Kashmiri Potatoes with Yogurt Gravy: Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Unlike many regions of India, in Kashmir, rather than fresh ginger, they use ground ginger (also known to some as ginger powder) in many recipes.

 

There are some distinct recipes for Dum Aloo (a potato dish); that is, the recipes aren't just slight variations of one another, but rather quite different. This Kashmiri version is a bit tart and somewhat spicy, but generally it is less spicy hot than many dishes from the Indian Subcontinent, as it uses Kashmiri chili powder, which isn't nearly as hot as regular Indian chili powder. I included some optional sugar for the recipe, which is based upon my own lukewarm reception for sour/tart tastes in food. Use small potatoes no bigger than a golf ball, and as you can see in the photos below, the dish actually looks like meatballs. You can use regular plain yogurt or Greek yogurt or Indian yogurt (called "curd" by people from the Indian Subcontinent). It is the yogurt that gives the Kashmiri Dum Aloo its tart flavor. Serve with naan or rice or both

 

 

Ingredients (3 to 4 servings): 

1 1/2 pounds small white or golden potatoes

1/4 cup vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons (if needed)

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard + 1 pinch

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder (or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons sweet paprika)

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (store bought or freshly ground)

(optional) pinch of asafoetida*

1 teaspoon ground fennel

2/3 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water (in divided use, if needed)

(optional) up to 1/2 teaspoon sugar

green chilies, chopped, for garnish

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water; cook them only until they are just cooked through, they should not be mushy at all. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool to room temperature. Peel the potatoes and use a fork to poke some holes in the potatoes, then set them aside briefly. In a cup, add the Kashmiri chili powder (or the cayenne/paprika substitute), the pinch of asafoetida (if using), the ground fennel, the ground ginger, the salt and 3 tablespoons water; mix together very well, set it aside for a little while. In a bowl, add the yogurt and stir it (best to actually whisk it), until it is smooth; then, add the spice mixture to the yogurt and mix it all together well, set it aside. Add a quarter cup of oil to a skillet over medium heat, then stir in the dry mustard. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes and fry them, turning them often, until they are lightly browned (a bit of a crust around the outside). Remove the potatoes to a plate covered with paper towels to drain excess oil. There should still be a couple of tablespoons of oil in the skillet (add more oil if needed). Add the spice/yogurt mixture and lower heat to low. Stir constantly (again, a whisk is good) and add 1/4 cup water, and after that water is incorporated, add 1/2 cup water and continue stirring/whisking. Add the little potatoes into the skillet and now use a spoon to move and turn the potatoes in the gravy. (Add the sugar, if using) Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and keep the heat low or even very low. Let the potatoes cook for 5 to 6 minutes. If the gravy is too thick, definitely add more water, up to 1/2 cup, and stir with a spoon to mix it in; let cook another 2 to 3 minutes. If when you remove the lid the first time, the gravy is the consistency you want, remove the skillet from the heat. Serve with rice or naan bread, or both.

 

* Asafoetida is a powdered spice pretty common to the cooking of the Indian Subcontinent and other parts of southern Asia. It is "typically" available in a jar with an opening in the lid to dispense the spice, and there is an airtight lid that closes off the opening to contain the smell. It is also called "hing." Asafoetida is known for its bad smell, but its mellow taste when cooked. When I was a kid, some people still used what were called "asafidity bags" to protect their children from various illnesses, mainly colds and influenza. The bag was worn on a string around the neck, and it contained various foul smelling ingredients, including garlic and asafoetida, which was available from drugstores in those times. It was all superstition from the Middle Ages, and my family didn't believe in it. My people believed an eye of a newt and the toe of a frog would cure you; otherwise, your days were numbered. Ah, or was that your days were numbered because of the eye of a newt and the toe of a frog? Hm...

 

 

Kashmiri Dum Aloo with green chili garnish and rice and naan bread in first two photos  

WORD HISTORY:

Knife-This word's ancient ancestor, Indo European "gen," meant ''pinch, press together, compact;'' thus, it is related to words like "knead," "knot" and "knuckle," all words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "nip" ("a small amount of something," from the idea of "a pinch or something pinched off"), another word from Germanic, but a word English likely borrowed from its close cousin Low German. Indo European "gen" produced the extended form "gneibh/gnaibh," which meant "to pinch." The Indo European form spawned "knibaz" (pinched or pressed together) in its Old Germanic offspring. This then gave Old Norse "knifr" meaning "dagger, knife, short sword," perhaps developed from the idea of "folding knives," what in modern times we call "pocketknives" or "penknives," but such knives have been around dating back to BCE times; after all, they could be easily and safely carried by individuals, or perhaps from the idea of "pressing a blade into wood to make a handle." Obviously, the meaning expanded to be a general word for knives. English borrowed the word from Old Norse (circa 1000?) as "cnif," which then became "knif, before the modern form. The verb form came from the noun in the mid 1800s. Exactly when the 'k' became silent isn't really known; after all, there are no audio recordings from long ago, but it likely took a little time to become common and it "probably" took place beginning in the 1400s and extending well into the 1500s, and perhaps even into the early part of the 1600s. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has the noun "Kneipe," meaning "pub, tavern." It was seemingly taken into standard German from "student lingo" of the 1700s (in dialect from Saxony?^), from the idea of "people gathering together in close proximity to drink and socialize," and dialectal "Kneip" (shoemaker's knife), and "Knifte," originally "long bladed knife," but also, "a slice of bread;" that is, "something that is cut with a knife." German has the verb "kneifen," meaning "to pinch," but also "to shirk, evade or back out of a duty or some action,"^^ but "kneifen" is a borrowing from Middle Low German "knipen," which initially was taken by German as "kneipen," then subsequently given the High German replacement of "p" with "f." Low German has the verb "kniepen" (yes, the modern form is spelled with 'ie'), meaning "to pinch, to squeeze," and also a noun "Knief" (knife), which is seemingly now a secondary word, West Frisian has the verb "knipe" (to pinch, to squeeze) and the noun "knyp," "a pinch," perhaps a bit old fashioned nowadays, Dutch has "knijf," originally as "cnif" and meaning "long bladed knife," but in modern usage seemingly confined to dialect as "pocketknife," Icelandic has "hnifur" (knife), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish "kniv" (all mean 'knife'). Note: French has "canif," which was originally "knif" in Old French, a word absorbed from Germanic Frankish "knif." French also has the related word "canivet" (originally as "kenif") meaning "dagger, short knife," from the same Frankish source, but perhaps with reinforcement from Norse and English (the term seems to have come from Normandy, and the Normans were originally Norse speakers who settled there. 

