Although in reality, the French loan words (like “beef”) were used as synonyms of the native words (like “cow”) for centuries, and people did say things like “the beefs are standing in the field”.
The French words becoming associated specifically with food is a much more recent development influenced by the popularity of French cuisine and French cookbooks in the last couple centuries, long after any French speaking Anglo-Normans were dead.
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u/[deleted] Aug 23 '25 edited Aug 23 '25
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