Chicken from Southern France: Chicken Provençal

The word "Provençal" tells us this dish is from the southeastern region of France, from "Provence," where the largest city is Marseille, and other well known cites are Toulon, Cannes and Nice. All of these cites are located along the Mediterranean Sea, although Provence also extends well inland. Italy is beyond the eastern border of Provence. Besides standard French, the language of Provence is Provençal, a dialect of the Latin-based Occitan languages, which include various southern French and Italian dialects and Catalan, spoken in the Catalonia region of eastern Spain. 

This is such a good dish. I used boneless/skinless chicken thighs for when I made the dish for this article, but you could certainly use chicken breast, and previously I've used chicken with the skin on. Please don't get all wound up about anchovy fillets in this dish. They will melt into the sauce and you will not experience the strong taste you recall from your first (and last) bite of anchovy pizza. Many recipes I've seen have far more garlic, like 8 to 12 cloves, so feel free to add more garlic. Serve with mashed potatoes and some good crusty bread.   

 

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into four pieces each

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, rub it with the thumb of one hand in the palm of the other hand

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, rub it as as thyme

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon olive oil + 2 tablespoons butter (I use extra virgin olive oil)

4 garlic cloves, chopped

4 anchovy fillets

2/3 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup crushed tomatoes and juice

1/4 cup black olives (preferably Niçoise or Kalamata)

1/4 cup green olives (preferably Castelvetrano or Manzanilla)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

 

Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken pieces well with salt, ground black pepper, dried thyme and dried rosemary. Put the seasoned chicken pieces into the butter/oil mixture and saute until they are lightly browned all over (be sure to turn the pieces often to prevent sticking and to prevent the chicken from developing tough and dried spots). Remove the chicken pieces to a plate temporarily. Lower the heat and add the garlic and anchovy fillets and saute for about a minute or so, then add the white wine and the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for just 2 to 3 minutes (adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer). Stir in the tomatoes and juice and bring everything back to a simmer. Add the chicken pieces back to the skillet, then add the black and green olives. Let the chicken simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, basting it with the sauce a few times. Stir in the chopped parsley. After about 2 to 3 minutes, remove the skillet from the heat. Serve with mashed potatoes and some good crusty bread.  

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Paradise-This is a compound word with the first part related, at least in part, to a huge number of words in English, including: "fore," "before," "forth" and "from," all from the Germanic roots of English, and to the first part of the following: "pardon," "perfect" and "permit," all Latin words borrowed by English via French, and to "percent," a word borrowed directly from Latin. This goes back to Indo European "per," which had the notion "in front of, forward, against, near." This gave Indo Iranian^ a transliterated form "pari," meaning "near, around, about." The second part of the word "paradise" is related to the first part of "dairy," from the Germanic roots of English (the ending, however, is from French/Latin), and to "dough," also from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "dheigh," which had the notion, "to shape, to form;" thus also, "to build, to knead." This gave Indo Iranian "dahyah," meaning, "wall," and together the parts gave the meaning "wall around;" thus, "an enclosure, a garden, a park" (from a verb like "paridahyiz," "to build or make a wall??"). Greek borrowed the compound word as transliterated "parádeisos," meaning, "walled garden or park," but it was used in the biblical religious sense for, "the Garden of Eden," but in New Testament passages it meant "heaven, the home of the blessed in the afterlife." Latin borrowed the word as "paradisus," also meaning "garden, park, orchard," but also with the 'heaven' meaning in Christianity. This passed into Latin-based Old French as "paradis," with the same religous meaning, and this was borrowed into late Old English (circa 1000?) as "paradis," which then became "paradys" and "paradise."     

 

^ Indo Iranian is a branch of the Indo European languages; thus, with its component languages being related to English, but further down the family tree. There are many, many Indo Iranian languages, some of which are: Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Persian. 

