Need Help With Ethiopian Spices Names
June 11, 2013 7:22 AM Subscribe
Hi,
I have some Ethiopian spices that I wrote phonetically but I don't think I got them right. Can someone help me understand what I have here so I can look them up to see what they're used for?
So this is what they sounded like:
1 - *Sabat Kaman*
2 - *Tanadam*
3 - *Arato*
4 - * Makuku* (or something to that effect) it's basically a woody bark the guy said was used for incense but could also be used in tea.
Thanks for any help with this!
So this is what they sounded like:
1 - *Sabat Kaman*
2 - *Tanadam*
3 - *Arato*
4 - * Makuku* (or something to that effect) it's basically a woody bark the guy said was used for incense but could also be used in tea.
Thanks for any help with this!
This page also suggests that 'Tena adam' is Rue.
Could 'Kaman' be 'Kemun', which is Cumin (and seems to be used for a couple of other spices too)?
posted by pipeski at 8:01 AM on June 11, 2013
Could 'Kaman' be 'Kemun', which is Cumin (and seems to be used for a couple of other spices too)?
posted by pipeski at 8:01 AM on June 11, 2013
Gernot Katzer's magnificent Spice Pages website features an index of herb & spice names using the Ge’ez script used in Ethiopia.
Regarding no. 2, he renders one name as thee-na ʾa-daa-me which seems similar: if so, it’s rue. On preview, what they said.
I wonder if no. 4 might be cassia - I was told by a chap from Eritrea (If I recall correctly) that it was used to make tea there.
posted by misteraitch at 8:02 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Regarding no. 2, he renders one name as thee-na ʾa-daa-me which seems similar: if so, it’s rue. On preview, what they said.
I wonder if no. 4 might be cassia - I was told by a chap from Eritrea (If I recall correctly) that it was used to make tea there.
posted by misteraitch at 8:02 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Yes -2 is Rue. Here are photos of the other 3 - the black long ones are the Sabat Kaman - here's another shot of them - which seems to be some form of cumin but it doesn't taste at all like regular cumin. The big beige block is the Arato - the dried pods with the stems are the Makuku - sounding like one. To be honest they look like dried pumpkin stems, if that helps any.
posted by watercarrier at 8:20 AM on June 11, 2013
posted by watercarrier at 8:20 AM on June 11, 2013
Could your ‘sabat kaman’ be long pepper?
posted by misteraitch at 8:26 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by misteraitch at 8:26 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Could the Sabat Kaman be long pepper? The Wikipedia article says it is used in north Africa.
posted by Ery at 8:27 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ery at 8:27 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Yes! It's Long Pepper! Awesome. Now just the two others. By the way - the *arato* may or not be some kind of resin (hence the block clump).
posted by watercarrier at 8:50 AM on June 11, 2013
posted by watercarrier at 8:50 AM on June 11, 2013
Response by poster: Smell is maybe like myrrh or frankincense.....
posted by watercarrier at 11:32 AM on June 11, 2013
posted by watercarrier at 11:32 AM on June 11, 2013
Arato is aparently the name of a place in Eritrea. No idea if that's helpful.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 11:35 AM on June 11, 2013
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 11:35 AM on June 11, 2013
Response by poster: Hi - the resin *arato* is apparently Boswella.....now just the pods to name. Please keep this post alive guys.
posted by watercarrier at 5:08 AM on June 12, 2013
posted by watercarrier at 5:08 AM on June 12, 2013
This Amharic dictionary has "mak'mak'o" (I think this could also be spelled "maqmaqo") defined as "the yellow, bitterish root of a plant which, together with coriander-seed and onions, is put into butter when melting."
Google seems to think that "maqmaqo" is rumex abyssinicus, which is apparently a plant whose rhizome yields a yellow-red dye that's put in clarified butter to keep it from going rancid.
I am not an Amharic speaker. I am definitely not your Amharic speaker. This is a wild-ass guess and probably wrong but it was fun to concoct.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 9:15 AM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Google seems to think that "maqmaqo" is rumex abyssinicus, which is apparently a plant whose rhizome yields a yellow-red dye that's put in clarified butter to keep it from going rancid.
I am not an Amharic speaker. I am definitely not your Amharic speaker. This is a wild-ass guess and probably wrong but it was fun to concoct.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 9:15 AM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
(Hmm. That wouldn't explain the "woody bark"/"incense" thing, though. That's what I get for cooking up an answer by skimming through the M's in a dictionary...)
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 9:17 AM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 9:17 AM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
The appearance isn't much to go on. What do those pods smell or taste like if you grate a little bit off?
posted by Ery at 11:02 AM on June 12, 2013
posted by Ery at 11:02 AM on June 12, 2013
Response by poster: I'm just tasting the dried *pods* now - kind of sweet, fleshy, maybe like a fruit..slightly reminscent of the consitency of a date but with a bitter aftertaste. I'll soak some overnight and give a report. Maybe this will help solve the mystery.
posted by watercarrier at 1:58 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by watercarrier at 1:58 PM on June 12, 2013
Response by poster: I don't think this is a root Now There are Two. This is more of a fruit. Though the name does sound similar to what I heard the guy say.
posted by watercarrier at 2:00 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by watercarrier at 2:00 PM on June 12, 2013
Response by poster: As an amendment to my prior comment, it definitely could be a root - Now There are Two. At first I thought it was a fruit because of the consistency - now not sure. Anyway after soaking will take another photo.
posted by watercarrier at 2:07 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by watercarrier at 2:07 PM on June 12, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Madamina at 7:58 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]