As I sat eating breakfast this morning, I struggled with how to name what we here in the U.S. refer to as "hash browns" or "hash brown potatoes." Grated potatoes are pressed as dry as possible, laid into a frying pan with about 3 tablespoons of canola or olive oil at a shimmer in a layer no more than half an inch thick, and fried until golden brown on the bottom, flipped, and browned on the other side.

How would I name them?

Dankon antaǔe!

When a dish of foreign origin is served here, we don't necessarily give it an English name (taco, burrito, weinerschnitzel, vichysoisse are some examples). If I were referring to hash browns in writing, I think I'd use the English name with an explanation- "hash brown" terpomoj- tio estas terpomoj hakitaj en malgrandajn pecojn, la pecoj kune premitaj per spatelo, kaj fritaj. In many cases, it may be enough to just say "fritaj terpomoj" without the explanation.

In travelling around the US and Canada, I've seen many regional differences in the way the dish referred to as hash browns is prepared. I've sometimes felt like saying "These aren't hash browns, these are just chopped up potatoes." Apparently, even in English the name means different things in different areas, the common thread being that it is a dish made from potatoes. Another reason why perhaps "fritaj terpomoj" would suffice.

Originally "hash browns" were probably a Swiss-German dish called Rösti - the st in Swiss-German is pronounced sht. My German dictionary uses (terpom) rostaĵo.

robbkvasnak:Originally "hash browns" were probably a Swiss-German dish called Rösti - the st in Swiss-German is pronounced sht. My German dictionary uses (terpom) rostaĵo.

Thank you! Both "fritaj terpomoj" and "terpomrostaĵo" are translations far more elegant than what I was considering in my musings.