Indonesian Chili Eggs: Sambal Telur

This is easy to make, and if you'd prefer, you don't have to fry the peeled hardboiled eggs. They can be served with rice or try them chilled and served as a salad. I assume most people outside Indonesia do not have kaffir lime leaves, so you can just use lime zest, but if you want to try using the leaves, contact your herb and spice outlets, and the leaves are definitely available online.

Ingredients: 

6 eggs, hardboiled and then shells removed

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 kaffir lime leaves (or 1 teaspoon lime zest)

6 or 8 tablespoons sambal oelek (Indonesian style hot ground chili paste)

2 tablespoons oil

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the whole peeled hardboiled eggs and keep turning the eggs until they get a little color on them (they will kind of blister), then remove them to a plate with a paper towel. To the same skillet with the oil, add the chopped onion and saute until it softens. As the onion softens, keep stirring to prevent browning and reduce the heat to low. When the onion is soft, add the sambal oelek and stir to mix, then add the kaffir leaves or lime zest and keep stirring (you don't have to stir continuously, but frequently). When the sambal begins to reduce and thicken, add the eggs back to the skillet to warm again in the sauce. Slice the eggs lengthwise, serve with some of the sauce over each serving. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Stir-This word is actually related to "storm," and it goes back to Indo European "stur," which had the notion of "move, twirl, whirl, turn." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "storjanan," with the same basic meanings, but with figurative meanings of "destroy, disrupt." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "styrian," meaning "incite, agitate, stir." This then became "stiren," before the modern version, and the meanings have remained the same, with the primary emphasis on the meaning "mix together by using a spoon or utensil" (that is, "making it whirl"), but the meanings "incite, agitate," are still very much in use, keeping it close to some of its Germanic cousins which mean "disrupt." The other Germanic languages have: German and Low German Saxon "stören" (bother, disturb), ^ Dutch "storen" (disturb, bother), Danish "styrre" (disturb, disrupt), Norwegian "styrre" (mix), Swedish "störa" (disrupt, disturb). I could not find a form in modern Icelandic, nor in West Frisian. The noun form is from the same Germanic source, but it likely came into use in English in the latter 1300s from Old Norse, which had the noun "styrr," meaning "tumult, commotion, disruption."

^ German also has the prefixed form "zerstören," which means "to destroy," going back to the original figurative Germanic meaning.

Bacon Jam Cheeseburgers

 

There are commercial brands of bacon jam available in supermarkets and grocery stores, but you can make your own bacon jam, here is the link ... https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2021/04/bacon-jam.html

 

Ingredients (per burger):

 

6 ounces ground chuck

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 pinches ground black pepper (a pinch for each side of the burger)

2 pinches salt (a pinch for each side of the burger)

a little oil for cooking

hamburger bun

1 thick slice of tomato

2 or 3 cucumber slices (medium thickness)

lettuce or arugula 

2 slices sharp American cheese  (one for bottom, one for top)

2 heaping tablespoons bacon jam

 

Mix the Worcestershire into the ground chuck to be used for each burger patty. Form the patty and add the salt and pepper to each side. Use a little oil for the skillet or grill to help the burger get started. Cook the burger to the preferred state of doneness and then remove it to a dish. Add the split bun to the skillet or grill and just very briefly let it soak up some of the drippings and toast a little, about 1 minute. Place the opened bun on the serving plate and add 1 slice of cheese to the bottom, then top this with the burger, and then the other slice of cheese, then the bacon jam (spread it out evenly). Add the pickle slices, the tomato and the lettuce or arugula, then place the top of the bun on and press down a little to set everything in place. Serve with French fries. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Craft-This word is related to ''crave'' and to "cram," both from Germanic. "Craft" goes back to Indo European "ger," which meant "to pull together, to gather up, to fit or put together, twist, wind (long 'i')." This gave Old Germanic "kraf/kreb," which meant "strength, might;" that is, "the energy or force put together from within, manifested in physical strength." The meaning broadened beyond an individual's physical strength to "tribal might and skill in war." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cræft," meaning, "strength, might, power, strength in mind, skill;" thus also, "trade, profession," and this then became "craft," with the "strength, might" meaning diminishing over the centuries and becoming obsolete by the 1500s, but with the "skill" meaning becoming more and more prominent over time. The second half of the 1600s saw the word also applied to "a small boat," although exactly why is unclear (skill required to make them? Skill required to operate one? Or perhaps the strength [rowing] or power [wind] required to sail one, which would take the meaning back to the roots of the word? Whatever the case, this meaning remains with us to this day). The verb also dates to Old English "cræftan," which meant, "to build or make (using skill)." Relatives in the other Germanic languages have all stayed with or close to the original meaning: German and Low German have "Kraft" (strength, might, power), in German, "Streitkräfte" means "military forces, armed forces," Dutch "kracht" (force, power, strength), West Frisian "krêft" (force, power), Icelandic "kraftur" (energy, force, might), Norwegian "kraft" (force, power, might), Danish "kraft" (power, energy, might), Swedish "kraft" (force, energy, might, vigor). 