 

^ Saxony is one of the German states in the eastern part of Germany bordering on the Czech Republic. Its capital is Leipzig. A few hundred years ago, the dialect there, which was also spoken in what is now the separate German state of "Saxon-Anhalt," and which is closely related to the dialect of Thuringia, a neighboring state, had major influences on what became standard German, with one of the major  reasons being that Martin Luther was from that region, and he used much of this general dialect to translate the Bible into German. 

 

^^ This meaning comes from the idea of "being fast and able to escape from a tight or pressing situation." In English we often express it as "I got out of a jam."

Indian Tomato Raita (Tomato/Yogurt Salad)

"Raita" is pronounced as if, "rite-ah." Raita is often served in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal to "cool" the palate and stomach after spicy dishes have been eaten.

 

Make sure to use finely chopped ingredients.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup plain yogurt, stirred or whisked so that's it's smooth

1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes (seeds removed)

1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon finely chopped green chili (serrano chili pepper is good, or unripened cayenne pepper)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons finely chopped mint

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Put the yogurt into a bowl and stir or whisk it so that it's smooth. (Optional) You can preheat a small dry skillet over medium heat and add the ground cumin for just like 10 seconds (shaking the skillet), and remove from the heat and let it cool down before adding it to the other ingredients; or, you can just add the ground cumin to the raita without toasting it. Add all of the ingredients to the bowl and mix everything together well.   

WORD HISTORY:

Tank-This word has an uncertain origin, and there are at least a couple lines of thought on its ancient history, but to me, the best history is the idea that "tank" was a word borrowed by Portuguese, as "tanque," from a language in India in the early 1600s, perhaps from transliterated Gujarati "tankh" (I also found it as "tanki" and "tanku"), with meanings like "cistern, pool, reservoir." Some believe this goes back to Sanskrit^ "tadaga" meaning "pond or lake."^^ Portuguese took the word back to the Iberian Peninsula from India and it passed into Spanish also as "tanque," and into English (circa 1609-10). I don't necessarily dispute the English borrowing, but both the Portuguese and the English were heavily involved in India in those times; so, in theory, English could have borrowed the word right in India, or it could have at least reinforced a borrowing from Portuguese in English. The meaning in English at the time was "a pool used as a water supply," obviously closely tied to the Gujarati meaning of "cistern, pool, reservoir." From this, the meaning "container" developed. Now ... during World War One, "a vehicle of armor with a mounted machine gun moving on caterpillar tracks" was dubbed "a tank" purely for deception purposes, but the name stuck when the British first used "tanks" in action in the autumn of 1916. This meaning was borrowed by Portuguese, proving "what goes around, comes around." The verb form "tank" came from the noun and had the meaning "to put something into a tank," with that meaning seemingly used to give a figurative meaning "to fail, to lose badly, to give up on achieving something;" which came about in the 20th Century, but exactly when, is tough to pin down, although the late 1960's tennis world is a possibility.

 

^ Sanskrit is an ancient language from the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo European; thus, it is related to English, although much further down the family tree. It is still in use to some degree, especially in India, with ancient texts of religious significance to Hindus and Buddhists.   

 

^^ One source says the Sanskrit form "tadaga goes back to Dravidian, but without any way to connect the word to that language family. Dravidian is a family of languages spoken primarily in southern India, but also to some extent in Pakistan and on the island of Sri Lanka.    

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. 

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is a curry that "may" have been developed in the United Kingdom in the 1960s or early 1970s, but no firm history of the dish is available, and it is certainly similar to dishes from the Indian Subcontinent, namely Butter Chicken, a dish that originated in northwestern India, and one of the "stories" about the origination of Tikka Masala has it developed by a man in the UK from East Pakistan, a region that was then becoming the independent modern country of Bangladesh. I checked at least 20 recipes, and almost all included some amount of paprika, a spice and coloring agent not "commonly" found in recipes from the Subcontinent; so, that gives the possible UK origin of Tikka Masala a boost, but the dish is certainly heavily influenced by the cuisine of the Indian Subcontinent. It consistently ranks as one of the most popular dishes of all in the United Kingdom. The chicken is traditionally cooked in tandoori ovens, at least in restaurants, giving it some blackened spots and a somewhat smoky flavor, but most of us are usually confined to using a regular oven, or a good skillet, something that shan't see you banned from the Indian restaurants nearest you.  

Serve with rice and naan bread.

Ingredients:

Seasoning and tenderizing the chicken:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
3 tablespoons Greek or Indian yogurt
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

For frying the chicken:
2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil 

Sauce:

1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 to 2 teaspoons ground red pepper (if you have ground Kashmiri chili pepper, definitely use it, but cayenne is fine) 
1 1/2 cups pureed tomatoes (use a stick blender on some diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 to 1 cup heavy cream 
fresh coriander, also known as cilantro, chopped for garnish

To a bowl, add the chicken seasoning/tenderizing ingredients, mix together well, then mix in the bite size chicken pieces to coat them. Cover the bowl, refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but 6 or 8 hours is better. Prior to cooking the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to warm a bit. Add the butter/oil to a skillet over medium heat. When the butter/oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and cook on both sides until the pieces are well browned, with some deep brown color on some pieces. Best to cook the chicken pieces on one side then use tongs to turn them to the other side. All together, this should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a separate dish and set aside. Wipe the skillet of any dark residue, then add another 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger, stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cardamom and ground red pepper, stir to mix well, then add the chicken pieces (with any of the juices collected while it's been sitting), the pureed tomatoes and 1/2 cup water, stir well again, let come to a simmer. Adjust the heat downward to just maintain a steady gentle simmer for about 6 to 8 minutes, until the sauce reduces and thickens a bit. During this time, stir in the black pepper, then gradually stir in the heavy cream and the chopped coriander (cilantro). Let the mixture come back to a bare simmer, then remove it from the heat. Sprinkle each serving with a little chopped fresh coriander. Serve with rice and Indian naan bread.

     

WORD HISTORY:
Feral-This word is related to "fierce" and "ferocity," both words of Latin derivation borrowed by English via French, and to "ferocious," borrowed by English from Latin. It goes back to Indo European "gwher," which meant, "wild animal, wild beast." This gave Latin the adjective "ferus," meaning "wild, untamed, savage," from a "likely" Italic form of "feros" (wild, savage).^ This gave Latin "fera bestia," meaning, "wild animal." French took the word as "feral," meaning "wild," but why French added the "l" or "al" is unclear to me. "Perhaps" a mistaken notion that the Latin word "feralis" was a derivative of "fera" or "ferus?" But "feralis" was an adjective meaning, "having to do with death, fatal." Whatever the explanation, English borrowed the word from French circa 1600 with the meaning, "wild, untamed, undomesticated."      

