primarily grown up in canada, there is a food crop called rape seed, the plant is inedible, the yield canola oil.

Canadian researchers sought to reduce the erucic acid content of the oil produced by the rapeseed plant, which had been used as source of vegetable oil. When they succeeded, the question arose what to name the low-acid strain. Obviously, no one wanted a name incorporating the syllable "rape".

The oil was thus dubbed Canada Oil Low Acid -- canola oil.