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2 langostas o 4 bogavantes: see comments

English translation: the difference in Spain (spiny vs common)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:2 langostas o 4 bogavantes: see comments
English translation:the difference in Spain (spiny vs common)
Entered by: Lydia Tilt (X)

08:48 Nov 10, 2005
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Cooking / Culinary
Spanish term or phrase: 2 langostas o 4 bogavantes: see comments
Part of the ingredients to a Portuguese recipe called Langosta sudada al estilo Cascais.

In the ingredients it mentions: 2 langostas o 4 bogavantes. What is the difference, I thought they both meant lobster??
Lydia Tilt (X)
the difference in Spain (spiny vs common)
Explanation:
Hi Lydia!

Ok, to the question "what's the difference?'.

As far as my knowledge goes, in Spain when we refer to "langosta" we mean the large spiny type of lobster which DOESN´T have the large pincers which the word "lobster" is associated with. To talk about this type of lobster we say 'bogavante'. The langosta is lighter in colour and its shell, as it's English name indicates, is prickly. Lobster tends to be dark red/brown or blueish and smooth.

The spiny lobster is considered to have a more delicate taste and a more delicate texture, while many consider bogavante to be slightly 'rubbery', though its meaty claws are very appealing.

If you've ever been in a Spanish seafood restaurant, where they often display both kinds in tanks, you might have noticed that the 'langosta' tends to be bigger than the 'bogavante'. That would account for the fact that your text specifies 2 of the biggies or 4 of the 'littluns'. (This might owe to the fact that some are caught younger than others or simply that the lobster variety found in the East Atlantic doesn't grow so much, I don't know)

However, the decision in English is tricky and many names are controversial.

Some types of lobsters are often called crayfish or crawfish, but this only leads to confusion, since what is often translated as crawfish is a small freshwater crab, called "cangrejo de río" or "cangrejo americano" in Spain. Additionally, craw/crayfish is a familiar term in US-E but not so in BR-E.

IMO your best bet would be to say 2 spiny or 4 common lobsters. While the first might not be so well known (though I would expect a gourmet chef to have no doubts), the second is. Saying "common lobster" might help evoke the picture of an animal with claws, which is where the main (but not the only) difference lies as far as what we understand for lobster in English.


Good luck!

Álvaro :O) :O)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs 42 mins (2005-11-10 12:31:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I found this reference which explains quite a bit, though it might seem a bit confusing until you read it all and get a full picture. I've extracted a small part which underlines the point I've just made, but you can read the whole thing to get the whole picture:

Nuestro mercado
En Galicia al igual que en otras comunidades, a la langosta espinosa la conocemos simplemente como langosta, a la langosta noruega como cigala y a la langosta verdadera como bogavante o lubrigante. A partir de ahora nos referiremos a la langosta propiamente dicha.

http://www.pedramol.com/mariscos/langosta.htm

Selected response from:

moken
Local time: 04:59
Grading comment
Thanks Álvaro, you've been a real help:)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +22 spiny lobsters or 4 large clawed lobsters
SIMON DAVIS
4 +1the difference in Spain (spiny vs common)
moken
4lobster
Elena Simonelli
4Rock Lobsters or Lobsters
Maria Luisa Duarte


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
lobster


Explanation:
There is a slight difference between the 2 species, bogavante is a purple kind of lobster (homarus gammarus)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2005-11-10 09:07:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Common lobster in English


    Reference: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogavante
    Reference: http://marenostrum.org/vidamarina/.../invertebrados/crustace...
Elena Simonelli
Italy
Local time: 05:59
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
2 spiny lobsters or 4 large clawed lobsters


Explanation:
They're 2 different kinds of lobster

My translation reference is Charles Sinclair's "International Dictionary of Food and Cooking"

SIMON DAVIS
Spain
Local time: 05:59
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Martin Perazzo: yup, there's more on this in the kudoz. BTW, nice to see you round here, Simon!
19 mins
  -> Thanks Martin. Saludos!
agree  Gabriela Rodriguez
7 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Rock Lobsters or Lobsters


Explanation:
LOBSTER, ROCK or SPINY = Palinurus spp.
LOBSTER = Homarus spp.
Bogavantes («Homarus spp.»)
Langostas («Palinurus spp., Panulirus spp., Jasus spp.»)

http://octopus.gma.org/lobsters/allaboutlobsters/species.htm...


    Reference: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/haccp4c2.html
    Reference: http://www.sica.gov.ec/comext/docs/14acuerdos_comerciales/ar...
Maria Luisa Duarte
Spain
Local time: 05:59
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 27
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the difference in Spain (spiny vs common)


Explanation:
Hi Lydia!

Ok, to the question "what's the difference?'.

As far as my knowledge goes, in Spain when we refer to "langosta" we mean the large spiny type of lobster which DOESN´T have the large pincers which the word "lobster" is associated with. To talk about this type of lobster we say 'bogavante'. The langosta is lighter in colour and its shell, as it's English name indicates, is prickly. Lobster tends to be dark red/brown or blueish and smooth.

The spiny lobster is considered to have a more delicate taste and a more delicate texture, while many consider bogavante to be slightly 'rubbery', though its meaty claws are very appealing.

If you've ever been in a Spanish seafood restaurant, where they often display both kinds in tanks, you might have noticed that the 'langosta' tends to be bigger than the 'bogavante'. That would account for the fact that your text specifies 2 of the biggies or 4 of the 'littluns'. (This might owe to the fact that some are caught younger than others or simply that the lobster variety found in the East Atlantic doesn't grow so much, I don't know)

However, the decision in English is tricky and many names are controversial.

Some types of lobsters are often called crayfish or crawfish, but this only leads to confusion, since what is often translated as crawfish is a small freshwater crab, called "cangrejo de río" or "cangrejo americano" in Spain. Additionally, craw/crayfish is a familiar term in US-E but not so in BR-E.

IMO your best bet would be to say 2 spiny or 4 common lobsters. While the first might not be so well known (though I would expect a gourmet chef to have no doubts), the second is. Saying "common lobster" might help evoke the picture of an animal with claws, which is where the main (but not the only) difference lies as far as what we understand for lobster in English.


Good luck!

Álvaro :O) :O)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs 42 mins (2005-11-10 12:31:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I found this reference which explains quite a bit, though it might seem a bit confusing until you read it all and get a full picture. I've extracted a small part which underlines the point I've just made, but you can read the whole thing to get the whole picture:

Nuestro mercado
En Galicia al igual que en otras comunidades, a la langosta espinosa la conocemos simplemente como langosta, a la langosta noruega como cigala y a la langosta verdadera como bogavante o lubrigante. A partir de ahora nos referiremos a la langosta propiamente dicha.

http://www.pedramol.com/mariscos/langosta.htm



moken
Local time: 04:59
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 87
Grading comment
Thanks Álvaro, you've been a real help:)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rachel Fell: Nice explanation; cangrejos de rio are crayfish in the UK and langosta noruega=scampi/Dublin Bay prawn
1 day 5 hrs
  -> :O) Thanks Rachel. Give me a Scampi/Cigala are my choice ... not that I get to eat them that often! :O) :O)
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