(le Róislín)

Fós ag smaoineamh ar cheist na seachtaine, cad é an difear idir na bianna seo:

torthaí [TOR-hee], plural of “toradh” (fruit)

glasraí [GLAHSS-ree], plural of “glasra” (vegetable)

cnónna [KNOH-nuh, unlike English “know” and “knight,” the “kn” here really is pronounced “kn,” as in “Knut” or the middle part of “acne”], plural of “cnó” (nut)

glasraí pischineálacha [… PISH-H^yIN-yawl-ukh-uh], plural of “glasra pischineálach” (“leguminous vegetable,” even more literally “pea-type vegetable”)

léagúim, plural of “léagúm” (legume), which also gives us another, and quite straightforward, adjective for “leguminous,” namely “léagúmach”

And getting back to the key points regarding each of these foods, at least from the viewpoint of a neamhluibheolaí (also that of a non-pomologist, non-fruiticulturist, and non-olericulturist):

torthaí: most of the key points, for our purposes, were discussed in the previous blog (https://blogs.transparent.com/irish/siolta-ubhoirini-agus-tiubair-a-thiarcais-yet-another-oh-my-meme-this-time-on-a-biaphlanda-theme-pt-1/), including síolta, ubhóiríní, ubhagáin, bia laíonach, and laíon méith.

glasraí: while this can include plants whose “fruit” or “seeds” are eaten as foods, I’ll concentrate keywords that distinguish vegetables from fruits, in, as previously mentioned “gnáthchaint” (in ordinary speech), in other words, where different parts of the planda are eaten as bia, such as the following:

tiúbar (plural: tiúbair) tuber

bleib (plural: bleibeanna) bulb (in botany, as opposed to a “bolgán,” which is bulb for electric lights and which can also mean, conveniently enough, the air-bladder of a fish)

bleibín (plural: bleibíní), small bulb or “bulbil,” again, in botany

gas [gahss, not like English “gas”] (plural: gais [gahsh] OR gasa) stem, stalk, not to be confused with “gás” [gawss], which is the Irish word for “gas” (hidrigin, ocsaigin, srl.) and which shows up in phrases like “Bord Gáis” (“gas board”) and  Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (http://bordgaisenergytheatre.ie/), a major entertainment venue in Ireland.  How major?  The current season includes West Side Story, RENT, The Nutcracker, Handel’s Messiah, and Wicked.  It seats over 2000 people.  A small stem or peduncle can be called a “gaisín,” or more typically these days a “gasán“, although there’s another word for peduncle, the quite straightforward “bláthchos” [blaw-khuss], which literally means “flower-leg.”

duilleog (plural: duilleoga), leaf.  Please note, though, that for books and worksheets, etc., it’s “bileog” and “page” itself is “leathanach.”  “Bileog” can also be used for flowers, as can “duillín” (small leaf).  The “leaf” of a door is “comhla.”  And the abstract “new leaf” that one might “turn over,” say when “an Athbhliain” rolls around (aimsir na ndea-rún) is not a “leaf” at all in Irish–the closest Irish equivalents to “turning over a new leaf” simply use more abstract nouns like “olc” (wickedness) and “saol” (life).

And I think the above gives us our second sub-meme for this series: “Bleibíní, Duillíní is Gaisíní … a Thiarcais!”

bláth [blaw, silent “t”](plural: bláthanna [BLAW-huh-nuh, again, silent “t”), flower.  Well, hmm, which plants are we actually eating the flower of? And how would that be classified differently from edible flowers as such, like rósanna, goirmíní, and sailchuacha?  Not to mention the “caisearbhán” (at least its buds — I’m not sure if the blossom itself is edible).  For “caisearbháin,” I could mention the “greens” here also, but then we’d be back to the previous category, duilleoga.

In researching this blog, I was actually amazed at the number of edible flowers there are and also at the number of foods I didn’t realize were considered flowers (like fennel, rosemary, and thyme) , looking lists like these (http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm and http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm)

But I think the only ones I’ve ever eaten are sailchuacha criostalaithe and maybe an occasional piotal róis, the latter as part of bia Indiach, más cuimhin liom i gceart .   And frankly, I be careful with eating any flowers, since while the plant itself may be inite (edible), it may have been drenched in pesticides or other chemicals unless it was raised specifically for the table.

And it looks like the léagúim and cnónna will still have to wait for blag amháin eile.  As the nicely alliterative Irish seanfhocal says, “Faigheann foighne fortacht” (Patience is rewarded, lit. Patience gets comfort / aid, etc.).

Of course, the bottom line interesting question here would be the traditional differentiation between fruits and vegetables in Irish spoken in the Gaeltacht.  But I don’t have ready resources to answer that question.  I would note, however, that several of the food items  that would come under a “fruit vs. vegetable” discussion would not have been native to Ireland (or Europe in general for that matter), especially trátaí, prátaí, agus puimcíní, so they might not have figured prominently in a folk taxonomy structure.

At any rate, that reference to “puimcíní” takes us back to our original topic, “séasúr na bpuimcíní,” (remember, genitive plural there) in time for Oíche Shamhna (especially i Meiriceá) and still in time for Lá Altaithe (arís i Meiriceá ar an ochtú lá is fiche de Mhí na Samhna i mbliana, which could also be expressed as “an 28ú lá de mhí na Samhna, or simply as “28 Mí na Samhna“).  But that discussion will have to wait for another blog, perhaps even until I go take a cúrsa luibheolaíochta in a local scoil oíche.  That’s actually something I’ve always wanted to do, but I remain apprehensive that the cúrsaí bitheolaíochta that I did in high school would prepare me even for Luibheolaíocht 101.  B’fhéidir.  Feicfimid.  Then I could do a whole additional series of blogs on the plandaí in the Harry Potter books, with more insight than if I tackled that project in the near future.  It is on my “liosta to-do (rudaí le déanamh)“ for lá éigin. SGF – Róislín