What's In A Name: Emil, Emilio, Emily

Emil/Emilio/Emily-These names all trace back to the Roman name "Aemilius," derived from Latin "aemulus," an adjective which meant "striving, rivaling," but also used as a noun to mean "rival." "Emil" in English came via German, but with reinforcement by French "Émile" in the second half of the 1800s from French author Émile Zola. "Emilio" is the Italian and Spanish form of the name, while Portuguese uses the same spelling, but with an accent mark, "Emílio." These names, however, are not uncommon in English speaking countries, as immigrants from Italy, Spanish speaking countries, Portugal and Brazil have continued with the use of the names, although the Portuguese form will lack the accent mark. All of these names, thus far, have been masculine, and the feminine form in English is "Emily," a name sort of taken from German by mistake. According to "behindthename.com," after the German House of Hanover became the royal house of England and Britain in the 1700s, Amelia Sophia was the daughter of King George II, but she was known as "Emily," even though the names "Emily" and "Amelia" are not related. "Emily" IS, however, related to "Emilia," the actual descendant from the Latin form "Aemilius" mentioned above.    

 

WORD HISTORY:

Reverend-This word is closely related to "revere," a Latin word borrowed by English via French, and somewhat more distantly related to "guard," a word borrowed from French, which had it from Germanic Frankish, and it is distantly related to "ward," "beware" and "aware," words from the Germanic roots of English. "Reverend" is a prefixed word that goes back to "re," a common prefix in Latin derived words, often meaning "back, backwards," with those meanings providing another meaning, "again," but exactly where this prefix comes from is unknown. The main body of the word goes back to Indo European "wer," which had the notion, "watch out for, pay heed to, take notice of." This gave Latin "vereri," meaning, "to have fear of, to stand in awe of;" thus also, "to respect." This verb acquired the "re" prefix, seemingly as an intensifier, but with the same meanings; so thus, "revereri." A future participle form of the verb was "reverendus," meaning, "one who is to be respected." Old French/Middle French (unclear to me exactly when) took it from the Latin form as "révérend," initally as an adjective meaning "revered, respected, worthy or deserving of respect," and it then was used as a noun. English borrowed the word in the early 1400s, seemingly at first as "reverent," although not to be confused with that separate word (another relative of "reverend"), as the "reverend" spelling prevailed in a short time. The usage as a title for clergymen started circa 1500.     

 

Korean Spicy Hard Boiled Eggs: Eggs in Tteokbokki Sauce

I love these eggs and the Koreans have sure hit a home run with this dish! Let the eggs come to room temperature before boiling them. For the broth, you can just use some vegetable stock with a teaspoon of fish sauce stirred in, but if you like to try cooking with some new ingredients, you can make your own Korean stock by simmering some dried anchovies and kelp together for about 10 to 15 minutes (dried anchovies and kelp are both available at Asian grocery stores or online). Adding sesame seeds is purely optional, but they are a common addition to Korean foods. This is a spicy hot dish, although it's not apt to scorch your tongue, but you can leave out the fresh chili pepper for a milder version; on the other hand, you can add a couple more chilies to rev up the heat level. The chili paste and chili flakes can be found at Asian stores, some supermarkets, spice stores and of course, online.

 

Serve with rice ...

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

8 eggs

3 green onions, chopped (for divided use)

1 medium onion, halved, then thinly sliced

1 hot chili (red or green), chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed to release flavor more easily

1 1/4 cups Korean soup broth (or vegetable broth with 1 teaspoon fish sauce)

3 tablespoons gochujang Korean chili paste

3 tablespoons gochugaru Korean chili flakes

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

(optional) 1 or 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

 

In a large sauce pan, boil the eggs 7 1/2 to 8 minutes, then drain and douse them in cold water (if you like firmer egg yolks, cook them 10 to 11 minutes). Peel the eggs and set them aside briefly. In another pan or large skillet (I prefer a skillet), add the broth over medium heat, then add 2 chopped green onions, sliced onion, hot chili pepper, crushed garlic, chili paste, chili flakes, soy sauce, brown sugar and black pepper, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Continue simmering the sauce until it is reduced to the consistency you prefer (I like thick sauces, so I reduce it by half). Carefully add the eggs to the reduced sauce and spoon some of the sauce over the eggs as they warm up. After 2 to 3 minutes, remove the eggs and sauce from the heat. Garnish with the remaining chopped green onion and serve over rice, or with rice as a side dish. 

