One of the quaint - or annoying, depending on your viewpoint - idiosyncrasies in Cornwall is the way in which some words can have two meanings or, indeed, a different meaning from what you'd expect. So it is that broccoli can mean the green vegetable we all know, but it also means cauliflower. The use of the word "turnip" to mean what most of the rest of the UK calls "swede" has caused particular controversy around the progress of the definition of the Cornish pasty as it seeks protected status from the EU. The fuss being created in the press though is probably more to do with mischief and hot air from eurosceptic politicians than a practical problem. The proposed definition of a Cornish pasty says it must be made of minced or diced beef, sliced potato, onion and swede: but it can be sold stating "turnip" as an ingredient, provided the "turnip" is in fact "swede". The only likelihood of the "turnip" being stated as an ingredient will be from the very small traditional producers who tend to have a very local market. Surely a bit of local quirkiness like this should be celebrated rather than used as an excuse for a whinge?

For the record, as several press reports seem to have got it wrong, a turnip (brassica rapa var. rapa) is small and white, and a swede (brassica napo brassica), also known as the yellow turnip, is somewhat larger and has yellow flesh.