^  Italic is a branch of the Indo European family of languages and includes Latin, Umbrian, Venetic, and others, most of which have died out. Latin's own limited use today is mainly because its dialects evolved into several modern languages: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Catalan, Sardinian, and several others.

Papaya Smoothie

Lots of nutrients and fiber in papayas.


Ingredients (about 4 or 5 servings):

4 cups papaya chunks
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 cup yogurt (you can use vanilla yogurt and then leave out the vanilla extract)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups low fat buttermilk

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. It can be served as is, or over ice cubes or chilled in the refrigerator until ready for use. 

WORD HISTORY:
Orient-This word is closely related to "origin," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English. It goes back to Indo European "her(i)," which had the notion, "to move upward, to rise." This gave Latin the verb "oriri," meaning, "to rise, to come into view." The participle form of the verb was "oriens," and it came to be used as a noun to mean, "the rising sun, sunrise;" thus also, "region of the sunrise;" thus, "the east," but because of this general meaning, the word meant different "specifics" to different people, like: (what is now) the Middle East (including parts of North Africa, to some), Asia, Persia, southeastern Europe. This passed to Latin-based Old French as "orient," meaning, "east, Asia." The word was taken to England by the Normans and their descendants, but it was not borrowed by English until about 1400. The verb, originally meaning, "to have something face eastward," was borrowed from the French verb "orienter" (which was derived from the noun) in the first half of the 1700s. A secondary meaning in French, "to get a fix in one's mind about location or direction," has come to be the main meaning in English.  

Farmer's Salad With Yogurt Dressing

"Farmer salads" have been often and naturally thought of as mainly having ingredients many farming households might well have on hand: cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, bell peppers and eggs. In addition though, some farming families made their own head cheese, as well as their own cheese, and these could be used to make a salad more substantial. In German areas of Europe, the homemade cheese was/is called by a variety of names, but in Hessen, it is called "Handkäse," * literally "hand cheese," because the whitish/light yellowish cheese was shaped by hand, while in the region of the Harz Mountains it is called "Harzer (Käse)," and in Austria it is often called "Quargel," a word "I believe" German derived from Slavic. In modern times head cheese and cheese (by whatever name) are more often commercially produced, but that doesn't mean that some individuals or families have abandoned making them at home. "Souse" is an American term for head cheese made with vinegar. In Britain, head cheese, with or without vinegar, is called "brawn."  
   
I "patterned" this recipe after Bavarian/Austrian salad recipes, and in Austria and Bavaria such salads are often served with rolls called "Salzstangen" or "Salzstangerl," which are rolls coated with coarse salt and (usually) caraway seeds. Certainly in the past, such a dressing for the salad would have been more likely to have been made with sour cream; again, a product readily available to farmers.   

Ingredients (5 or 6 servings):

1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 seeded or seedless cucumber, peel on, or peeled, or partially peeled (your preference)
4 chopped Roma tomatoes (also called 'plum tomatoes'), or 20 to 25 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 chopped red or green pepper
1/4 cup pitted black olives (Kalamata or niçoise), halved
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Toss all ingredients together well. 

For each serving:
1 or 2 thin slices of souse, cut into small pieces
1 or 2 thin slices Emmentaler cheese (Swiss cheese),** cut or torn into small pieces
1 hard boiled egg, halved 

For the yogurt dressing:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons oil (olive, canola, vegetable or even give extra virgin olive oil a try)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped   
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together well. If the dressing is too thick for you, add a little more oil. If you add more vinegar, you may have to consider adding more honey, but that depends upon your own taste.

* "Handkäse" ("Handkäs" is the common form in Hessen) is one of the specialty dishes of Frankfurt-am-Main in Hessen, where it is served in a dressing of cider vinegar, oil, hard apple cider, pepper, caraway seed and chopped onion, and called, "Handkäs mit Musik" (Hand Cheese with Music). It is "traditionally" accompanied with a glass of hard apple cider (in standard German called "Apfelwein," but called "Ebbelwoi" in the Hessian dialect of Frankfurt). "Handkäse" is not exclusive to Frankfurt, but rather it is common in other parts of Hessen as well. And I'm sure you're hanging by your thumbs wondering what the "with music" means. Well, there are two stories tied to the meaning, the most prominent of the two, but perhaps not originally the meaning, has to do with the onions causing intestinal gas; thus, "music," if you get my drift. This led to a little joke when people from outside of Frankfurt or Hessen would ask, "What and where is the music?" The standard answer became, "Die Musik kommt später" (The music comes later). The other story is that the oil and vinegar were kept in glass bottles for the person to pour on the desired amount of each. The bottles clinked together; thus, "music." When I've had "Handkäs mit Musik" in Frankfurt, it was always served that way, with the oil and vinegar bottles brought to the table with the onion topped hand cheese.

** In the U.S., "Swiss cheese" is the type of cheese in Switzerland and German cultural areas in Europe called "Emmentaler," after the area of its origin; the Emme River Valley (German: Emmental), near the city of Bern.

WORD HISTORY:
Shift-This word is distantly related to the verb "shed" ("to give off something, to get rid of something"), a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "skei(t)," which had the notion, "to cut, to cut off, to separate (from)." This gave Old Germanic "skiftjanan," meaning, "to put into order by separating, to arrange." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sciftan," meaning, "to separate, to divide up, to arrange, to place in order." This then became "schiften," then "shiften," before the modern version. The meaning, "to move from one place to another," as in, "The corporation will shift its headquarters from Dallas to Denver," came from the idea of "arranging, allotting" (but actually "rearranging, reallocating"). It also took on the meaning, "to be able to take care of oneself," as in the expression, "shift for oneself," perhaps from the idea of "to keep one's life in order?" The noun developed from the verb circa 1300 and with numerous meanings, including "a set time for work;" as in, "I work the day shift from 7 until 3," and this meaning seems to date back in time, as it is also in some other Germanic languages, and it remains as a primary noun meaning in English, along with "movement, change," as in "a shift in public opinion." Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has the verb "schichten" (to stack, to layer), which was borrowed from Low German and the noun "Schicht" (a level, a layer, and also, a group of people doing the same general work during a given period of time, also sometimes rendered as "Schichtarbeit;" that is, "shift work"), Low German has the verb "opschichten" (to stack up, to build up; the base word was once spelled "schiften"^), West Frisian has the noun "skift" (classification, category), Dutch has the verb "schiften" (to divide or stratify), Danish has the noun "skifte" (a change over) and the verb "skifte" (to alternate, to exchange), Norwegian has the noun "skifte" (a change or turn) and the verb "skifte" (to switch or change), Icelandic has the verb "skipta" (to divide up, to switch or exchange), Swedish has the verb "skifta" (to change, to shift, to divide) and the noun "skift" (set working period).  

