A common Costa Rican nickname for the iguana is gallina de palo, essentially meaning "chicken of the tree". (The resemblance to the popular brand of tuna in the US is a mere coincidence.) Actually, gallina specifically means 'hen' and 'palo' most formally means 'stick'. However, Costa Ricans will commonly use the word 'palo' whenever talking about a tree. When I first arrived in Costa Rica, I was taken on a walk in the woods and was met with some great confusion when someone was trying to point out a "stick" about 50 feet off the ground. The "stick" turned out to be a pretty big one, firmly planted into the ground!
Anyway, they call the iguana gallina de palo because it tastes a lot like chicken. Yum!
Todavía en la lucha,
Tom
Showing posts with label iguana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iguana. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
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