Buzz
Connecticut's most commonly used informal nickname is 'The Nutmeg State.' However, despite the spiced name, Connecticut doesn’t grow nutmeg. The curious nickname came about due to a mix-up—or perhaps some clever trickery, depending on the tale.
The Origins of Connecticut’s 'Nutmeg State' Title
In the 18th and 19th centuries, connections between Connecticut and nutmeg started to emerge. Sailors returning from overseas voyages would bring the prized spice with them; meanwhile, local Yankee peddlers gained a reputation for selling counterfeit nutmegs crafted from carved wood.
The first known mention of this accusation appears in a widely read 19th-century newspaper column, 'The Sayings and Doings of Samuel Slick, of Slickville,' which was published in the *Novascotian*. This column featured the sarcastic commentary of a character created by Thomas Haliburton. In a segment titled 'The Preacher that Wandered from His Text,' Samuel Slick humorously accuses a fictional Captain John Allspice of Nahant of once transporting '50 barrels of nutmegs.' According to Slick, 'he put half a bushel of good ones into each end of the barrel, and the rest he filled up with wooden ones, so like the real thing, no soul could tell the difference until HE BIT ONE WITH HIS TEETH, and that he never thought of doing, until he was first BIT HIMSELF. Well, its been a standing joke with them southerners agin us ever since.'
Later, some pointed to the Southerners as the culprits behind these mix-ups. In the 1980 edition of *Connecticut Magazine*, Elizabeth Abbe suggested that Southern buyers were unaware that nutmeg needed to be grated, mistakenly assuming that Yankee merchants were attempting to pull a fast one on them.
She writes, 'Unknowing buyers may have failed to grate nutmegs, thinking they had to be cracked like a walnut. Nutmegs are wood, and bounce when struck. If [Southern] customers did not grate them, they may very well have accused the Yankees of selling useless ‘wooden’ nutmegs, unaware that they wear down to a pungent powder to season pies and breads.'
It's also possible that no one ever tried to sell wooden nutmegs or make such accusations. Instead, the term could simply have been coined as a reference to the fictional Samuel Slick column, symbolizing how crafty Connecticut residents were—suggesting that, like Captain John Allspice, they might have attempted such a trick themselves.
What are some of Connecticut’s nicknames?
Officially, Connecticut’s designated nickname—the one that holds real status—is the 'Constitution State,' a title that comes from historian John Fiske’s assertion that the Fundamental Orders of 1638/1639 were the world’s first written constitution.
'The Nutmeg State' isn’t Connecticut’s only unofficial nickname. In the past, the state was also called 'The Provisions State' due to its role in supplying food and provisions to the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. It’s also been known as 'The Blue Law State,' a nod to the Puritan-inspired rules on vices like drinking and gambling. And in the early 19th century, Connecticut earned the moniker 'The Land of Steady Habits' thanks to its residents' reputation for strong moral values.
What do you call a person from Connecticut?
When it comes to state nicknames, places like Vermont ('Vermonter') and Rhode Island ('Rhode Islander') have it easy. But when it comes to Connecticut, the terms are a bit of a mouthful. Modern dictionaries suggest 'Connecticuter,' while older options include 'Connecticotian' and 'Connecticutensian.' However, the simplest and most colloquial choice is 'Nutmegger.'
