Food & drinkMyths & disputes

pumpernickel

In 17th-century Westphalia a Pumpernickel was a coarse, clumsy lout, literally a 'farting Nick'. The name moved to the coarse, heavy rye bread, a joke about its effect on the gut; German bakers carried it across Europe and to America, where it became a lighter, molasses-darkened loaf.

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The story you may have heard

Napoleon tasted it, called it 'pain pour Nicole' ('bread for Nicole', his horse) and the name stuck. The word predates Napoleon by more than a century.

The road to English

From German to French

From German to Polish

From German to Russian

From English to American English

1650Low German

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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