An interesting French expression I learnt last week was “pomme de terre dans la robe de jardin” or literally “apple of the earth in the dress of the garden”, which is apparently one way French speakers refer to a baked / jacket potato.
Other names include:
– pomme de terre au four = lit. “apple of the earth in the oven”
– pomme de terre cuite au four = lit. “apple of the earth cooked in the oven”
– pomme de terre en robe des champs = lit. “apple of the earth in the dress of the fields”
Are these expressions all used in French?
Are baked potatoes popular in French-speaking countries?
How about in other countries?
In the UK a baked potato can be a meal in itself. They are often served with cheese, tuna and other fillings – my favourite is cheese and bacon. Is this a peculiarly British thing?
Loaded baked potatoes are a popular restaurant choice in the United States, usually loaded with butter, cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits. Some restaurants give you lots of options for fillings, such as chicken or chili or mushrooms or broccoli (to name just a few).
@ Drew Smith
Ah! So “loaded” is American English. I think we’d say “stuffed with” in UK English. Interesting. Never heard that before.
I’m American and I’d always thought of these as a particularly American food. Interesting to see they’re popular overseas too.
@MadFall: A loaded baked potato specifically refers to one that’s stuffed with things like cheese, bacon, onions, chili, etc. which could be eaten as a meal. Otherwise, baked potatoes can be eaten as a starchy side. We still use “stuffed with” in general, as far as I know, the word “loaded” is only used this way in the phrase “loaded backed potato”.
I’ve never heard of “robe de jardin” or “robe des champs”. I simply called baked potatoes “pommes de terre au four”.