^ While I'm uncertain of this, when German borrowed the word from Low German, it "seems" the standard German spelling and pronunciation as "schichten" may have eventually transferred to Low German; thus, no "f" in modern Low German and modern standard German. 

Pistachio Smoothie

Smoothies have become quite popular in many countries during the last couple of decades. This is a great one, especially if you like pistachio nuts and it's super easy to make.


Ingredients (3 to 5 servings, depending upon glass size):

1 cup roasted pistachio nuts (I buy the already shelled pistachios)
3 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 cup ice cubes or about 3/4 cup crushed ice

Put the pistachios into your blender and grind them until they finely ground. Make sure to stop the blender a couple of times and scrape the sides down to make sure all of the pistachios are ground. Add the yogurt and the turmeric, then add the water (I rinsed the measuring cup I'd used for the yogurt with the water). Add the ice and blend until everything is well mixed and there is some froth.  

WORD HISTORY:
Froth-This word has a shaky distant history, as it presumably is of Germanic origin, but its relatives are all from just North Germanic, not the broader Germanic languages, nor even more specifically West Germanic, as English is a West Germanic language. Old English had "afreoðan" ('ð' essentially equals, 'th'), which meant, "to froth," and also, Old English "freoðan." If other West Germanic languages had a form of the word, I would likely say that this Old English form was taken by the Anglo-Saxons when they left the Continent on their way to founding England, but I've not found such West Germanic forms, nor even one such form. It could be a North Germanic creation, which then was taken to England by Old Norse speakers who periodically raided along the English coast, and who then began to even settle in parts of England. Anyway, the Old English verb, with reinforcement from the Old Norse form "froða," likely spawned the modern English noun "froth" (once also spelled "frooth" and "frothe," with the ending "e" pronounced "eh/ah") by the late 1200s, which also became a verb ("frothen") by the second half of the 1300s. The word is often also used as an adjective as "frothy." Other related forms are only in North Germanic: Danish "fraade," Swedish "fradga," Icelandic "froða" ("foam").

Turkish Beyti Kebab

Kebabs are a common type of food for Turkish people. Kebabs are often grilled or baked on skewers, or sometimes they are just cooked as patties, with various meats, seafood or vegetables (or a combination of these). I couldn't find any good sources for the history of this type of kebab, "Beyti" (pronounced as if, "bay-ty"), with some saying it dates back to the days of the Ottoman Empire, but it then was revived in the 1960s, in Istanbul, while others seem to feel it was invented in the 1960s in Istanbul. Turkey's capital of Istanbul is certainly a common tie to the differing opinions. 

Ingredients (for 6 kebabs):

Kebabs:
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon serrano or jalapeño chili, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
6 flour tortillas, the 6 inch type
melted butter for brushing
bell pepper (red, orange, yellow or green), baked, grilled or fried, cut into strips (or you can use store bought roasted peppers) 
Greek-style plain yogurt (about 1 cup)

Tomato Sauce:
1  15 ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup fresh tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a bowl, mix the lamb, onion, chili pepper, black pepper, cumin, coriander, breadcrumbs, salt and milk. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. For the sauce: In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and let cook about about 2 minutes, then add the garlic and chopped tomatoes. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the tomato sauce and cook until the mixtures begins to bubble. Reduce heat to low and add the dried mint. Cook for about 2 minutes. For the meat: Roll the meat mixture into sausages of about 1 inch wide, 5 1/2 inches long and one inch deep. If you want to put the meat on skewers for grilling, you can soak wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes, or use metal skewers, and put the meat onto the skewers. Grill, turning occasionally to make sure the meat cooks evenly. Otherwise, heat the oven to 350 F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Arrange the meat on the sheet (no skewers needed). Bake until totally cooked through, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Wrap each kebab in a tortilla, and brush with melted butter. Place seam side down and cut each wrapped kabab into three  pieces. On a platter, put about a cup of plain Greek-style yogurt in the center. Arrange the kebab pieces around the yogurt. Spoon the tomato sauce over the kebab pieces. Scatter the pepper strips over the top of the kebabs, or serve in a separate dish on the side. For individual servings, place pieces of kebab on a plate, add a couple tablespoons of yogurt to one side and spoon some tomato sauce over the kebabs. Add the pepper strips.


I made an individual serving, with a few pieces of kebab covered in sauce, and with some pepper strips and yogurt to the side of the plate

WORD HISTORY:
Kebab-This word, also spelled, "kabob," "kebob," along with some others, has an uncertain distant history. It seems to go back to transliterated Afro-Asiatic "kahbah," which meant, "to burn, to roast, to cook." This "apparently" gave a similar form to its offspring, "Semitic," ^ which was passed to Aramaic, one of the Semitic languages, which was a common language long ago, as transliterated  "kahbaba" (?), meaning "burn(ing), (roast(ing), char(ring)." This gave Arabic transliterated "kabab," meaning, "cooked/roasted meat," which was borrowed into Turkish as "kebap." Borrowed by English in the latter part of the 1700s from Arabic, with reinforcement from Turkish.  

^ Semitic is a language family centered in the Middle East. The most common modern Semitic languages are Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew and Tigrinya. Arabic and Hebrew are commonly known in much of Europe and North America, but Amharic is spoken in a large part of Ethiopia. Tigrinya is also spoken in parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea, another East African nation. Aramaic, also a Semitic language, was once fairly widespread in part of the Middle East, but it receded with the spread of  Arabic. 

Greek Tzatziki & Turkish Cacik: A Sauce & Dip

Greek "tzatziki" (pronounced as if, "taht-zeekee") and Turkish "cacik" (pronounced as if, "jaw-juk") are really the same thing, a dip or a sauce, typically for use with grilled meat, with gyros or with sliced vegetables and pita bread. Other cultures in the eastern Mediterranean and the greater Middle East have similar recipes. The dish is quick and easy to make, although you can salt the cucumber first to draw out some of the liquid, if you'd like. I must have looked at 25 to 30 recipes, from both Greek and Turkish sources, and there were not great differences, but I've put the "basic recipe," and then the more notable variations below that. The Turks seemingly "tend" to use mint and olive oil more often, sometimes in combination with dill, but I also found Turkish recipes essentially like the basic recipe. A few recipes used vinegar in place of lemon juice, but only a few.       

