Why do we call "Oilseed rape" oilseed rape and not rapeseed oil?

Question

I know the farmers change cropes to let the soil breath as they say, but why call it that?

Answer 1

Actually, the rapeseed varieties refered to as "canola" are lower in linoletic acid than are common rapeseed varieties.  Canola is normally the oil used for human consumption whereas common rapeseed and the oil is used for livestock feed and industrial uses.

Answer 2

Soil Breath???

Answer 3

Its a plant called oilseed rape. The oil is called rapeseed oil. Simple as.

Answer 4

Oilseed rape is the seed or crop itself. Rapeseed oil is the oil obtained from the rape. It is called Canola and Canola oil in most of the US.

Answer 5

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is the name of a plant which gives us an oil, a human vegetable, and a cattle feed/ grazing crop. Regional differences and different uses give us different names as frequently is the case with common names and products. When one refers to the scientific name and the product from that plant, all know exactly what is referred to. It's a language thing.

Answer 6

Oilseed rape tells us that it is an oilseed, variety rape. Rapeseed oil is not the same, it is the extract of the oilseed of variety rape.

When we grow it for a cattle or pig feed, or to be plowed down as green manure, we usually call the crop rape, discarding the terms seed and oil, since we do not grow it to produce either seed or oil.

It is somewhat a moot point, beyond making it a description of why we are growing the plants.

Answer 7

I've never heard it called oilseed rape, only rapeseed oil. Perhaps you live on the other side of the pond from me and you call it by a different name.

Answer 8

I call it Rapeseed oil.