chorba

Where does the word "chorba" come from? It comes from Persian shūrbā, passing through Ottoman Turkish and Serbian before entering English (1900s).

Chorba’s story begins in Persian: shūrbā meant “salty stew.” From 'shūr', salty, plus 'bā', stew. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Ottoman Turkish as çorba. The soup kitchens of Ottoman charitable complexes fed the poor with çorba. From there it passed into Serbian as čorba by 1600s. Spread with Ottoman rule across the Balkans. It reached English by 1900s as chorba. Entered English through Balkan and Turkish cooking. Today, chorba means a soup or stew of Turkey and the Balkans.

1. Stage 1 · Persian · medieval shūrbā "salty stew", from 'shūr', salty, plus 'bā', stew.
2. Stage 2 · Ottoman Turkish · 1500s çorba "soup", the soup kitchens of Ottoman charitable complexes fed the poor with çorba.
3. Stage 3 · Serbian · 1600s čorba "soup", spread with Ottoman rule across the Balkans.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1900s chorba "soup", entered English through Balkan and Turkish cooking.