Let’s talk toques!
There were some questions on my other post about toques and who am I to pass up an opportunity to talk about the most Canadian of hats?
Toques (sometimes spelled tuque or touque and rhymes with duke) are mistakenly called beanies or wool hats in other parts of the world (and Newfoundland - see below). English speaking Canadians borrowed the word toque from French and then made it our own as the original meaning was for the white hats worn by chefs. Toque is now common usage across Canada, exepct in Newfoundland and Nunavut.
Interestingly, ‘beanie’ which is in common parlance in the US, appears to have been stolen from Australia for some reason. In conclusion, if you want to blend in as a Canadian, leave your beanies at home and grab a toque instead. Whether or not you cover your ears is entirely up to you.
Thank you for reading this episode of Hat Chat.
Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia.
