Bialy; MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD; AMERICAN HOME COOKING

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

BIALY

"Of course, they also think 'bialy' is a breed of dog, so I guess it's
hopeless"
--Evan Morris, WORD DETECTIVE column (see below; the column also has "whinge")

THE BIALY EATERS:
THE STORY OF A BREAD AND A LOST WORLD
by Mimi Sheraton
160 pages, hardcover, $19.95
Broadway Books, NY, 2000

     Mimi Sheraton (former NEW YORK TIMES food person) traveled to Israel,
Paris, Austin, Chicago, Buenos Aires, New York's Lower East Side, and even
Bialystock in search of bialys.
     There's more oral history here than actual etymology.
     A bibliography is on pages 159-160.  Mimi didn't check out that classic
publication (featured in the NEW YORK TIMES) called THE JEWISH BAKERS' VOICE.
    I didn't entirely check it out, either.  It was entirely in Yiddish
before the publication split to half-English.

--------------------------------------------------------
A NEW BOOK OF MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD
by Claudia Roden
513 pages, hardcover, $35
Alfred A. Knopf, NY, 1968, 1972, 1985, 2000

     Has the OED checked it out?  There are many "M" entries, such as
_Mahshi_ and _Mishmishiya_.
     For example, pg. 97, col. 1:

     _Megadarra_
_Brown Lentils and Rice with Carmelized Onions_
Serves 4-6 . _Megadarra_ is immensely popular in Egypt, as it is all overthe
Arab world (elsewhere it is pronounced _mujadra_ and sometimes called
_mudardara_).  It is a modern version of a medieval dish called _mujadarra_,
described by al-Baghdadi (see appendix) as a dish of the poor, and still
referred to as Esau's favorite.

     Or try pg. 255, col. 1:

     _Mishmishiya_
_Tagine of Lamb with Apricots_
Serves 6-8 . The dish derives its name from the Arabic word for
apricot--_mishmish_.  Only a tart natural--not sweetened--dried or semi-dried
variety will do.

--------------------------------------------------------
AMERICAN HOME COOKING
by Chaeryl Alters Jamison & Bill Jamison
470 pages, hardcover, $35
Broadway Books, NY, 1999

     Some etymologies are here, along with the recipes (of course).
     From pg. 29:

_Tex-Mex Migas_
Migas may have evolved from Mexican _chilaquiles_, but it became a scrambled
egg dish only north of the border.  The name derives from the Spanish word
for crumbs, a reference to the tortilla chips that provide a distinctive
flavor and texture.  Serve the savory concoction with warm flour tortillas.

("Migas" in OED?--ed.)

-------------- next part --------------
An embedded message was scrubbed...
From: Evan Morris <words1 at word-detective.com>
Subject: The Word Detective, October 30 through November 10, 2000
Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 14:55:25 -0400
Size: 14185
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/attachments/20001022/750fb351/attachment.eml>