It’s International Tongue Twister Day!

In honor of International Tongue Twister Day, let’s spare a moment for one of our favorite linguistic challenges.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Meet Pierre Poivre, a.k.a. Peter Piper. That’s right, one of the English language’s favorite tongue twister is based on an actual historical figure. Pierre Poivre was born 1719 in Lyon, France, to a prosperous family. Initially a missionary in China and India, Monsieur Poivre soon turned his attention to the spice trade and a bit of smuggling! That’s right Peter Piper is a pilferer. The tongue twister hero of our youth, who is credited with greatly expanding the spice trade in France, began his career in horticulture by smuggling cloves and nutmeg from the Dutch East Indies (present day Indonesia) and establishing them in Isle de France (present day Mauritius). All manor of plants including peppers soon followed. In order to study the best horticulture and agricultural practices for tropical vegetation, Monsieur Poivre established the 62-acre botanical garden, Jardin Botanique des Pamplemousses. Then in 1769 Poivre shared his adventures in his travelogue Voyages d'un Philosophe which was widely read.

Therefore in 1813 when John Harris’s Peter Piper’s Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation, was published in London, readers knew that particular twister was in reference to Pierre Poivre.

• Pierre = Peter

• Piper = Latin for Pepper

• Peck= 2 gallons is dry weight

I rest my case, Peter Piper was a particular person, but the question remains, how many peppers did he pick and where are they?