?> [Canola in Europe is called by its real name: oilseed rape]

I got to wondering about the veracity of this claim and concluded that if 
"oilseed rape" is the real name for canola, then the "real" name for petrol 
is "crude oil".

"Canola" describes only very specific and special licenced varieties bred 
originally, in my lifetime, from common rapeseeds.  Canola is considered to 
by most to be a distinct crop from "rapeseeds", although it is still 
technically classed as a rapeseed.

Canola is double zero, meaning it has been selected by various means to be 
very low on the two constituents of common traditional Argentine and Polish 
rapeseeds which made them unattractive and toxic.  Those unattractive 
qualities carried over the honey produced from those plants, too and account 
for the bad reputation "rape" honey has to this day, even though much of the 
"clover" honey produced in North America is actually partly, at least, 
canola honey.  Canola honey is not dark and nasty like rape honey; it is 
light and very pleasant-tasting.

The historic transformation from an industrial to edible oil is now taken 
for granted and almost forgotten since no one in his right mind would grow 
the old varieties, but for those of us who kept bees back in the rapeseed 
days, rape was something to avoid and could ruin a crop.  Fortunately it was 
not in great demand.

Here is one version of the history: 
http://www.wdm.ca/skteacherguide/WDMResearch/CanolaResearchPaper.pdf

I don't know why some Europeans continue to speak of oilseed rape if they 
mean canola.  Custom, I guess.  We even call it "rape" once in a wile even 
though we know we are wrong.  It's easier to say and turns heads in the 
city. 

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