It is quite remarkable that the animals in the left column of the above table are all named differently as soon as they become food. Even more remarkable is it that the nouns in the left column are all of Anglosaxon origin, whereas the right column contains words that were imported into England by William the Conqueror and his boon companions.

It seems that Normans were early in having refined table manners: did they teach the Anglosaxons to kill and cook animals first before eating them?

Not all Anglosaxon edibles were renamed. Lamb is lamb. Chicken is chicken. Though there is the word ‘poultry’, of course, which is of Francophone origin, too.

Vive la cuisine Française!

And all those other delicacies that we owe to Old William ...

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