 

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Tapestry-The origin of this word is unknown, although some believe it is from an Asian language, while others believe it to be from Persian, which would make it Indo European, with Persian being a relative of English, but further down the family tree. What is known is, the word goes back to transliterated Ancient Greek "tắpes," meaning "carpet," which produced Byzantine Greek "tapetion," a diminutive form meaning "small rug, small carpet," and Latin borrowed this as "tappetium" meaning, "rug, carpet," but also apparently at times, "wall covering of cloth." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "tapiz," with the same meanings, which then became "tapis," with the same meanings, including simply "heavy cloth." This produced French "tapisserie," probably from the verb "tapisser" (which was also from "tapis"), meaning "to cover with heavy decorative cloth or carpet." English borrowed the word in the late 1300s initially as "tapiestre," but why English inserted the "t" near the end is unknown to me, although that additional sound gave us the modern word "tapestry," meaning "heavy cloth with multi-colored decorative patterns."     

German Batter Fried Sage Leaves: Salbei Mäuse

More plainly known in German as "Salbeiküchlein" (little sage cakes), but popularly known to many in German as "Salbei Mäuse," literally "sage mice," with some dialect forms also (hey, this is German!), with the name coming from the batter fried leaves with stems looking like mice and their tails. These leaves are known in many of the German cultural and language areas. Try to use the largest sage leaves you can get. Good along with tea or coffee, as a snack, or as an appetizer. 

 

Serve with plum, cherry or apricot jam. 

Ingredients (2 to 3 servings): 

8 to 12 large fresh sage leaves with their stems

1/2 cup flour

3 tablespoons sparkling mineral water or club soda

3 tablespoons dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt 

oil for frying

 

Over medium heat, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet with about 1/4 inch of oil. Rinse the sage leaves and pat them dry with paper towels. In a bowl, mix together the flour, mineral water, dry white wine, sugar and salt (the batter should be thick enough to hold to the sage leaves, so adjust the amount of liquid/flour to achieve that outcome). Drop a few of the sage leaves into the batter and coat them and carefully place them into the hot oil. Turn the leaves to brown them on both sides, then add some new leaves, and do the same (you can then say, "I'm turning over a new leaf"). Drain any excess oil from the leaves on paper towels. 

 

 

I made these a couple of times recently, but the first time, I couldn't find really good size sage leaves, which are shown in the top two photos. By the second time I made them, the warm weather helped my own sage plant to produce some nice leaves, which are shown in the bottom two photos. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Dwarf-The ultimate origin of this word is unclear, and it seems to only be present in the Germanic languages. It is likely related to an Indo European form "dhwergwhos," with a meaning of "something small, something tiny," which had a related form "dhvarás," which referred to "spirits and demons." Old Germanic had "dwergaz," meaning, "an atypically small being with special powers," and this gave Old English "dweorh" and "dweorg" (dialectal forms) meaning, "uncommonly short person." The original ending sounds in English were guttural, and words with these sounds have proven to be problematic in English, as English speakers seem to have searched for smoother, less guttural, sounds; thus, we have seen changes in pronunciation like "enough" going from a guttural ending to being as if "enuf(f)," "through" being as if "threw," "draught" being as if "draft" (with this spelling even being adopted, especially in American English) and "cough" being pronounced as if "coff." The Middle Ages saw "dweorh" and "dweorg" go to "dwerth," "dwergh," "dwerke" and others. The Old English plural was "dweorgas" which then morphed into "dwarrows" in the Middle Ages, and it then came to be pronounced as if "dwarrevs/dwarves," which seemingly brought about the singular pronunciation as "dwarf," with the spelling also following suit. The early 1600s saw the development of the verb form, with the meaning, "to be or appear to be smaller in comparison." Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "Zwerg" (once spelled "twerg/twerc," and the German 'z' is pronounced 'ts'), Low German "Dwarg," West Frisian "dwerch," Dutch "dwerg," Danish "dværg," Norwegian "dverg," Icelandic "dvergur" and Swedish "dvärg." All of the Germanic forms mean "dwarf," a meaning that goes back to the mythology of the Germanic tribes.

