Ulleungdo's famous pumpkin yeot was originally 'hubak yeo... | funfact.wiki | funfact.wiki
Ulleungdo's famous pumpkin yeot was originally 'hubak yeot.' Made from the island's hubak tree, the name spread as 'pumpkin yeot' because the words sounded alike. Ulleungdo embraced the mix-up and began making actual pumpkin yeot.
The word 'ketchup' comes from '膎汁' (kôe-chiap) in the Chinese Min Nan dialect, meaning 'fish sauce.' It was originally a fermented fish and shellfish sauce—tomato ketchup was not invented until 1812.
'Goodbye' originated in the mid-16th century as a contraction of "God be with ye." It was gradually shortened to forms like 'Godbwye,' and under the influence of greetings like 'Good morning,' 'God' shifted to 'Good,' giving us today's word.
The distress signal "Mayday" comes from the French "M'aidez" (help me). In 1921, radio officer Frederick Mockford at London's Croydon Airport proposed it for aviation communication with Paris, as both English and French speakers could understand it.
Instant noodles are yellow because of added vitamin B2. In the 1980s, ramen companies began adding vitamin B2 to address nutritional concerns. The alternate name for vitamin B2, "riboflavin," contains "flavin"—derived from the Latin word "flavus," meaning yellow.