{"id":55518,"date":"2022-08-01T11:38:28","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T16:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=55518"},"modified":"2022-08-01T12:02:30","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T17:02:30","slug":"ajvar-and-caviar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=55518","title":{"rendered":"Ajvar and caviar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many of us first learned about the Balkan red pepper sauce \/ relish \/ spread called \"ajvar<\/a>\" in this post:\u00a0 \"Bosnian menu<\/a>\" (7\/28\/22).\u00a0 Simplicissimus contributed a nice comment<\/a> in which it was averred that the BCS (Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian) \"word \u2018ajvar\u2019 and the English word \u2018caviar\u2019 both derive from the same etymon, the Ottoman Turkish word \u2018havyar\u2019 (which, in turn, derives from the Persian \u2018x\u00e2vy\u00e2r\u2019) \u2014 now that I think about it, it\u2019s not unimaginable to me that \u2018ajvar\u2019 got its name on account of a vague resemblance to red caviar.\"<\/p>\r\n

Since I was one of those who had not previously heard of ajvar but was quite familiar with caviar, Simplicissimus' remark really piqued my fancy because neither did the two food items in question resemble each other very much (fish roe vs. red pepper sauce), nor was the phonological resemblance that great (thinking especially of the \"c\" at the beginning of \"caviar\" and its absence from \"ajvar\").\u00a0 So I decided to dig more deeply into the relationship between ajvar and caviar.\u00a0 Turns out to a fascinating linguistic, cultural, and culinary story.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

We begin with general and etymological information on ajvar, then will move on to caviar.<\/p>\r\n

Ajvar<\/b> (pronounced<\/a>: \/\u02c8<\/span>a\u026a<\/span>v<\/span>\u0251\u02d0r<\/span>\/<\/a><\/span><\/span>; Cyrillic script<\/a>: Aj\u0432\u0430\u0440, A\u0439\u0432\u0430\u0440) is a condiment<\/a> made principally from sweet bell peppers<\/a> and eggplants<\/a>. The relish became a popular side dish throughout Yugoslavia<\/a> after World War II and is popular in Southeast Europe<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Homemade ajvar is made of roasted peppers. Depending on the capsaicin<\/a> content in bell peppers and the amount of added chili peppers, it can be sweet (traditional), piquant (the most common), or very hot. Ajvar can be consumed as a bread<\/a> spread<\/a> or as a side dish<\/a>. Ajvar has a few variations. One variation contains tomato and eggplant<\/a>. Another is made with green bell peppers and oregano<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n


The name ajvar<\/i> comes from the Turkish<\/a> word havyar<\/i>, which means \"salted roe<\/a>, caviar\" shares an etymology with \"caviar<\/a>\", coming from the Persian<\/a> word \"xaviyar\". Prior to the 20th century, significant local production of caviar occurred on the Danube, with sturgeon<\/a> swimming from the Black Sea up to Belgrade. Domestic ajvar<\/i>, meaning \"caviar,\u201d used to be a very popular dish in Belgrade<\/a> homes and restaurants, but the domestic production of caviar became unsteady in the 1890s because of labor disputes. Eventually a special pepper salad was offered as a substitute in Belgrade restaurants under the name \"red ajvar\" (crveni ajvar<\/i>) or \"Serbian ajvar\" (srpski ajvar<\/i>).<\/p>\r\n

(source<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n

Caviar is much better known to practically anyone who has gustatory pretension or appreciation.<\/p>\r\n

Caviar<\/b> (also known as caviare<\/b>; from Persian<\/a>: \u062e\u0627\u0648\u06cc\u0627\u0631<\/span>, romanized<\/a>:\u00a0<\/small>kh\u00e2vy\u00e2r<\/i><\/span>, lit.<\/a>\u2009<\/small>'egg-bearing') is a food consisting of salt-cured roe<\/a> of the family Acipenseridae<\/a>. Caviar is considered a delicacy<\/a> and is eaten as a garnish<\/a> or a spread<\/a>. Traditionally, the term caviar refers only to roe from wild sturgeon<\/a> in the Caspian Sea<\/a> and Black Sea<\/a> (Beluga<\/a>, Ossetra<\/a> and Sevruga<\/a> caviars). The term caviar can also describe the roe of other species of sturgeon or other fish<\/a> such as salmon<\/a>, steelhead<\/a>, trout<\/a>, lumpfish<\/a>, whitefish<\/a>, or carp<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

(source)<\/p>\r\n

caviar (n.)<\/a><\/div>\r\n

also caviare<\/span>, \"roe of certain large fish, salted and served as food,\" 1550s, from French caviar<\/span> (16c.), from Italian caviaro<\/span> (modern caviale<\/span>) or Turkish khaviar<\/span>, from Persian khaviyar<\/span>, from khaya<\/span> \"egg\" (from Middle Persian khayak<\/span> \"egg,\" from Old Iranian *qvyaka-<\/span>, diminutive of *avya-<\/span>, from PIE *\u014dwyo\u2011, *\u014dyyo\u2011<\/span> \"egg,\" which is perhaps a derivative of the root *awi-<\/a> \"bird\") + dar<\/span> \"bearing.\" The Russian name is ikra<\/span>.<\/p>\r\n

(source<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n

Alteration of earlier caviarie (probably from obsolete Italian caviari, pl. of caviaro) or from French caviare, both from Turkish havyar, from Persian kh\u0101viy\u0101r, probably from a Caspian Iranian dialect variant of Persian kh\u0101ya-d\u0101r, egg-holding (as in m\u0101h\u012b-i kh\u0101ya-d\u0101r, egg-holding fish) : kh\u0101ya, egg (from Middle Persian x\u0101yag; see awi- in Indo-European roots) + -d\u0101r, holder; see zamindar<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n

American<\/span> Heritage<\/span> Dictionary<\/span> of the<\/span> English<\/span> Language,<\/span> 5th ed.<\/span> (<\/span>2016)<\/span><\/div>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Selected readings<\/b><\/p>\r\n

There is little doubt that ajvar was intended to emulate the texture of caviar, since the peppers were originally passed through a meat grinder and reduced to little pieces similar to fish roe.\u00a0 See the richly informative and well illustrated article on ajvar in Philosokitchen<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n