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- Food and its names have separate histories; etymology does not prove food origin.
- Cultural exchange in food is messy and uneven, occurring through contact zones rather than clean genealogies.
- Borrowed words can attach to local dishes, and names can persist while ingredients and techniques change.
- Evidence must be read through multiple histories: word history, food practice, material conditions, and social meaning.
- Similarity (names, shapes, techniques) is not causation; correlations need multiple aligned traces.
- Prestige borrowing can change vocabulary without changing food practice.
- Heritage narratives often simplify messy contact into clean origin stories for political or economic reasons.
- Food history should be understood as a network, not a family tree; variation is normal and not deviation.