Ingredients:

Basic recipe

2 cups plain Greek yogurt
3 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
1 1/4 cup seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper pepper
(Optional) 1 or 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil mixed in, or drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top

Combine all ingredients, mix well. Best when chilled for at least a couple of hours, but not mandatory. 

Variation:

To the basic recipe add: 2 tablespoons dried mint, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, in which case you can omit the dill completely, or reduce the amount of dill to 2 teaspoons

Top photo with the basic recipe/bottom photo with mint and olive oil/fresh mint leave for garnish

WORD HISTORY:
Psyche-This word, related to a number of words borrowed by English, including "psychosis" and "psychic," goes back to Indo European "bhes," which had the notion, "to breathe, to blow." This gave Ancient Greek the transliterated "psykhein," with the same meaning, but also, by extension, "to cool down, to refresh or rejuvenate." This then gave Greek the transliterated noun "psykhe," meaning, "the mind, spirit, life force, breath." This was borrowed by Latin as "psyche," and English borrowed the word from Latin in the mid 1600s. The idea of  "a person's thought process, behavior, character," all developed in psychological study by the early part of the 20th Century.  

Yogurt Drinks of the Indian Subcontinent, Part 4 of 4

Here are two more sweet lassis, including the very popular "mango lassi." 

Mango Lassi-This is a very popular sweet lassi, also called a "smoothie" in restaurants or specialty beverage shops in the U.S. There are also commercially bottled versions of mango lassi. How many brands are there? I have no idea, as I "tend" to prefer freshly made foods, but I did buy a bottled mango lassi recently at a South Asian shop. I guess it was maybe ten ounces, but it was far too sweet for me.

Ingredients for 4 servings or 2 large servings:

1 cup plain thick yogurt
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon or more honey (see below)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup milk
2/3 cup mango (fresh chopped or canned)
ice cubes

If you want to use fresh mangoes, you need well ripened mangoes. In this case too, you will likely want to add more honey, probably at least 1 tablespoon, but that's a matter of personal taste. Lately, I must admit that I've cheated... I mean, I've chosen a streamlined way; that is, canned mangoes, which usually come in a sweet syrup. If you use canned mangoes, you can reduce the amount of honey, but instead, use a little of the syrup, according to how sweet you want the lassi. You can add a little sprinkle of ground cardamom on top. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend for about 30 to 45 seconds, or until smooth.

Turmeric Lassi

Ingredients per large serving:

2/3 cup plain thick yogurt
1 banana (chilled, lightly frozen)
2/3 cup cold water
3 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
2 tablespoons honey
couple of ice cubes

The banana should be peeled and put into the freezer for about 10-12 minutes. Put all ingredients, including ice cubes, into a blender and blend for about 45 to 60 seconds, or until the banana and ice cubes are broken up and mixed in. You can sprinkle a little turmeric on top, as I've done in the photo.

WORD HISTORY: 
Mango-The ultimate origin of this word is uncertain, although it goes back to Tamil, a Dravidian language of southern Asia, especially from parts of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. The transliterated Tamil form, "mankay" (like, "main-kay"), meaning, "fruit of the mango tree."This was borrowed into Malay, a language of the Austronesian language family (which includes Tagalog/Filipino, one of the major languages of the Philippines), as "mangga," meaning, "mango." This was then borrowed by Portuguese^ as "manga," and English borrowed the word from Portuguese in the late 1500s, although its use became more common somewhat later, as the English planted mango trees in some of their tropical possessions in the New World.

^ The Portuguese were great explorers long ago, a fact sometimes forgotten, and they controlled East Timor, then called "Portuguese Timor," from the 1500s until 1975. It then became part of Indonesia, before gaining independence in 2002.  

Azerbaijani Herb, Yogurt & Rice Soup: Dovga

Azerbaijan is a country of about 10 million people located in the Caucasus region just north of Iran. Its capital is Baku. The primary language is Azerbaijani, one of the Turkic languages. It was part of both the former Russian (Tsarist) Empire and of the former Soviet Union. Azerbaijan is pronounced as if, "awzer-buy-zhawn." I can happily say I have met an Azerbaijani, a man who was attending one of the universities here in Cleveland.

This is a tangy soup, which can be served hot or cold.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice
1 2/3 cups water, more, if needed (for rice, more, see below)
1 beaten egg
2 1/2 cups thick yogurt (Greek or Indian style)
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped spinach
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (to your taste)

Rinse and drain the herbs, remove any big stems, then chop the herbs, set them aside. Add the rice and the 1 2/3 cup of water to a pan (I actually used a large skillet). Cook over medium heat, uncovered, until the rice is tender. If you need to add a little more water to finish cooking the rice, do so. Let the rice cool down, then add the well beaten egg and stir it into the rice (if the rice is still hot, it will cook the egg). Stir in the yogurt a little at a time, until it is all mixed well with the rice. Add 2 1//2 cups water, over low heat, bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the herbs and mix well, cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and then add salt.

Click to enlarge

WORD HISTORY:
Patent-This word is distantly related to "fathom," a word from the Germanic roots of English, and to "pace," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English. "Patent" goes back to Indo European "pethe," which meant, "to spread open, to spread out." This gave Latin the verb "patere,"  which meant, "to be open, to lie open;" thus also, "to be evident/obvious, accessible." Its present participial form, "patens," was used as an adjective to mean, "open, lying open," and it became part of the expression, "litterae patentes," meaning, "letters lying open (for public view);" thus, the use of letters (documents) to grant certain privileges. The "patentes/patens" form became a noun in its own right, and it was passed to Latin-based Old French as both a noun and as an adjective as "patente," along with the expression, "lettre patent." English borrowed the word in the second half of the 1300s.

Yogurt Drinks of the Indian Subcontinent, Part 3 of 4

This is what some term "a sweet lassi."  It is not quite as thick as some other lassi drinks.

Mint Lassi (Borhani), for 2 large servings or 3 or 4 smaller servings

2 cups thick yogurt
2 cups water
1/4 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chopped green chili pepper (serrano or jalapeño, is fine)
2 tablespoons ground black salt (see note below)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Blend all ingredients for about 45 seconds. You can always put a couple of ice cubes in the blender to chill the drink. NOTE: About the black salt called for in the one recipe, there are a couple types of black salt you might find in large supermarkets, spice stores or, certainly, in Indian or Pakistani grocery stores: one is truly black in color, which often comes from Hawaii. The Hawaiian black salt I have is in small pieces that are about half the size of caraway seeds. I put whatever amount I want on a completely dry paper towel or napkin, then I fold the towel over and smack it with a meat mallet. I also have the type from the Indian subcontinent, which is already in powdered form, with some larger pieces of salt mixed in. It is like a pink or light purple color. Black salt has a sulfur smell to it.