Tanzanian French Fry Omelette: Chipsi Mayai

Tanzania is a country in eastern Africa. The region was part of the former German colony of German East Africa, and Britain took control of the area upon Germany's defeat in World War One. The British used the name "Tanganyika" as the name for their mainland colony, while the various islands of Zanzibar were a separate British colony. Independence was granted to each of these colonies in the first part of the 1960s, and the two entities joined together as Tanzania in 1964. Swahili is the main language, but English is known to some degree by many, and it is more commonly used in business circles. While Christianity is in the majority among Tanzanians, Islam is a large minority religion, especially on Zanzibar, which therefore also brings Arabic in as a minority language.      

 

"Chipsi mayai" (pronounced like "chipsee mah-yeye," like 'eye') also known as '"zege" (pronounced 'zay-geh') in part of Tanzania, primarily on the island Zanzibar. This is super easy to make, although some Tanzanians make a more elaborate omelette by adding ingredients like bell pepper, tomatoes, chilies and parsley to it. You can certainly buy some already cooked french fries from your neighborhood fast food outlet, or you can buy frozen french fries, or you can cut up some potatoes and make the fries yourself, the way you like them.  

 

Serve with tomato sauce or ketchup and with a tomato/onion salad (called kachumbari, which often also has some cucumber). If you like hot sauce instead of tomato sauce or ketchup ... GO FOT IT!

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

4 large eggs, beaten

1 cup chopped onion

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into fries (British: chips)  

oil for frying

 

Fry the potatoes in a skillet according to your preference (raw or frozen potatoes fried in some particular amount of oil), but then remove the potatoes to a dish and pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of oil. Of course, if you have already bought fries/chips from a restaurant, you won't have to worry about this step, and you can just set the fries aside briefly. Over medium heat, saute the onion until it is soft and lightly browned. Add the cooked potatoes to the skillet and distribute the onions and potatoes evenly over the skillet. Pour in the beaten eggs, again trying to distribute the eggs over the entire skillet. Fry the omelette until lightly browned on the bottom, then (this is the tricky part) flip the omelette to the other side and fry until it is browned. (NOTE: It's best to place a plate over the top of the skillet, then turn the skillet over to turn the omelette out onto the plate. This with leave the cooked part face up on the plate, and the uncooked part will now be on the bottom, although it shouldn't be terribly runny by this point. Then slide the omelette back into the skillet from the plate for the uncooked underside to fully cook and brown. If you have a wide spatula you can likely just turn the omelette over using it.)

WORD HISTORY:

Suave-This adjective is distantly related, through Indo European, to "sweet," a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "suwad," which had the notion of "pleasant tasting." This gave Latin "suavis," meaning "pleasant tasting, delightful, sweet," later also used figuratively as, "agreeable, kindly, pleasant." English borrowed the word from Latin as "suave" in the first quarter of the 1400s meaning "kindly, pleasant, gracious," and later also, "smooth in style, sophisticated."

Sage Sausage Patties

I like sage sausage, and I frequently just buy some regular bulk sausage, or fresh sausage links and remove the sausage from the skins, then season the meat myself, because I like a lot of sage flavor. I make the sage sausage into patties for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or I put the patties onto buns, add some tomato, onion, lettuce and mayonnaise, and I've got "sage sausage burgers."

 

Ingredients (4 patties):

 

1 pound pork sausage

2 slices white bread (sandwich size), torn into pieces

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 medium garlic clove, minced

8 to 10 fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt 

 

Mix the ingredients together very well in a bowl. It's best to cover the bowl and refrigerate the sausage for an hour or two (several hours is better). Form into patties and bake, fry or grill.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Crave-This word seems to be derived from the ancestor of "craft;" thus "craft" is naturally its close relative. Forms of "crave" are not in all of the other Germanic languages. It 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." This "apparently" developed an offshoot in North Germanic as "kref/krav," meaning, "to demand, to implore" (perhaps from the idea of "to ask strongly, forcefully"), and this was borrowed by Old English as "crafian," meaning, "to demand, implore;" thus also, "to inwardly long for, yearn" This then became "craven," before the modern form. The noun was formed with the common "ing" ending in the mid 1600s. While "craven," the Middle English form of the verb, may have had some influence on the meaning and spelling of the adjective of that spelling, they are NOT really the same word, and they are almost certainly unrelated. Germanic relatives: Norwegian has "kreve" (to demand, to claim, in the sense, "the captain's poor judgment claimed many a life"), Icelandic has "krefja" (to demand) and "krefjast" (to ask for), Danish has "kræve" (to demand, to require, to long for), Swedish has "kräva" (to demand, to require). 

