing! WOW! Smarty pants...
ReplyDeleteThe first time I heard of 'rapeseed' was while in Sweden several years ago. I asked a friend what the 'yellow' fields were...the answer rapeseed. It's quite lovely.
ReplyDeleteEr..many inappropriate, yet funny comments come to mind. Erik The Viking, Inclusive.
ReplyDeleteSee I learned something today, thanks!! I never knew that is what Canola oil was.
ReplyDeleteI can not wait until next week, this is sooo going to be a cool/uncool thing because I love that it is a new season but it is the final season. And lost is on the cover of People?! And I get to see Hurley again!!
Besos~~
I'm a perfumer so I get to read up on rapeseed, since the big wig chemical makers claim it has a really high allergy rate - which does not explain the popularity of canola oil in movie popcorn.
ReplyDeleteSo dumb question not directly related to the post:
Why don't Hawaiians hunt chickens?
it's really pretty isn't it?
ReplyDeletejust watched a reply on ABC of last seasons final 2 hours...and next tuesday is the new one..Im so excited ...so? whatcha gonna do when Lost is done?..you need to let us know..
Wow, what a beautiful picture. Who would think that such a disturbing named plant could have such picturesque beginnings. Use it; but never knew about Canola. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeletewow...thanks for that info. Liked to read your "research files".
ReplyDeleteWe grow a lot of it here in the UK, it's very pretty in season.
ReplyDeleteI think canola oil is going out of fashion because it has a reputation for being GM. "Rapeseed oil" is coming back as a term for posher canola oil. Personally, I can't stand the flavour.
hi,
ReplyDeletewe saw you at the chevron today! me, my husband and our young son are vacationing on the north shore and are huge fans of Lost. Seeing you made our day! thanks!
ps. being canadian, i didn't know that canola was an acronym, now I do, so thanks for that too!
pps. we were going to say something, but got starstruck and just stared :) should have said hi!
it's known as rape and rapeseed in the uk...but there again we have no puritanical hang ups lol
ReplyDeleteOver here in Luxembourg and surrounding regions, you see these everywhere. I was a bit surprised to read that it isn't known to everybody.
ReplyDeleteIt has a pungent and not particularly pleasant smell to it when in full blossom. Not quite Durian fruit levels of intensity, but it honks all the same. I invite you to the UK one summer to experience it!
ReplyDeleteNot so much because the word "rape" would be a marketing nightmare; rapeseed oil is still called rapeseed oil in some EU countries. Rapeseed used to contain high levels of a fatty acid-erucic-acid-that has a reputation for being poisonous. Worse it has a bitter taste! Both have been bred out of modern food grade rapeseed. The problem is that today there are two types of rapeseed oil. 1) Canola oil which is very low in erucic acid while being very high in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and 2) an industrial grade oil with more nasties than just erucic acid. Without the name change I wonder how many people would confuse the two (I'm a nutritionist and you should see the mail I get on the topic). Anyway IMHO that was what the researchers were trying to "cover-up" with the name change: a bitter taste. Not that I have read the scientific papers on it published.
ReplyDeleteYou might be interested in a relatively new type of rapeseed oil that contains higher levels of oleic acid, an important monounsaturated fat for health. High oleic Canola has a higher smoke point that Canola Classic so it makes cooking with very hot oil easier.
Rapeseed has changed the colour of the British landscape to the point where it's an issue for historical filmmakers - it's not easy to find a country location that's not streaked with yellow.
ReplyDeleteThey grow rape here in England and it is one of the stinkiest crops ever. They do call it rapeseed oil over here.
ReplyDeleteYep no typo - there is a lot of that grown near us in the North West of England - poor choice of name and a hayfever sufferers nightmare!
ReplyDeleteHi Jorge, check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1PAB6Sgdp8 . It's made by lost fans. Sorry I did not know where else to write
ReplyDeleteha thanks for this oddly enough, i was reading an old grimm's fairy tale and it involved a farmer and his feilds of rape. i was like, thats one sick farmer.
