Krauts

[Pootle]

Why were the Germans called Krauts during WW2?

[shaneystar]

Used as a disparaging term for a German due to their fondness for sauerkraut ..a dish of pickled white cabbage.

[Quizmonster]

It's not uncommon to have names - often disparaging - for people based on their eating habits. As well as calling Germans 'krauts', as Shaney explains, we call the French 'frogs' because they eat that creature's legs and Liverpudlians 'scousers' because sailors from that port were often fed on a dish called 'lobscouse'. Of course, in retaliation, the French call Brits 'rosbifs' based on our habit of eating roast beef.

[Octavius]

So what did cockney's eat QM...?

[Quizmonster]

Their 'earts out, perhaps, O? Technically, the eggs of a male bird are the relevant food connection, so they must have gone darned hungry!

[Octavius]

Hmm, interesting QM, not sugar cake then?

[maxi29]

..and to complete QM's list, Americans call us Limeys because the Royal Navy ate limes to ward off scurvy.

Interestingly, the German nickname for Brits has nothing to do with food: they call us "island apes"

[KebabMeister]

German's also call us Tommy's too (I have a colleague who refers to Brits as this).

I rather like Krautsalat (pickled shredded cabbage) though not so keen on Sauerkraut (boiled pickled cabbage).

[Gef]

Actually, Captain James Cook gave his sailors lemons but in those days they were called limes. Or so I am led to believe.

[Ouisch]

I'm familiar with the foody nicknames Limey, Kraut, and Frog....is there a cuilinary nickname for us Americans? Or are we destined to just be Yanks?

[KebabMeister]

I know of 'Yanks' and 'Spams' to describe American's.

[Selreklaw]

kruarts

cabbage in german. They ate a lot of cabbage - hence krautes.

Les Walker, York