Guinea-Bissau Tuna with Avocado: Abacate com Atum

Guinea-Bissau is a country in western Africa. It is ia former colony of Portugal, and indeed, Portuguese is the national language, although there are numerous African languages spoken on a daily basis, as are less formal forms of Portuguese. Guinea-Bissau formally became independent from Portuguese rule in 1974.  

 

Just a reminder: when you use avocados in recipes, you need lemon or lime juice, or vinegar, to keep the avocado from turning dark due to contact with oxygen. So be sure to include the lemon juice in this recipe. Portuguese "Abacate com Atum" simple means "Avocado with Tuna." 

Ingredients:

 

2 soft, but not mushy, avocados, halved and pitted

1 cooked piece of tuna, about 5 ounces (or use canned tuna, drained)

2 medium roma tomatoes, chopped

2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel 

2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce (piri piri, if you have it, also called pili pili in many African cultures)

2 tablespoons grated coconut 

4 lemon slices for garnish

I cooked the tuna in a skillet with a little olive oil and just a small amount of salt and pepper (not counted in the amout of salt and pepper in the above recipe). Make sure the tuna is cooked through and then let it cool. Halve and pit the avocados, then carefully (don't damage the shells) scoop out the avocado flesh, chop it, and put it into a bowl (keep the shells). Add the tuna, chopped tomato, black pepper, salt, lemon juice, lemon peel, heavy cream, hot sauce, then mix everything together very well. Fill each avocado shell with the tuna mixture and sprinkle each with some grated coconut. Serve with lemon slices and maybe make the hot sauce available for those who like extra. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Utensil-This word is closely related to "use," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English via Latin-based French. The ultimate origin of this word, and of its close relative "use," is unknown. It goes back to Latin "uti," which had a wide range of meanings: "to make use of, to gain from (thus also, to benefit, to profit), to enjoy, to consume." This produced Latin "usare," meaning, "to use." The verb's present participle was "utens," and with its inflected ending came the adjective form "utensilis," meaning "useful, having gainful or beneficial purpose, usable," the plural form of which was "utensilia," which was used as a noun meaning, "things for use, useful implements," and this passed into Latin-based Old French as the singular "utensile," meaning "implement, tool" (perhaps influenced heavily by Italian "utensile?") and English borrowed the word in the late 1300s as "utensile/utensyl," which then became "utensil." The meaning more and more was used for household tools and implements; thus, there came to be a great association with implements in a kitchen, but not exclusively so. 

Turkish Chicken & Okra Stew: Tavuklu Bamya

Okra are the seed pods of a plant and they are known as ladyfingers to some. The okra plant tolerates hot weather well, so it is a common crop in places like India, parts of the Middle East, Africa, and southern parts of the United States. Okra is known for its sticky, slick texture when cooked, a result of a viscous substance in the seed pods. The best thing is just to forget about it and fix the okra and enjoy it, but some finicky people try to reduce the slickness of the okra by various means: soaking it in vinegar, soaking it in salt water, soaking it in vinegar AND salt water, frying it, cooking it at high heat, not cutting the tops off completely, and likely many more. This substance from the okra pods generally helps to thicken soups and stews, so don't fret and get your nerves tied into knots over such things. It won't kill you. Look at me, I eat okra, and 6 weeks in intensive care and I'm fine now, so there! hahaha Really though folks, don't let this silly stuff consume your life.     

 

This Turkish stew is great served with bulgur pilaf.*

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 pound okra, trimmed

1 lemon, juiced (or more to your taste preference)

3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided use)

1 1/2 cups chopped onion (bite size pieces, not small)

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (remember, the broth will likely have salt, so take that into account)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground red pepper** (Aleppo pepper, if you have it)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 medium roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup tomato juice

1/2 cup chicken broth

(optional) 1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup chopped parsley

 

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Saute the onion and chicken pieces to get both a little browned. Rinse the okra well and trim the stem end. In a pot or pan with a lid, add the cleaned okra, the browned chicken/onion mixture, lemon juice, ground coriander, ground red pepper, minced garlic, salt, ground black pepper, tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken broth. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to low and cook 30 minutes. Stir in sugar (if using), remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, stir and cook another 5 minutes. Serve with rice or bulgur pilaf.  