 

Bulgarian Salad: Shopska Salata

Bulgaria is a country in the Balkans bordering on the Black Sea in southeastern Europe. The country traces its history back to the Bulgars, one of the Turkic groups from Asia who eventually migrated into Europe. The Bulgars settled in a part of the Balkans and they mixed with the inhabitants there, many of whom were Slavic. This led to the Turkic language of the Bulgars being overtaken and replaced by the Slavic based language of the region that came to be called Bulgarian, which is written in Cyrillic, as are Serbian, Russian and Ukrainian, for instance.*

 

This salad is one of the national dishes of Bulgaria, with its main components providing the colors of the Bulgarian flag (white-green-red); however, the salad is also well known in Serbia and in Macedonia (North Macedonia), one of the former components of Yugoslavia.** Bulgarian sirene cheese is not easy to find, and you can substitute Bulgarian feta cheese, which might be a little easier to find, or just use Greek feta cheese, which is easy to find, although Bulgarian feta is more tart than its Greek cousin. NOTE: I get Bulgarian feta here in Cleveland at the "Culinary Specialties" shop at the West Side Market (it's not expensive).

 

Ingredients (4 to 5 servings):  

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium cucumber, peel on, split lengthwise and seeds scooped out, then chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 white or yellow onion 

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup sunflower oil (or Greek olive oil)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Bulgarian sirene cheese (substitute Bulgarian or Greek feta cheese), crumbled

(optional) some large green olives for garnish  

 

Add the tomatoes, cucumber, green and red bell peppers, onion and parsley to a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together well the oil, red wine vinegar, ground black pepper and salt. Refrigerate the vegetables and dressing mixture for a minimum of 2 hours, then mix the dressing well again and add it to the salad, tossing the vegetables to coat with the dressing. Top each serving with some crumbled cheese.  Optionally add some large green olives around the edge of each serving or on top.

 

* "Cyrillic" is a writing system developed back in about the 900s (A.D.) and it is named in honor of the Eastern Orthodox saint, Cyril.

 

** Macedonia is a region in the Balkans that has been contested by Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and (the former) Yugoslavia. The terminology "Macedonia" itself is controversial, as across the border lies the Greek region of Macedonia. When Yugoslavia dissolved in the early 1990s, its former component state of "Macedonia" became an independent country. In early 2019 the "official" name was changed to "(Republic of) North Macedonia," although many citizens there do not agree with the renaming. 

 

  

WORD HISTORY:

Desk-This word is related to "disk/disc" and to "dish," words tracing back to Greek, then borrowed by Latin and then borrowed by English, to "dais," a word borrowed from French, which had it from Latin, which had it from Greek. The ultimate origin of "desk" is unknown, but it goes back to transliterated Ancient Greek "diskos," meaning "a round, flat plate or stone." This was borrowed by Latin as "discus," meaning "dish, platter," and in Italian this devloped as "desco," meaning, "plate, platter," but also "table for eating," and "writing table for an official." Latin "seemingly" took the Italian form as "desca," with the "writing table" idea prevailing as the primary meaning by circa 1300, and English borrowed the word in the mid 1300s with that same meaning. The idea of a desk being used by officials or authorities in some capacity brought about usage in that sense, even though a physical desk was not necessarily involved, as in, weather or sports segments of news on radio or television, "Now for tonight's weather, here's Jim from the weather desk." A "desk job" came into use (late 1800s?) to contrast a clerical or official position with a job of manual labor.  