Butter Lassi (Makhaniya lassi)

This is a rich drink, although you can always thin it out by reducing the yogurt amount somewhat and replacing it with milk.

2/3 cup thick yogurt
1/3 cup milk
several saffron threads in 2 tablespoons warm water
2/3 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter (technically should be unsalted butter, but I won't tell if you use salted butter)
ice cubes

Blend all ingredients, except butter, for 30 seconds. Pour into a glass, add butter on top. The ice cubes should be blended with the ingredients too, to chill the drink.

WORD HISTORY: 
Blend-This word, related to other Germanic words "blind" and "blond," goes back to Indo European "bhel," with the idea of, "to shine, to be bright, to be light in color." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "blandanan," which meant, "to make light in color, to make cloudy/murky;" thus also, "to mix (to make something light or cloudy)." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "blandan" (also the prefixed form, "geblandan"), which meant, "to mix, to blend;" thus also, "to mingle." Further, Old Norse, another Germanic language, was brought to eastern and northern areas of England by people collectively called "Danes" by the English, although they were not all from Denmark, and they brought their form of the same word (with the same general meaning), as "blanda." Together these became "blenden," before the modern version. The noun came from the verb in the mid 1800s. Several related forms in the other Germanic languages have died out, but German has "Blendling" (noun meaning, "mongrel," but now a bit outdated); Danish and Norwegian have "blande" (verb) and "blanding" (noun); Icelandic "blanda" (same form for both verb and noun ), but also "blendingr" (meaning "mixture, hybrid"); Swedish "blanda" (verb) and "blandning" (noun). 

Yogurt Drinks of the Indian Subcontinent, Part 2 of 4

What the people of the Indian subcontinent call "buttermilk," is not exactly the same as in much of the rest of the world. It is yogurt that has much of the butterfat removed by churning or by filtering yogurt through cheesecloth or muslin, so it is low fat. About the black salt called for in the one recipe, there are a couple types of black salt you might find in large supermarkets, spice stores or, certainly, in Indian or Pakistani grocery stores: one is truly black in color, which often comes from Hawaii. The Hawaiian black salt I have is in small pieces that are about half the size of caraway seeds. I put whatever amount I want on a completely dry paper towel or napkin, then I fold the towel over and smack it with a meat mallet. I also have the type from the Indian Subcontinent, which is already in powdered form, with some larger pieces of salt mixed in. It is like a pink or light purple color. Black salt has a sulfur smell to it. Chaat masala is a blend of ground spices, including black salt, available in some supermarkets, but definitely available in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores. Ground curry leaves are not the same thing as "curry powder." They are used in South Asian cooking, especially in southern India and in Sri Lanka. The leaves are typically heated before use. They are not easily found, although areas with southern Indian or Sri Lankan communities are likely to have them. You may find the ground leaves much easier. They are used as a spice. By the way, "curry powder" is a spice blend of various and numerous spices. There is no set recipe, as the choice of spices to be included is a matter of  personal preference. 

Excellent hot weather drink, but good any time of year.

Salted Buttermilk/Chaas-This drink is more common in the north. You can do this in either of two ways: use 1 cup of low fat buttermilk, then add a scant tablespoon of thick yogurt. OR, you can use 1/4 cup thick yogurt mixed with 3/4 cup cold water. You can adjust the measurements somewhat to make the drink to the thickness you wish. The people of the Indian subcontinent "tend" to drink this more on the thinner side.

Ingredients, besides the liquid component:

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon powered black salt or regular salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin + small pinch for garnishing
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
small ice cubes or crushed ice
1 to 2 mint leaves, torn

Put the liquid component into a blender. Add the black salt, the 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and the chaat masala. Blend briefly until the drink is a bit foamy/frothy. Pour over some ice cubes in a glass, sprinkle a pinch of ground cumin on top, as well as the torn mint leaves.

Buttermilk of Southern India/Neer Mor-As with the first recipe, choose your liquid component. Then, for the other ingredients:

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 serrano chili, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon ground curry leaves 

Put liquid component, ginger, lemon juice chili pepper, salt, cilantro, and chaat masala into a blender. Heat oil and then add mustard seeds until they begin to "pop." Add mustard seed/oil to blender. Blend about 30 seconds.

WORD HISTORY:
Carp-This is the noun for the fish (the verb is from a different source). "Carp" is from the Goths, whose Gothic language is classified as East Germanic, the last elements of which died out in the 1700s in the Crimea. Gothic had "karpa" for the name of the fish. Latin borrowed the word as "carpa" which it passed on to Latin-based Old French as "carpe." English borrowed the word in the second half of the 1300s, with the Latin form seemingly gaining a foothold, but then heavily reinforced by French.

Yogurt Drinks of the Indian Subcontinent, Part 1 of 4

A "lassi" * is a yogurt based drink of the Indian Subcontinent, seemingly developed in the Punjab region, a region of northern India and eastern Pakistan, but the drink spread to other parts of the subcontinent. The hot climate is ideal for these refreshing drinks, which often have ice cubes added to chill them well. There are several varieties, with the most basic being "Salted Lassi." The lassi goes well back in history, as long ago as 500 to 1000 BC, or perhaps even longer. Today, blenders or stick blenders are often used to give a lassi some froth. I'm going to do this as a multi-part article, with a couple of different recipes in each part. Besides being good, and being good for you, lassis are easy to make. There is also the use of yogurt based buttermilk on the Indian subcontinent, with "neer mor" being a spiced buttermilk drink of southern India, with "Chaas" being the term used more in the north, including in Pakistan and as "ghol" in the Bengali region of India and Bangladesh.

Salt(ed) Lassi-3/4 cup plain thick yogurt (Indian or Greek), 1/4 cup cold water, 1/3 teaspoon salt, a good pinch of ground cumin. Ice cubes for serving. Put the yogurt, the water, the salt and the cumin into a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds. There should be a nice foam topping. Pour over ice cubes in a glass.

* Usually pronounced in English like the name of the famous dog, "Lassie," but in Hindi and Urdu, it has a short "a," as in "father," and emphasis is on the second part of the word, as if, "lah-SEE." Hindi and Urdu are Indo European languages from the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo European. They are related to English, but further down the family tree. 

