Word for the Travel Wise (02/18/06)

So earlier today I mentioned the upcoming Florida Strawberry Festival that I’ll be missing because I’m in Trinidad. (If only I could clone two more of myself.) This really bums me out because strawberries in my book are the best fruit on the entire planet, but since this only marks the beginning of the season I should be able to get my share of the fruit during its finest moment. Anyhow, in honor of the berry I thought it many of you might want to know how to say the word in another language. Right?

Today’s word is a Farsi (Persian) word used in Iran:

toot farangee – foreign berry

While ‘toot sefid,’ the country’s delicious white berry is most popular in spring too, strawberries are quite foreign to the country and are lumped into this bland category of unfamiliar berries. If only they knew what they were missing – they’d probably rename the fruit or give it a bit more respect. The best berry (toot behtarin) or good berry (toot khoob) would be a better title for a strawberry, but who am I to change centuries of foreign fruit naming.

Excellent sites for learning Persian online include a personal favorite called Easy Persian and Farhangsara. Both sites have an excellent beginner’s guide into the language and use images, sound and music to assist you in the process. Check out Lonely Planet’s Farsi (Persian) Phrasebook for a shorthand guide at the ancient lingo.

Past Farsi words: be salamati.