Yvonne
… Is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we have encountered in our reading.
It is hosted by Kathy, over at BermudaOnion’s Weblog.
You can either stop by and leave a link to your own ‘mystery’ words of the week, or just browse the eclectic mix of words that others have discovered, there is always a great selection.
Don’t forget that Kathy and the rest of us, all love to read your comments as well, so that we can visit and share your words of the week!
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These first three words come from a biographical introduction with new fiction author James Lyon, introducing his debut novel ‘Kiss of the Butterfly’. James and fellow blogger Naida, over at ‘The Bookworm’, got to talking food and I just had to know what all these new to me dishes looked like….
SACHERTORTE
In his spare time he likes sailing through the Dalmatian islands and eating Sachertorte in Vienna at the old Habsburg Imperial Court’s Confectionary Bakery, Demel.
SACHERTORTE –
Is a specific type of chocolate cake or torte with apricot jam filling and chocolate icing. Originating from Vienna, Austria, it was invented by Austrian Franz Sacher in 1832 for Prince Wenzel von Metternich.
It is one of the most famous Viennese culinary specialties.
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AJVAR & POGACHA
Tell your husband I’m eating home-made Ajvar from a jar right now as I write and watch him turn green with envy.
AJVAR
… is a Croatian / Serbian roasted eggplant-sweet-pepper mixture, sometimes referred to as vegetarian caviar. It can be mashed or left chunky, depending on personal taste, and served as a relish, vegetable or spread on country-style white bread like pogacha as an appetizer. Its smoky flavor is a great match for grilled or roasted meats, especially lamb.
POGACHA
… is a white bread claimed by Serbians, Croatians and Macedonians. It is similar to Italian Vienna bread in texture and flavor and there are as many recipes for it as there are shapes.
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My next couple of words are from recently completed book ‘The Hapless Valet’ by Lenhardt Stevens.
CRIMPS
Draper thought of the Old Town tour guide’s story of crimps shanghaiing poor souls at the turn of the century
CRIMPS … Shanghaiing refers to the practice of conscripting men as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as crimps. Until 1915, unfree labor was widely used aboard American merchant ships. The related term press gang refers specifically to impressment practices in Great Britain’s Royal Navy.
As Lenhardt has based Draper Burns adventure in his home City of Portland, this great article is very relevant and brings the history of shanghaiing up close and personal.
https://danchristopherphotography.com/blog/?p=1670
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OMNISCIENT
“What an omniscient fellow you are,” the ex-movie star said
OMNISCIENT … Having infinite knowledge or understanding
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I can’t wait to discover what great new words you have all come across this week!
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Now I’m hungry again. When in Vienna, you may purchase Sachertorte at the Hotel Sacher, where it originated. Or you may try one of the many sweet shops or cafes in the city, each of which makes its own Sachertorte. My favorite is Demel, near the old Imperial Palace.
Ajvar is meant to be used as a spread on bread. It is sold in glass jars and consumed in large quantities. I just stocked up on some that I bought from farmers while driving through the countryside in Serbia. They say that the best Ajvar comes from Macedonia, but the home-made type is best, and many people in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia make it. I think the Bulgarians also make it. The further south one goes, the more hot pepper they put in, to make it spicier. My father discovered it several years back when visiting the Balkans, and took to eating it straight from the jar with a spoon.
Pogache…. well, I’ve said enough already. 🙂
Hi James,
Lucky for you it is 7pm, here in the UK and I am just about to go and make dinner, as you have made me really hungry just reading your comments!
The ajvar does sound fantastic, the spicier the better for me and on fresh cut bread it sounds ideal, who needs a cooked meal when that is on offer? It does need to be followed by the sachertorte though, as I do confess to having a very sweet tooth.
I have never visited Austria, although I have made several trips to Switzerland. Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, the only redeeming features about the Swiss cuisine of the Bernese Oberland region, are the scrummy desserts, as their meals are typically very bland, unimaginative and pretty tastless! The scenery is amazing though and more than compensates!
Thanks for tracking the mentions your book gets, it really is working its way up my reading list!
Great to touch base with you again.
Yvonne,
Much of what you said about Swiss food also applies to Austria… including the part about bland, unimaginative food and great deserts.
James
We haven’t visited Switzerland for a few years now, only because of the horrendous prices and terrible exchange rate, apart from that we love the place and given the chance would go back like a shot, bad food notwithstanding, as there are some great Italian Trattorias if you search hard enough.
