Manchego cheese, one of my personal favorites, derives its name from La Mancha, a region in south-central Spain known for its historical production of this delicious cheese. The name “Manchego” is believed to have originated from the Arabic term al-mansha, meaning “birthplace”, which was later transformed into the modern name through folk etymology. Interestingly, despite its literal translation as “the stain” or “patch” in Spanish, the connection to this meaning remains uncertain. The popularity of the term “Manchego” in English literature has significantly increased since its introduction in 1905, reaching a peak in 2014 and now stabilizing at approximately 0.0000017% of all English words.