 

* The make bulgur pilaf, here is the link to the recipe:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2021/06/turkish-bulgur-pilaf.html

 

** "Aleppo pepper" is a very modest heat red pepper commonly used in Turkish cooking, but you can certainly use cayenne or other ground red pepper mixed with an equal amount of sweet paprika, as cayenne pepper is often hotter than Aleppo pepper.

WORD HISTORY: 

Conceal-This prefixed word is closely related to "ceiling," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English via French, and somewhat more distantly related to "color," another Latin-derived word borrowed from French, and closely related to "cell," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English directly from that language, and it has distant relatives through Indo European like "helm" (the "head covering" meaning), "hull" (seed covering) and "hall," all from the Germanic roots of English. The prefix of "conceal" goes  back to Latin "co/con/com," all prefix forms meaning "with, together, along (with)," and going back to Indo European "kom," which meant, "near, with, by, beside." The main body of "conceal" goes back to Indo European "kel/khel," which meant, "to cover." This gave Latin "celare," which meant "to cover, to cover up, to hide," and this was coupled with "con," seemingly used to intensify in this word, as "concelare," meaning, "to hide (something)." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "conceler," meaning "to hide (something), to keep something secret and from view." English borrowed the word circa 1300, initially as "concelen,"^ also meaning "to keep something from view," but also, "to keep from telling a secret."  

^ As I've noted in some other word histories here over time, in the past, English infinitives did not require "to" as they have in more modern times, as in "to conceal;" rather, most English infinitives were like those most often still used by their German cousin, ending in "en," but no "to" required.

North German Hot & Cold Anglian Mug: Angler Muck (Heiß und Kalt )

This drink is from the northern section of the Schleswig part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, from an area called "Angeln," near the border with Denmark, with the Baltic Sea lying off its east coast. The "general area" had been the home of the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that sailed off to Britain centuries ago, settled there, and helped to found England, the name of which, as well as the name of the language that developed there from various Germanic dialects, are derived from the Angles. 

There are two versions of "Angler Muck," one that is served hot (German: heiß/heiss), which is good for winter, and one that is served cold (German: kalt), which makes it good for summer. "Korn," a very popular north German grain alcohol or brandy is the alcohol most often used for the cold drink, but you can substitute vodka and I don't think they'll punch you in the "mug" (see Word History below).There is actually a special ceramic mug in Germany for the hot drink (see photo below for an example), which is often kept warm on a small warmer called a "Stövchen," a word taken from Low German into standard German and also a close relative of English "stove," and literally translated as "little stove." They are typically heated with a candle.

 

Ingredients for the cold Angler Muck:

 

1 part vodka or clear grain alcohol/brandy

1 part lemonade

1 part club soda/sparkling water

ice cubes

 

Make the lemonade to your own recipe and sweetness/tartness preference. The club soda/unflavored sparkling water gives the lemonade some evfer.... ah, efverves... ah, bubbles. 

 

The recipe for the hot version of Angler Muck is: heat together 1 pint of rum and 1 pint of water (do not boil). As the liquid heats, add 4 tablespoons sugar and 6 to 8 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (your own taste preference). Stir to mix and dissolve the sugar. Serve hot.

 

 Cold Angler Muck ...

 

Mug for the hot Angler Muck; the Angler Muck Pott ...

About this photo, see: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mucktopf.jpg#file

 

WORD HISTORY:

Mug-The origin of this word is unknown, but it shows up in English in the mid 1500s as the word for "a bowl, cup or earthenware jug with a handle." Germanic relatives of English had forms of the word, and it's very likely that the word came to English either through Low German, which has "muck," as well as "mukke" and "mugge" (Note: Low German is not a standard language, but rather a series of dialects, so often there is more than one spelling for a word, or even a different word all together. Low German often has been referred to as a dialect of German, but many linguists have come to assign Low German its own designation as a separate language. It is "similar" to its close cousins Dutch, Frisian and English, but it also bears many similarities to its cousin (standard) German and to German dialects, but with several differences.) It is also possible that "mug" came to English via Danish or Norwegian "mugge" (one of the Low German forms, "mugge," is perhaps just a coincidence, or it could have been picked up from Danish, which is nearby, or even from Norwegian, which isn't that far away; then again, it might have been the reverse). By the way, Swedish has "mugg" and Dutch has "mok" (West Frisian "mok?" If so, from Dutch?). Old English had "muga," which meant "haystack, heaped up corn (grain)," but whether this is related to "mug" is unclear. Mugs of old often were made into designs of faces, and this seems to be the source of "mug" being used as a slang word for "face." This idea then was applied to photos in the second half of the 1800s, when photography became popular; thus, "mugshot," for a "person's facial photo in police records." Since a person's face is "who we are," likely this lies behind the notion of "mug" being used for a person, usually a man, and often a person of bad repute (likely from the added idea of being known to police), and the further idea of "mug" for usually a man, but further "a stupid man," seemingly from thieves jargon for a "man stupid enough to get caught and thus have a record with law enforcement." The verb form "mug" is from circa 1825 and its use in fist fighting, boxing, for "hit someone in the mug (face)," and this expanded in meaning by the mid 1800s to "a physical attack on a person with the intent to rob them."    

