Politically motivated food name changes
Food names often vary by country, and throughout history, there are a number of times that countries have attempted campaigns of politically motivated food name changes.[1] These campaigns are often temporary, and after relations between countries normalize, are no longer used.[2]
Liberty Cabbage and Liberty Steak
[edit]Due to anti-German sentiment, there was an effort to rename sauerkraut to Liberty Cabbage in the United States during WWI.[3][4] This effort also included rebranding hamburgers as Liberty Steaks.
Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast
[edit]
In 2003, there was an effort to rename French fries as freedom fries in the United States due to the French government's push to allow United Nations weapons inspectors more time, rather than sending troops to join the United States invasion of Iraq.[3][5] There were simultaneous efforts to rebrand french toast as freedom toast, which included a name change at the house cafeteria at the United States Capitol building.[5] The house cafeteria returned to using the name french fries in 2006.[2]
Roses Of The Prophet Muhammad
[edit]In 2006, during the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, the Iran Confectioners Union changed the name of the danish pastry to Roses of the Prophet Muhammad.[6][7][8]
Rusiano
[edit]In 2016 Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev declared the name Americano to be "not politically correct" and declared the drink's new name to be the Rusiano.[9] While many considered the comments to be a joke, some restaurants, including Burger King locations in Russia changed the name on their menus.
Kyiv Mule
[edit]After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, some bars in Ukraine changed the name of the Moscow mule cocktail to Kyiv mule.[10] The campaign spread to some bars in the United States to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people.[11]
Canadiano
[edit]In 2025, some coffee shops in Canada changed the name of a popular drink from Americano to Canadiano in response to president Donald Trump's threat of raising tariffs on Canadian imports into the United States.[12][13][14]
References
[edit]- ^ Miller, Zoë. "15 foods that are called different things around the world". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ a b Bellantoni, Christina. "Hill fries free to be French again". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ a b "Freedom Fries, Liberty Cabbage & the Myth". HPPR. 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ Culture, Iowa (2018-02-20). "When Sauerkraut Became 'Liberty Cabbage'". Iowa History. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ a b "CNN.com - House cafeterias change names for 'french' fries and 'french' toast - Mar. 12, 2003". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ "Iran targets Danish pastries". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ "Iranians Rename Danish Pastries To "Roses Of The Prophet Muhammad"..." HuffPost. 2008-03-28. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ "Freedom Fries, Liberty Cabbage, and Other Product Renamings". Mental Floss. 2008-07-14. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ Bluitt, Rebecca (2018-02-26). "'Rusiano' revolution: How Moscow does coffee". CNN. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ Heil, Emily; Taylor, Adam; Dixon, Robyn; Francis, Ellen; Svitek, Patrick (2022-03-02). "Bars rename Moscow Mules and pour out Russian vodka to protest the Ukraine invasion". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ Wiener-Bronner, Danielle (2022-03-04). "Bar owners are swapping out Moscow Mules for Kyiv Mules | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ baristamagazine (2025-02-25). "Move Over, Americano: The 'Canadiano' Has Arrived". Barista Magazine Online. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ Eltherington, William (2025-02-19). "Ottawa coffee shop ditching 'Americano' for 'Canadiano' on its menu". CTVNews. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ "Opinion: Don't call this coffee an Americano!". NPR. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
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