Kiss of the Butterfly must be some book if those words were in the introduction. The only word I knew this week was omniscient. Thanks for playing along!
Hi Kathy,
My English obviously isn’t up to much in this post, sorry for any confusion. ‘Kiss Of The Butterfly’ does indeed sound like a great book, although it is still working its way up my reading list …. The words come from a post I published on my New Authors page, where I introduced James and his great book, to everyone. He and ‘The Bookworm’ got to talking about food whilst they were exchanging comments, as they both have Balkan connections.
I must admit that I thought I knew the meaning of omniscient, until I looked it up and realised that I had mistaken its meaning for that of omnipotent, which means having great power!
Thanks for taking the time to visit all the participants, the thought is appreciated.
‘Omniscient’ is the only one of those words I’ve heard of before! Still, it’s great to build your vocabulary 🙂
Hi Nikki,
It bugs me if I am reading and I come across a word that I don’t really understand the meaning of, I get angry with myself for being so stupid! I will generally always stop reading where the word is, until I have looked it up, so that I can use it in the right context and interpret the storyline correctly.
This meme was a great find, as it throws up some pretty extraordinary words, that I could never have dreamt of. Granted, some of the words are unknown simply because of their geographic usage, as are the anomalies in some of the spellings between the US and the UK. Some of the words are, however, unbelievable yet totally true.
You should check out the hosts post for today …. ever come across ‘sockdolager’ ?
Thanks for stopping by, hope that all is well with you.
No, I can’t say I have come across ‘sockdolager’ before!
I tend to find a number of “new to me” words in young adult books, for some reason.
Hi Nikki,
Perhaps that’s because the authors tend to veer towards the more up to date words of the ‘Urban’ dictionary.
I have had to check out word definitions here quite a few times lately and I have to say that I must be getting old, as some of the words which have been added into the vocabulary over the last few years, are quite repulsive and almost obscene, both in their connotation and the language used.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Ooooh, I love your food words! My stepfather is a pastry chef, and I’m always interested in expanding my culinary vocabulary.
Hi Kelly,
That would have been a dream job for a parent to have had, when I was a child, I would have been in seventh heaven.
There is nothing like a good bit of pastry when it is prepared and cooked well, it needs to be very crispy with a good bit of crunch to it, as my ideal! Hark at me talking, I am rubbish at actually making it myself, I just talk a good story!
I wonder if your stepfather’s skill has rubbed off on you in any way?
Hi Yvonne,
Thanks for visiting me today. I’ve been traveling for seven weeks so I’ve been pretty much absent from the blog world. I’m ready to jump back in now, so I’m glad you dropped by.
My mind is stuck on the sachertorte. Chocolate and apricot jam sounds like a great combination,
Hi Margot,
I hope that you have been somewhere really nice and that you had a fantastic time. Seven weeks is a long time to be away from home, getting back into routine is going to take some getting used to I should think.
I do have quite a sweet tooth, so the sachertorte looks and sounds good to me also. I am pretty adventurous with food though and like to try anything new, so the ajvar on bread does sound quite interesting.
We don’t tend to have desserts at home after a meal and Mr.G rarely orders one if we go out, so the pictures will have to do me I’m afraid. One of my favourite desserts is Tiramisu and my all time favourite cake is coffee and walnut.
Thanks for stopping by and it is good to have you back.
Yvonne,
Yesterday, in honor of Halloween, we went a bit crazy at the Kiss of the Butterfly facebook page and posted a bunch of tongue-in-cheek (or fang in vein) Dracula/Bela Lugosi memes that I created. If you want a quiet chuckle, you can find them at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kiss-of-the-Butterfly/203838056294407
Best
James
Hi James,
A great fun page, I especially liked the ‘ghostly butterflies’, spooky!!
You are making me hungry Yvonne 🙂 I had no idea Ajvar is referred to as vegetarian caviar.
The Sachertorte sounds soooo good too.
Hi Naida,
I only got the idea for the ‘foodie’ words, after watching the conversation you were having with James about Balkan food, but it seems to have been a big success, so thanks for the idea!
I guess if you say the words Ajvar and Caviar together, then the similarities are quite strong, making the link a little more obvious, although it wasn’t until I had read the definition for Ajvar that I really thought about it!
Personally, although I love savoury food as well, my heart is certainly with the ‘sweeter’ options. Not just now though, as it is 6am here in the UK and all I can face is my muesli and black coffee!!
Missed you this past few days and hope that everything is okay with you.