congee

Where does the word "congee" come from? It comes from Tamil kanji, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Congee’s story begins in Tamil: kanji meant “rice porridge.” Boiled rice porridge, a term carried through trade across Asia. It reached English by 1600s as congee. From Tamil 'kanji', rice water, recorded by Portuguese traders; the Cantonese dish is called 'jook'. Today, congee means a soft rice porridge, eaten widely across East and South Asia.

1. Stage 1 · Tamil · medieval kanji "rice porridge", boiled rice porridge, a term carried through trade across Asia.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s congee "a soft rice porridge", from Tamil 'kanji', rice water, recorded by Portuguese traders; the Cantonese dish is called 'jook'.