Barbecue Pork Pie with Potatoes

This is my own recipe and I use pork shoulder steak because it tends to remain moist (if you don't eat pork, you can certainly use boneless chicken white meat, dark meat or mixed, although I haven't actually used chicken for this specific recipe). You can make your own pie crusts, but it's much easier to use store bought pie crusts, the type you have to unroll, as you will need 2 crusts for each pie. You can cook the pork on the stove top in a skillet, or on the grill or in the oven, but I prefer to bake it for a longer period of time at relatively low heat (started at 325F, but after 20 minutes, turned down to 275 F) until it is nice and tender (the time naturally depends upon how thick the pork steak is). Regardless of the way you choose to cook the pork, first season it with (dry) adobo seasoning, a common dry seasoning mix in some Latino cultures, especially in that of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States,* and it is easily available in supermarkets and grocery stores and it is not expensive. This is an excellent dish, but it requires balance in getting the filling to a proper thickness; too little and it will be runny, too much and it won't have a good texture. It took me a couple of times making this to get it fine-tuned, but then again, I was a senior in high school before I could recite the alphabet beyond just "A-B-C."

 

Ingredients (for 10 inch pie):

1 to 1 1/4 pound cooked chopped pork shoulder steak (seasoned with adobo seasoning before cooking)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (red or white) 

2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons flour mixed with water

1 to 1 1/4 cups barbecue sauce (your preference)

1 1/2 cups potato, peeled and diced into small pieces

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) corn kernels, well drained

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning

2 pie crusts 

 

First, season both sides of the pork steak with adobo seasoning. In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil. Fry the pork steak until done and nice and brown; remove to a plate. In the same hot skillet, add the onion and garlic and saute until softened (it doesn't have to be totally cooked, as it will cook further in the oven with the pie). Slice the pork into bite size pieces and set it and the onion/garlic aside. Simmer the diced potatoes in some lightly salted water until they are just done (you don't want to overcook them and make them mushy, and again, they will cook a little more in the pie), then remove them from the heat, drain them and add them back into the pan. Add the pork pieces, drained corn kernels, pepper, adobo seasoning, barbecue sauce and stir carefully to mix well (you don't want to break up the potatoes). Cook until bubbling, then gradually add the flour/water mixture to thicken the sauce (you may not need all of the flour mixture, or you may need to add a little more, but the sauce needs to be thick, or when you later slice the pie the filling will run out and you'll have to chase it down the street; on the other hand, you don't want the finished pie to be so set, that you need a hammer and chisel to eat it; it requires some balancing here). Heat the oven to 400 F. Put the bottom crust into the pie pan or dish and cover the crust with parchment paper or foil, then fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 7 or 8 minutes, remove, empty out the beans or rice and carefully remove the parchment or foil. Alternatively, poke numerous holes in the crust with a fork and bake for 7 or 8 minutes until it firms up a good deal, but it doesn't have to be completely baked. (NOTE: If you don't prebake the crust somewhat, the bottom will become soggy when you add the filling and bake it. Poking holes in the crust allows the steam from the baking crust to escape, thus keeping the crust from puffing up. If you use the other method, using parchment/foil and then filling with beans or rice weighs down the crust to prevent puffing up, and it also helps prevent the sides from sagging. Pies like apple or cherry generally don't need to have the bottom crust prebaked, but cream pies or pies with a good deal of liquid will not allow the crust to bake properly and it will be soggy.) Fill the pie crust with the thick barbecue pork mixture (you may have a little left over) and then add the top crust and crimp the edges to seal it to the bottom crust. Cut a few slits in the top crust and bake at 375 F until the top is golden brown (about 60 to 80 minutes, so you need to keep checking once the baking time reaches 45 minutes). Remove the pie from the oven and let it sit for about 20 to 30 minutes, or let it cool and then refrigerate it (you can then slice it and briefly microwave slices for about 30 seconds before serving). 