Kenyan Rice & Salad: Pilau and Kachumbari

Kenya is a country in East Africa with a coastline along the Indian Ocean. It has a population of "about" 55 million and its capital city is Nairobi. Swahili and English (British style) are the primary languages used in government, schools and business, but other regional African languages are spoken on an every day basis, along with hybrid forms of English with numerous African dialect influences. Kenya came under British control in the latter part of the 1800s, initially as part of the "East African Protectorate," then later as an outright "colony." This brought a number of immigrants to Kenya from India, itself a British colony at that time. In those times, India included what later became the separate countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh. There are lots of Indian influences in Kenyan food.*

 

I read quite a few recipes about pilau, and several used basmati rice, so that's what I chose to use. 

 

Ingredients (4 servings): 

 

For the pilau:

 

1 cup basmati rice

1 red onion (tennis ball size), peeled and chopped (not finely)

3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced

2 inch cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 bay leaves

2 cups chicken stock

2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (if the chicken stock has a lot of salt, you can omit adding this salt)

1/4 cup oil (vegetable or olive)

 

In a heavy bottom pan, add the oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes, stir the onion to prevent sticking or burning. Add the chopped or minced garlic and the fresh ginger and saute a further 45 seconds, then add the tomatoes and stir (doesn't have to be totally constant) as the vegetables continue to cook. Add the cinnamon stick, ground cumin, ground cardamom and bay leaves, stir again, then add the rice and stir to mix everything together well, then add the chicken stock, and stir some more. Add the ground black pepper and salt (if using) and let the mixture come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer (stove settings can vary, but likely you'll need "low" or "very low"). Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid to see how much liquid remains. Replace the lid and continue cooking until all of the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and ... guess what? Stir to fluff and mix again (remove the bay leaves).  

 

For the kachumbari:

 

2 tomatoes (baseball size), diced

1 red onion (tennis ball to baseball size), chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled, or partially peeled (like stripes), diced

1 to 2 chili peppers (jalapeños are good for this), seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped/minced

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/3 cup fresh coriander (also called 'cilantro'), chopped

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less to your taste)

(optional) 1 teaspoon honey

(optional) 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

This is mainly about chopping the ingredients; so, when that's done, add the tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, chili pepper, garlic, coriander (cilantro), black pepper and salt to a bowl. Mix everything together (I do it by hand). If you plan to serve the entire salad, then add the lime juice (or mix together the lime juice, honey and oil and then add to the salad), but once you add the juice, if you have leftovers, the salad will begin to lose its "crispness," so I add the juice dressing per serving, not to the whole salad. Also, if you use honey, pop it into the microwave for just a couple of seconds (only) and it will help when you're mixing it with the oil and lime juice. 

I had fried chicken with my pilau and kachumbari (see photos below). Someone told me to simply toss the chicken in seasoned flour and then fry it, which is what I did, but I didn't like it, the feathers were too much for me. So, I plucked the feathers from another chicken and repeated the process, which worked out much better. hahaha  You can serve another type of meat, or just have the pilau and kachumbari as a lunch dish.

