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thedamnoftinkers OP t1_jajydsc wrote

Reply to comment by RenterGotNoNBN in TIL that traditional lacquer is made w urushiol sap, aka the rash-causing toxin in poison ivy & poison oak. In fact, "urushi" (as in "urushi-ol") is the Japanese for the Chinese lacquer tree (also toxic) & an English word for lacquerware. They all fall in the genus Toxicodendron, or "poison tree". by thedamnoftinkers

You're thinking of shellac, which, ironically, also originally involved trees. (They're not necessarily wholly different categories; Wikipedia calls urushiol "true lacquer".)

Shellac is much more common in the West, whereas lacquer is so heavily associated with Asia that lacquering (or mimicking the lacquered look) is called "japanning" in the trades, much like porcelain is usually called "china".

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