Similar story to taramasalata:
I was on an Indian cooking kick a while back. My Indian cookbook has several recipes that call for asafoetida (which I am probably spelling wrong), which is described as a spice that comes off like alarmingly potent garlic and onion. At the recommendation of an Indian co-worker, I went to an Indian grocery near the office and collected a variety of ingredients, but couldn't find the asafoetida. Asked the two guys working the store, and they went "Asa-fo-what? The what what? The who and the what now?" No clue what I was talking about. Went back and looked around some more, and finally found it. When I brought it to the register, he said "Oh, this! In my part of the country we call this 'heeng.'"
Heeng? WTF?! But when I got home and checked my cookbook, in the glossary, right there: ASAFOETIDA (HEENG).
Moral: India's a big goddamn country. With good food. Also, asafoetida is so powerful that you have to wrap the little jar in foil and put it in a plastic bag, lest your whole spice cabinet reek of it.