Saffron Lassi: This is a much richer drink: 3/4 cup plain thick yogurt (Indian or Greek style), 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, a good pinch of saffron strands soaked in two tablespoons of warm milk, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 or 2 tablespoons heavy cream, tablespoon crushed pistachios, 3 or 4 raisins, couple of ice cubes. Add the yogurt, milk, cardamom, saffron milk, honey and salt to a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds. Pour over a couple of ice cubes in a glass. Add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream on top, then sprinkle on the pistachios and raisins. 

WORD HISTORY: 
Pistachio-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, but it goes back to transliterated Persian "pisteh," which was the name for the nut and for the tree. This was borrowed by Greek as transliterated "pistakion" ("pistake" for the tree), which was borrowed by Latin as "pistacium" ("pistachio nut"), which was passed onto Italian as "pistacchio," which was borrowed by French from Italian as "pistace," in the 1300s. English borrowed the word from French circa 1500, but then about one hundred years later English borrowed the Italian form, with the minor spelling adjustment to "pistachio," and this form prevailed.

Indian Potato Salad (Batata Nu Raita)

This is a "raita" from the Indian "Gujarat" region, in western India. A "raita" on the Indian subcontinent is a salad or side dish of yogurt with other ingredients mixed in. I did a cucumber raita article awhile ago: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/03/raita-to-cool-heat-of-spicy-indian.html

We Americans use the terms "yogurt," for the bacteria thickened dairy product, and "cilantro," for the herb; that is, the leaves of the coriander plant, similar in looks to parsley (they are related). British English often uses "curd" and "green coriander," or sometimes just "coriander" for these terms, respectively. Americans use "coriander" for the spice from the plant; that is, the seeds and the ground seeds. British usage naturally became part of the Indian English of the Indian subcontinent. One time, decades ago, a German friend of mine, Manfred, managed a small hotel in downtown Frankfurt, near the train station. An Indian man was staying at the hotel and he asked Manfred, who was pretty good with English, if the hotel had "curd." Well, Frankfurt was in the American Zone, and there were Americans everywhere, including thousands of American troops back then (the Cold War era). Manfred knew American English. Hahahaha! Hey, why am I laughing? When he asked me what "curd" meant, I didn't know what the hell it meant either! I thought it meant cottage cheese! Manfred had to get out his dictionary. I've never forgotten that. By the way, German uses "Joghurt" for the word, pronounced very similarly to English (but kind of like 'yo-gore-t'), as the "J" is pronounced like English "y" (all German nouns are capitalized; thus, "J").

Ingredients:

2 or 3 potatoes, about 12 ounces, total (see instructions, below)
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 2/3 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (like cayenne)
1 1/4 cup plain thick yogurt
1 heaping tablespoon chopped cilantro (green coriander)

Add the yogurt to a serving bowl and let it warm toward room temperature while you prepare the potatoes. Wash the potatoes, then poke them a couple of times with a knife. Microwave the potatoes in their skins until they are cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes (or they can be microwaved well in advance), then peel them and cut them into bite sized pieces. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds or ground cumin first, and then add the potatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, mix briefly. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring and turning the potatoes, then empty the potato mixture, oil and all, into the yogurt. Gently mix the potatoes into the yogurt to coat them. Sprinkle the cilantro on top.

WORD HISTORY:
Draft/Draught-"Draft" is simply a spelling variation of "draught." This word, closely related to "draw" and "drag," goes back to Indo European "dhragh," which had the notion of "to pull." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "dragan(an)," with the same meaning. This produced the Old Germanic spin off "drahtis/drahtiz," which meant "carrying, bearing, pulling." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "draeht," with the "pulling" meaning. This later became "draught" (the "gh" was pronounced back then) and the word took on a variety of meanings over time related in some way to the notion of "pulling": "pulling" (especially for animals; thus "draught animals"), designing by drawing (that is; "dragging a writing instrument across paper or other surface"), air being "drawn" in through an opening (as in, "Close the door, there's a draught/draft in here."), beer "drawn" from a keg, money "drawn" from an account, people "drawn" in to perform a task (including in American English "military conscription"). The spelling "draft" began to increase as the pronunciation of the word changed with the "gh" gradually taking on an "f" sound. Its closest other Germanic relatives include German "Tracht" (wearing apparel, uniform, now commonly 'traditional old-style regional costume;' that is, clothing is something we "bear," "carry" on us), Low German "Dracht" (same meaning as standard German), Dutch "dracht" (apparel, wear (the noun, as in, "winter wear"), pregnancy ["bearing/carrying" a child, West Frisian has the related "drachtich" and German has "trächtig"], and also the same meaning as German; that is, "traditional costume," Danish "dragt" (costume, apparel), Swedish "dräkt" (apparel, costume), Norwegian "drakt" (costume, but word not commonly used?). I could not find a form in Icelandic and "apparently" West Frisian still only uses the "drachtich" form for "pregnant."

Cucumber Soup, Excellent for Warm Days

A GREAT soup for warm weather and easy to make .... The chopped radish gives it a little crunch. 

Ingredients:

2 seedless cucumbers, chopped
16 ounces plain low fat yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 green onions with as much of the green as possible, chopped 
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh dill
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil + more for garnish
3 or 4 radishes, chopped

Since the ingredients will be blended, they do not need some kind of uniform chopping. Blend ingredients, except for radishes, until smooth. Chill soup for several hours. Garnish each serving with some chopped radish and a drizzle of olive oil.

WORD HISTORY:
Yogurt-This word's ultimate origin is unknown, but it goes back Turkic ^ "jogurt," which had the meaning, "thickened or condensed milk." This later gave Turkish, "yoghurt," meaning, "milk fermented by addition of certain bacteria," which was borrowed into English in the early 1600s. 

 ^ Turkic is a language family just like Indo European (Indo European is the ancient ancestor of English). Linguists generally use a "family tree" setup in classifying languages, and Turkic has several branches, as does Indo European, with English belonging to the Germanic branch. Turkic also has languages in northeastern Asia. The Turkic-speaking Bulgars were a group that entered southeastern Europe, mixed with other people and became the modern Bulgarians, but a form of Slavic gradually replaced their own Bulgar language by about 1400. Bulgar is now extinct, as is Hunnic, the language of the famous Huns, which were also a Turkic speaking people. "Turkish," should not be confused with "Turkic," as "Turkish" is the language of the people of Turkey, and it is one of many "Turkic" languages.  

The Kitchen Sink Veggie Drink

For non English speakers, the title refers to a common expression, "everything, but (or some say, except) the kitchen sink," which means, "EVERYTHING," or, "a bit of everything."