* To make your own adobo seasoning, here is the link to the recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/11/adobo-seasoning.html

WORD HISTORY:

Fair (1)-English has two words of this spelling, and this is the noun for a "place or an event where people gather to buy, sell or trade goods, or to promote products." "Fair" is related to "feast" and "festival," both words of Latin derivation borrowed by English via Latin-based French, and to "fest," a word borrowed from German, which had gotten it from Latin (note: the noun is not related to the adjective/adverb;^ which is from a different source). "Fair" goes back to Indo European "dhes," meaning, "holy, sacred, of a deity or deities." This gave Latin "feriae," with "dhes" taking on an "f" sound in Italic and the derived Latin. "Feriae" meant "religious days;" thus, "holidays," ^^ as seen from the perspective of such days recurring, but then the singular form developed as "feria." The religious holidays brought people together to celebrate with food, drink and entertainment, and the meaning was expanded to include such. The word passed into Latin-based Old French as "feire/faire/foire," and in the increasingly Anglicized French dialect in England as "feyre" (also "fayre?), and English borrowed the word, initially as "feyre/fayre," before the modern form. The idea of places, usually outdoors, that marketed food and drink for special occasions added this element to the meaning of the word, which still continues today, although the products marketed have since expanded beyond food and drink to all sorts of things, like: books, paintings, sculptures, etc, and these are sometimes held indoors (example: "The university is sponsoring an art fair next week"). 

 

^ "Fair" the adjective/adverb has many meanings, including: "relating to pretty and clear or light features" (usually of face and/or complexion and/or hair), "clear" (of weather conditions), "just, imparital" (usually of someone's judgment), and "proper, fitting, not foul" (often of batted baseballs, of certain American-style football catches, points in a debate, then as 'fair game').   

 

^^ German borrowed the word from Latin in the 1400s with the "religious holiday" meaning, but by the 1700s, the idea of being off from work to celebrate the holidays broadened the meaning and gave modern German "Ferien," which means "holiday, vacation." 

South Tyrolean Creamy Herb Soup: Kräutersuppe

The South Tyrol (German: Südtirol) is a region of northern Italy with a complicated demographic history, as Germans settled in part of the region about 1500 years ago. The area later was part of the Holy Roman Empire, a confusing title that was really the name used for the Old German Empire (as French philosopher and writer Voltaire said in the mid 1700s, the Holy Roman Empire was "neither holy, Roman, nor an empire"). The area eventually became part of the Habsburg family lands (the Habsburgs were a German noble family), but after the defeat of Austria-Hungary in World War One, Italy received the South Tyrol for having fought on the Allied side during the war. The northern parts of the region were exclusively German for all practical purposes, but the population was more and more mixed (German and Italian) the further south in the region one went, with some areas having Italian majorities. The whole matter was very contentious, but eventually the region, known in Italian as "Trentino Alto Adige," was granted self-governing rights on local matters, but within Italy. German is the language of every day communication for much of the population, except of course in Italian areas, and the German dialect there is a part of Austro-Bavarian.

 

I love this soup and you can mix up the herbs however you choose. The South Tyroleans use local cheese of their own for garnishing the soup, but such cheeses are not readily available, so I substituted Parmigiano-Reggiano, but you can certainly use non-Italian made parmesan cheese.