* This is an example of Indian influence on Kenyan food: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/03/kenyan-potato-bites-potato-bhajias.html

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Cricket (2)-This is the name of the sport/game, not the name for the insect, which has a different history. While the history of this word for a game of two teams played with a ball and bats is shaky,^ it likely is closely related to "crutch," and also related to "crook/crooked" and "creep," and these are all words from Germanic, and it is also likely related to "crochet," a word borrowed by English from French, but French had the word from Germanic, more than likely from Frankish, but perhaps from, or reinforced by, Old Norse. The game usage of the word "cricket" goes back to Indo European "ger/grewg," which had the notion "to bend, to turn, to twist," which gave Old Germanic "krukjon," which meant "crooked shaft." This then became "krukjo" in West Germanic with the further meaning of "staff with a crooked handle or arm support," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "crycc(e)" meaning, "crutch, bent/curved staff." Now, this developed into modern "crutch," but its Flemish^^ cousin "krik" (bent staff, curved stick) "seems" to lie at the heart of the usage of the word "cricket," the game; at least the game that has been known by that name in England/Britain, although there may have been similar versions of the modern game long ago.^^^ "Supposedly" the word "krikets" developed in southeastern England from the Flemish word (there were quite a number of immigrants from Flanders there in the 1500s through the 1700s, many associated with cloth and weaving), and this was then anglicized as "cricket." The mid 1800s saw the secondary meaning develop in England of "the proper way to do things," likely from the notion of "play the game of cricket properly," although this meaning is often put into the negative for something being done unfairly as, "that's not cricket" ("that's not fair or proper").

 

^ Unraveling the shaky history of the word "cricket" is somewhat equivalent to unraveling the shaky history of the game itself, which "may" have come from various similar games that eventually produced the immediate forerunner of the modern game, but to which the name came to be applied. When I say the history of the word "cricket" is "shaky," I really mean the specifics are tough to determine, although the broad history of the word seems clear.  

 

^^ Flemish is the dialect of Dutch spoken in the Flanders part of Belgium. In times long past, Flemish was seen as its own language by some, but in more recent times it has been viewed as a regional dialect of Dutch. I watch numerous language programs, and I have noticed that Belgians from Flanders now often say they speak Dutch, although I'm sure there are some who still say they speak Flemish (Vlaams). Dutch, including the Flemish dialect, and many of the nearby German dialects (that western part of Germany, Luxembourg and Lorraine) all developed from Frankish, the Germanic language (dialect) of the Franks. 

 

^^^ Seemingly in the 1600s and up until the early second half of the 1700s, the ball was rolled along the ground (bowled) and batted with bent/curved sticks like modern hockey sticks, but in the second half of the 1700s the ball was thrown (pitched), leading to the abandonment of the curved stick in favor of a straight bat. 

Ivory Coast Avocado Boats: Bateaux d'Avocat de Côte d'Ivoire aux Crevettes

In the latter part of the 1400s, the Portuguese seem to have been the first known Europeans to land in the area that is now Côte d'Ivoire, but the French and Dutch soon made appearances too. Over time the French established trading posts and even had a military presence in the overall region of that part of West Africa; and indeed, Ivory Coast became an official French colony in the late 1880s, but in the early part of the 1900s, the French colonial possessions in West Africa were combined into a large French colonial entity called the "Federation of French West Africa," but commonly just called "French West Africa." It wasn't until the summer of 1960 that Côte d'Ivoire became an independent nation with French being the official language, although numerous African languages are spoken there in every day life.

 

You want ripe, and thus, somewhat softened avocados (not mushy), so that they will be nice and creamy. Avocados are a pretty commonly grown food product in Côte d'Ivoire, and they are used in various types of recipes. Further, I garnished this dish here with cashew halves, because Côte d'Ivoire also grows and exports lots of cashews. 

Ingredients (6 appetizers or light lunches):

3 ripe avocados, halved and pitted

1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice

8 to 10 medium cleaned cooked shrimp, cut into halves or thirds

1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple

1 teaspoon hot sauce + 1 teaspoon ketchup

3 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise (low fat type is fine)  