ReplyDeleteI've seen that before too. I never looked it up though, just kind of ingnored it and went on eating my goodies. Love the last line..."fields of rape" Sonds like a cheesy romance novel...
ReplyDeletemy hubby and I ROFLed for a while at this. It was also interesting to learn what Canola Oil actually stood for.
ReplyDeleteHa! I saw that ingredient on my box of fondant and thought for sure they meant grapeseed oil. I was going to write the company and point out their little boo-boo. But I looked it up, and now I'm glad I didn't show my ignorance to Wilton. LOL
ReplyDeletehaving this a looot in germany. using it for the local busses and also for the food :D
ReplyDeletewait.
ReplyDeleteso those fancy bottles of 'rapeseed oil' at the grocery store is just a way to rape our wallets? all we're buying is canola oil in a fancy can?!
Yes, a marketing nightmare! LOL That would make for an interesting campaign...
ReplyDeleteThe other day I saw a commercial on TV for potatoes. Not a brand of potatoes, but just potatoes...in general...I thought that was weird. Don't tell me carbs are evil for years and years just to make "you-should-love-potatoes-because-now-we-say-they-are-healthy" commercials!
They did the same thing with the egg...cholesterol-laden death in a shell? NOOoooooo....Incredible and edible...
Haha, yes the majesty of the rape fields...living here in rural Alberta I know this scene all too well. :P
ReplyDelete"Just fields and fields of rape."
ReplyDeleteI almost did a spit take with my coffee reading that at work.
lol
Out of the hundreds of post man, this has gotta be the best. So funny.
ReplyDeleteThe second picture is really nice. :)
ReplyDeleteBy the way Jorge, have you seen this: http://lostmediamentions.blogspot.com/2010/01/season-6-dvd-project.html
Don't you think it would be cool? I love the idea!
and my mom said I'd never learn anything reading blogs ... Thanks for the education Jorge!
ReplyDeleteLOL
ReplyDeletedude you have to see this!!!
IS VERY FUNNY!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1PAB6Sgdp8&feature=player_embedded
This has nothing to do with the post. I couldn't find a way to send you an email though ... have you seen this on Jay and Jack's nudia.tv site? It made me laugh.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nudia.tv/2010/01/21/lost-moments-hurley-ichats-with-dead-people/
Take care. :-)
Rapeseed oil was Lorenzo's Oil.
ReplyDeleteHej!
ReplyDeleteI have just seen this on youtube! The Lost Answers song! Haha.(Explaining Jin was really fun!)
If you havven't seen it. You must!
Take Care. Ha det bra!
/Martina (Sweden).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1PAB6Sgdp8#
Holy cow, man - you had me laughing right out loud, with "marketing nightmare," and "just fields and fields of rape." Reminds me of the Jack Handey "deep thoughts." Do you like those? Anyway, you crack me up. Here's a deep thought of his: "I understand why it's illegal to throw things off of the Empire State Building, but what's wrong with little bits of cheese? They probably break down into their various gasses before they hit the ground anyway." One more: "If there were two men named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins the best? You'd think it was Flippy, wouldn't you. You'd be wrong, though. It's Hambone."
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather grows canola out in Saskatchewan. A lot of people mistake it for mustard fields.
ReplyDeleteIf you think that's strange or off-putting... Tisdale Saskatchewan's motto is "Land of Rape and Honey".
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's where Depeche Mode got it from.
The first time I ever saw fields of it was walking in Northumbria. I stopped at a pub to ask what it was, and they said, "rape" and I said, "What?" and the guy says, "rape" and I said, "I need a drink." So he explained it over an excellent single malt.
ReplyDeleteI saw a license-plate holder once that said "land of rape and honey". I was really shocked and upset until I found out they were talking about the plant.
ReplyDelete