 

Ingredients:

 

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons chopped dill

2 tablespoon snipped chives

1/2 tablespoon thyme leaves

2 tablespoon basil

1/2 tablespoon majoram (or oregano)

2 tablespoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cream

grated cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano or parmesan for garnish

mixed chopped herbs for garnish

In a heavy bottom pot or pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion and saute until the onion is softened, then reduce the heat to low and quickly mix in the flour, stirring constantly, to make a roux. Slowly add one cup of the broth, stirring constantly, until the broth begins to thicken; then continue adding broth a little at a time, stirring constantly until the broth is gone. It is not supposed to be thick, just slightly thicker. Stir in the herbs and let the soup just begin to simmer. Pour the soup in a blender (or you could use a stick blender), blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pan mix in the nutmeg, ground black pepper, salt and cream. Let the soup heat up, but do not boil. Top with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Fiddle-The origin of this word is unclear. There is a case for it being from Latin, but there is also a case that Latin got it from Germanic. First there is the Medieval Latin word for a stringed instument, "vitula," which is the source of the words "viola" and "violin." Latin already had a word "vitula," which meant "a female calf" (it is in the ancestral line of "veal"), but how a word for calf came to be a word for a stringed musical instrument is a major question ... although perhaps the Latin word of that meaning was borrowed, and the rendered spelling of the borrowed word coincidentally matched the other Latin word for "calf," and the ancestry of the Latin word for the musical instrument is uncertain, although some have attempted to tie it to Latin "vitularia," which meant, "to celebrate in a happy manner," apparently derived from, or related to, the Roman goddess "Vitula," supposedly a goddess of celebration and victory, but with a very sketchy history. On the other hand, forms of "fiddle" abound in the Germanic languages, with Old English having had "fiðele" (equivalent to "fithele"), which then became "fedele/fydyll/fydel," before the modern form. Old High German had "fidula," the ancestor of modern German "Fiedel;" Low German has "Fiddel," Dutch has "vedel," Old Norse had "fiðla" (=fithla), with Icelandic having that same word, Swedish has the contracted form "fela" and Norwegian has the contracted form "fele." (NOTE: Some suggest Old Germanic had a form like "fiþlo" (=fithlo), but that is far from agreed upon.)     

Turkish Eggs: Çılbır

 "Turkish eggs" go back several hundred years to the earlier Ottoman Empire, the core of which has become the modern country of "Turkey," much of which encompasses the Anatolian Peninsula, also called Asia Minor.

  

 "Çılbır" is pronounced as if "chill-burr" (but say it quickly, not dragged out) and also as "shill-burr."

Ingredients (4 servings):

4 eggs

1 cup Greek yogurt (plain), at room temperature

1 large garlic clove, minced

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon aleppo chili flakes (or other red chili flakes)*

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Let the yogurt come to room temperature, or you can give it a few seconds in the microwave to take the chill off of it. Mix the minced garlic and salt into the yogurt, set it aside for the moment. In a small skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Add the red chili flakes and mix together well and let cook for just a minute or two (the butter will likely take on a reddish color from the chili flakes, but some people like the butter to be light brown before they add the chili flakes. Your choice.) Poach the eggs, and while they cook, add 4 tablespoons of the yogurt mixture to each serving plate or shallow bowl. Spread the yogurt out a little; that is, don't leave the yogurt in a 'clump.' Place a poached egg on top of the yogurt and spoon some of the melted chili butter over the egg and yogurt. While the yogurt mix has salt, if you prefer, you can sprinkle some salt over the egg. Have a piece of toast ready to dip into that egg yolk, but don't let it drip, or that would mean ... "the yolks on you."

* Aleppo pepper is a ground or flaked red chili pepper common in the Middle East and Turkey. It is named for the Syrian city of Aleppo. The chili pepper has moderate heat.