Ingredients (4 servings):

32 ounces of plain low fat yogurt
5 radishes
1 carrot
1/2 red bell pepper
1 stalk celery (cut so you can take the strings out)
1 tomato (I actually used about 8 to 10 grape tomatoes)
1 chili pepper (if you like a little heat, I used a serrano chili and it did not overwhelm with heat)
5 garlic cloves
3 green onions (use the green, unless it is dried out)
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 handful kale or baby kale
1 handful spinach leaves
1 handful beet greens *
3 inch piece seedless cucumber
2 stems of fresh mint, stems and leaves
1 handful fresh parsley, stems and leaves
1 inch piece of ginger, aka, ginger root, peeled 

Rinse the veggies and herbs well. No need to chop, chop, chop; just put them into a blender whole, or cut into pieces so they will fit. Add all of the ingredients to the blender and blend until you have a smooth mixture, although you will likely still have to chew the veggie bits. Of course, it might just be my cheap ass... ah... my cost efficient blender.   

* For my article on roasted beets, here is the link, they are excellent:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/06/roasted-beets.html 

WORD HISTORY: 
Vegetable-This word, distantly related to "vigor" (British spelling: vigour), "watch," and "wake,"^ goes back to Indo European "weg/wek," which had the notion, "to be active, to be lively." This gave Latin "vegere," with the same general meaning; thus also, "to excite, to cause to move about." This produced the adjective "vegetus," meaning, "active, lively." This then produced the verb "vegetare," meaning, "to invigorate, to stimulate, to enliven." This produced the Latin adjective "vegetabilis," meaning, "having the capability to grow, be growing (that is, 'be alive')." This carried into Old French, a Latin-based language, as "vegetable," meaning, "growing, living," gradually with this applying to plants in general. English borrowed the adjective circa 1400, and from this developed the noun of the same spelling, but also applying to plants of any type. It took until about the mid 1700s for the noun to gradually be used for "certain plants bearing edible produce (thus also, that edible produce of certain plants)."  

^ "Vigor" (vigour) is not a native English word, but rather it is a Latin derived word borrowed by English from French, but both "watch" and "wake" are English words, going back to Old Germanic. The reason I say the words are distantly related, is that the original relationship goes back to Indo European.

Indian Vegetable & Yogurt Salad: Raita

"Raita" (pronounced as if, "rite-ah") is a common refreshing salad side dish in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is often served to "cool" the palate and stomach after spicy dishes have been eaten. The main ingredient in a raita recipe is yogurt, with various vegetables or fruits, plus often some herbs, spices or other seasonings like onion and garlic added. This recipe below is a vegetable raita, but there are a multitude of variations in the Indian Subcontinent. 

Ingredients:

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup seedless cucumber, chopped
2 green onions, chopped (including green)
1 tablespoon carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon coriander leaves

Stir the yogurt well so that it is smooth and not clumped together. Typically, the cucumber is peeled, but I leave a couple of little strips of the peel on, but I wash the cucumber well before doing so. Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Chill the raita before serving.

WORD HISTORY:
Bangladesh (Bengal)-This name for the country founded in 1971 from then East Pakistan literally means "Land of Bengal." It is a compound, with the origins of the "bangla" part "perhaps" being from the name of an ancient god, and in Bengali "bang(a)la," and meant, "Bengal," the region.^ The "desh" part goes back to Indo-Iranian and Sanskrit ^^ "desha," which meant, "part, land, region, nation."

^ Bengali is a language from the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo European languages; as such, it is related to English, German, Dutch and others from the Germanic branch of Indo European.

^^  Sanskrit is an ancient language from the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo European. It is still in use to some degree, especially in India. 

Turkish Meatballs & Yogurt Sauce (Köfte)

The Turkish name for these, Köfte, pronounced sort of, "kuftah," simply means "meatball." Ingredients can vary somewhat from place to place in Turkey, and beef is not uncommonly used. You can increase the amount of chili pepper or cayenne for more heat, but the amount I show below should not scorch anyone's mouth. Notice there is no egg, although I saw a few recipes which included egg, but they "seemed" to be from non Turkish cooks. The yogurt sauce can be made well in advance, even the day before, and it should be chilled for at least a couple of hours, in any case. The time will allow the flavors to blend, so make the yogurt sauce first.  

Ingredient (about 10 meatballs):

1 pound ground lamb
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (Panko are great, they're coarse)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground sumac (optional) *
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon hot chili pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves

The Yogurt Sauce: 
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped mint (can be fresh or dried)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of freshly ground black pepper

For the yogurt:
Combine the ingredients in a bowl, cover and chill for a minimum of a couple of hours, preferably longer.

For the meatballs:
Preheat oven to 350 (F). Line a baking sheet or shallow pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil (this will make clean up much easier). In a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix just until all are mixed in. Roll heaping tablespoons of the mixture into meatballs. Allow a little space between the meatballs. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, by which time the outsides should be a "little crispy," but the insides will be tender. Just to be safe, as all ovens are not the same, check the meatballs after 35 minutes, then judge how much longer they may need for the level of "crispness" you like. Leaving them unchecked for the entire 45 minutes may dry them out. I used the entire 45 minutes and they were wonderful, but I did check them at 35 minutes, then again at 40 minutes. 

* This type of sumac is not the poisonous variety we think of in the United States and Canada, although it is from the same overall plant family. This spice, from the plant's berries, is deep red in color, with a tangy, sort of lemony flavor; in fact, if you don't have it, or don't have access to buy it easily, you can just leave it out, or I found some recipes mention substituting a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or a teaspoon of grated lemon peel. I had some sumac, so I used it. 

WORD HISTORY:
Turk/Turkey-The Turks speak what linguists believe is a language unrelated to English, coming from the Turkic language family. There has been disagreement about this family of languages from central Asia, and its ties or non ties to the Altaic languages, also from central Asia. Anyhow, ancient Chinese used the term "tu-kin" for the people living in the area of the Altai Mountains (thus "Altaic" for that language family), but whether "tu-kin" is the ancestor of "Turk," is seemingly an open question. Did these people adopt a variant form for themselves, or did Chinese get the term from these people? Whatever the truth, it seems that Greek picked up "Tourkos," perhaps from Persian "turk." ^ Latin picked up the word from Greek as "Turcus," and this passed into French as "Turc." English got the word from French during the 1200s or 1300s. The national name, "Turkey," came into use during the 1300s, from Latin "Turchia." ^^

^ Persian is an Indo European language related to English, but much, much further down the family tree.

^^  The English word for the bird we Americans think of for Thanksgiving, came from a shortening of "Turkey hen/Turkey cock," as there was a similar bird brought into Europe by the Portuguese, imported by way of Turkey; thus the name came to be applied to the bird. As for people called a "turkey," ahh.... I'll leave that alone!