In my piece on the history of the Jaffa orange I wondered about the origin of the word Shamouti. A reader was kind enough to send my query on to some translator friends of hers. [1] Their reply:
According to an article published in Science and Culture (v. 38, pt. 1 – 1972. Page 113):
“The shamouti orange, a native of Palestine, probably owes its origin to the
Arabic word for a barrel-shaped oil-lamp which the fruit resembles.”
According to Nahum Karlinsky: – California dreaming: ideology, society, and technology in the citrus industry of Palestine, 1890-1939. Page 16.
“The source of the name Shamouti is not clear. The usual explanation attributes
it to a local tradition based on the Arab word for the oval oil lamps that were common in Jaffa in the late nineteenth century, when this variety of orange began to appear on a large scale.”
Two sources, one answer. That’s good enough for me.
Notes:
- Thanks to both of you. I love the internet. [↩]