  

WORD HISTORY:

Philology- This word for a "linguist" (one who studies language, including its history), is a compound with the prefix "philo" closely related to the suffix "-phil(e)," and it is related through Indo European to Old English "bilewit" (bil-eh-wit), meaning "calm, gentle, merciful," and to Old English "bilehwit," meaning "honest, sincere," with both of these words coming from the Germanic roots of English (note: for those who know German, the prefix, suffix and the two Old English words are related to German "billig," which now means "cheap" (its Old High German ancestor, "billih," then "billich," meant "suitable, proper, appropriate, justifiable," which worked its way through the centuries to mean "obtainable at a suitable and just price;" that is, "cheap," but just as with English "cheap," German "billig" has taken on the additional meaning, "of low quality"). "Philo" goes back to Indo European "bil," which had the idea of "appropriate, suitable, proper, good," and this gave transliterated Ancient Greek the adjective "philos," meaning  "dear, beloved," (its noun form, with the same spelling, meant "friend"). The "logy" part goes back to Indo European "leg," which had the notion "to gather, to collect, to pick;" thus also, "select, choose." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "légein," which meant "to say" (pretty much literally, "to pick or choose words"), and this gave Greek the noun "lógos," essentially meaning "something said;" thus, "word, statement, story, utterance;" thus also, "something thought through;" thus, "reason" (note: the idea of "word, statement" gave the meaning in religious writings and context, "the word of God"). Together these parts gave Greek "philologíā," literally, "love of words," but further, "love of reason and learning;" thus too, "love of literature," as written words had entered into the meaning from the idea of "reason, thought, learned words (learn-ed with 'ed' pronounced);" that is, "words to be studied and considered." Latin borrowed the word from Greek as "philologia," essentially with the same meanings, and this passed to French in the Middle Ages as "philologie," and English borrowed the word circa 1400, likely from Latin, but with French reinforcement. The early part of the 1700s saw the additional more specific meaning "study of language" become popular in Britain, but the word has never had the same extensive usage in the United States, where "linguist" has remained the main word. 

German Blushing Virgin: Errötende Jungfrau

Very "north German" dessert with many variations as to the flavor used, like raspberry, red currant, lingonberry, and I tend to use strawberry. It is known from northern Germany in the Schleswig part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein (the part that borders on Denmark) and in the Mecklenburg and Pomerania area (since the end of World War Two reduced to Vorpommern, with the remainder a part of Poland) along the Baltic Sea.

 

Serve with vanilla sauce, whipped cream or just plain heavy cream.*

 

Ingredients:

 

32 ounces of buttermilk (half to be heated, half cold)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 box (3 ounces) red gelatine (strawberry or raspberry flavored)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons sugar (check gelatine box instructions)

 

Heat half the buttermilk to boiling. Add the hot buttermilk to the gelatine and sugar in a bowl, stirring to dissolve the gelatine/sugar mixture and to prevent lumps. Add the cold buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla extract, mix well. Refrigerate until set and chilled. Serve with vanilla sauce or whipped cream.    

 

*  The recipe for vanilla sauce is at this link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/11/vanilla-sauce-vanillesoe.html

 

WORD HISTORY:

Blush-This word is not well documented, but it is very likely related to "blaze" and "bleach," both words from the Germanic roots of English, and it is distantly related to "flame," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English via Anglo-French. It goes back to Indo European "bhel," which had the notion of "to shine, to glow, to be bright, to be white." This gave Old Germanic "bluskjanan" (or "bliskjanan"?), which seems to have meant "to burn, to glow with fire," and this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "blyscan," meaning, "to glow red, to make red." This then became "blus(s)chen/blusshen," before eventually settling upon "blush." The noun form developed in the 1300s, and it also took on the meaning "(a) look," which brought about the phrase "at first blush;" that is, "at first look," or "at first glance," with the second form even replacing or becoming a substitute for the original to some extent, but why this meaning developed is unclear. The idea of "glowing, becoming red" in the verb form led to "become red in the face from embarrassment or shame," along with such a meaning for the noun form, and this seems to have happened in the second half of the 1500s, and this has become the main meaning in English, with a secondary noun meaning specifically referring to "light red or pink" wine. Because the original meaning of "burn, glow" spawned forms in the Germanic languages, the English word's Germanic relatives tend to have words closely related to "blaze," but Dutch has "blozen" and Low German has "blü­sen," both meaning "to blush," but did this meaning develop on the continent with it then passed by one or both languages to their cousin across the North Sea, or was it perhaps the other way around?