good pinch of ground black pepper

good pinch of salt

garnish each serving with a few cashew halves

Either buy cooked shrimp, or cook the shrimp yourself. I simply sauteed raw cleaned/peeled shrimp in some butter and olive oil. If you cook the shrimp yourself, let the shrimp cool, then cut them in half or thirds, then put them into a bowl along with the chopped fresh pineapple, mayonnaise, hot sauce/ketchup, a good sprinkle of lime juice, black pepper and salt. Mix well to coat the shrimp and pineapple with the dressing. Cover the dish and refrigerate the shrimp for a couple of hours, then ... Rinse the avocados, dry them, cut them in half and pit them. Rub the cut side of the halves with some of the lime juice to prevent the avocados from browning (oxidizing; that is, browning from exposure to oxygen). Top the avocado halves with the shrimp/pineapple mixture and after you have plated the halves for serving, you can add a little more of the shrimp mixture on the side of the avocado, if you'd like (I didn't do that for the photos below). Garnish with a few cashews. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Quaint-This adjective is related to "cognizance" and "acquaint," Latin derived words borrowed by English from French, and to "know" and "can" (the verb), words from the Germanic roots of English. "Quaint" goes back to Indo European "gnoh," which meant, "to have knowledge;" thus, "to know." This gave Latin "gnoscere" ("to know"), which had the prefix form "co" (meaning "with, together")^ attached, providing Latin with "cognocere," which meant, "to get to know;" thus, "to recognize, to get or to become acquainted with." One of the participle forms was "cognitus," meaning, "known, recognized, approved, acknowledged," and this passed into Latin-based Old French as "cointe," but also as, "queinte," meaning, "knowledgeable, clever, highly informed;" thus also used to mean "proud, gracious," which then was used figuratively to mean "arrogant." English borrowed the word around 1200 as "cwoynte/quoynte/cwointe," which then became "queynte," before the modern spelling. The word's meanings have changed numerous times, perhaps not surprisingly because of its positive and negative meanings at times, as like with "proud" and "arrogant," but also "knowledgeable" and "cunningly deceitful." The idea of "knowledge" gave it the meaning of "skillful and well made," but later "unusual," and then "unusually old fashioned" in the 1700s, which eventually graduated to "having old fashioned charm," where it has remained to this day, with the other meanings having become archaic, at best.     

^ Depending upon the spelling of the Latin word to which it was attached as a prefix, the spelling could be "co, con, com," all of which go back to Indo European "kom," with nuanced meanings like "with, along, together, nearby, beside"). The form in Germanic was "ga/ge," a form that began to morph and then "pretty much" die out in its English form in the late Middle English period into the modern era (I say "pretty much" to give myself some wiggle room for some words that might still be around with that form, although they may be little used). A previous example in English was "gebeorg" (a mountain, a hill) and its German cousin "Gebirge" ("a mountain range," in the singular sense, but also the same spelling is used for plural; so, "mountain ranges"), a form still in use in German, which has retained a lot of nouns with the "Ge" prefix.

Turkish Bulgur Pilaf

While rice holds a strong role as an accompaniment in Turkish cuisine, bulgur also is well known in that category. When I was younger I don't recall hearing just "bulgur," but rather I heard it called "bulgur wheat," and indeed, bulgur is wheat that is partially cooked, dried and cracked; thus, it is a type of cracked wheat. Bulgur is common in Turkey and in the Middle East. This "Turkish Bulgur Pilaf" can be used as a side dish, or you can make some "cacik," get some pita bread and have some bulgur pilaf for lunch.*   

 

Ingredients (multiple servings):

 

2 cups coarse bulgur wheat

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced the olive oil

3 ripe roma tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it softens a bit, then add the garlic and green pepper and saute another 3 to 4 minutes (we're not looking to really brown the vegetables, but it's okay if they begin to lightly brown). Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste, stir well to break up the paste, and then add the bulgur wheat. Now add the broth, salt and pepper and stir to get everything mixed together. Let the mixture just come to a boil and then adjust the heat to low or very low. Cover until the liquid is absorbed. In other words, cook the bulgur as you would cook rice. Stir the pilaf to be certain the vegetables are thoroughly mixed through the bulgur before serving.  

* Turkish "cacik" is the same as Greek "tzatziki," a sauce/dip made from yogurt, garlic and other seasonings. Here is the link to my article and recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/01/greek-tzatziki-turkish-cacik-sauce-dip.html

 

WORD HISTORY:

Pilaf-The ultimate origin of this word for rice or wheat cooked with seasonings is unknown, although speculation seems to tilt toward a non Indo European origin, perhaps Dravidian, a family of languages of southern Asia, with a large presence in the south of India. "Pilaf" goes back to Persian, an Indo European language related to English further down the family tree, which had transliterated "pilav/pelav," a term for cooked rice. Turkish took the word as "pilav," and the term was often also used in Turkish for cooked wheat. English borrowed the word from Turkish initially as "pilau" in the early 1600s, but with the later variant "pilaf" becoming common, although "pilau" is still in use, mainly in some areas of Britain ("perhaps" from influence of transliterated Urdu "pulao," as Urdu is one of the main languages of the Indian subcontinent, where Britain had a long involvement, and where Urdu is the majority language in many northern areas).