SC - Steamed Pudding Recipes - 2nd installment

[Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir]

Kiri wrote.


>OK....so then where did the kind I mix in with cheddar and mayo to make my
>sandwich spread get their name...another kind of pepper?  Yes, I know it is
of
>the capiscum family, most of which are referred to as peppers, but why, if
the
>one I know as pimento is sweet, would they have called it by the male, or
>stronger name?
>


I'm not sure if this explains anything - I think the Spaniards originally
applied the term to all peppers but later, pimiento came to mean (in
Spanish) just the red, sweet peppers. This usage entered English in the
mid-19th century; at that time pimento was being used as an alternative name
for allspice, but it has gradually become a synonym for pimiento (note that
these are two different words who used to have different meanings, even
though both are derived from Spanish pimienta).

Nanna