Etymology Map
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Kaymak

4 stages from Turkic to English.

Today it means a thick clotted cream from Turkey and the Balkans

Where does the word "kaymak" come from? It comes from Turkic qaymaq, passing through Turkish and Serbian before entering English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 4
qaymaq
Turkic · medieval
"clotted cream"
skimmed from slowly heated milk by Turkic herders
2
Stage 2 of 4
kaymak
Turkish · 1500s
"clotted cream"
eaten at breakfast with honey as 'bal kaymak'
3
Stage 3 of 4
kajmak
Serbian · 1800s
"salted cream"
Serbian kajmak is salted and aged, closer to a soft cheese
4
Stage 4 of 4
kaymak
English · 1900s
"clotted cream"
entered English through Turkish and Balkan cooking
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Read the full story

Kaymak’s story begins in Turkic: qaymaq meant “clotted cream.” Skimmed from slowly heated milk by Turkic herders. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Turkish as kaymak. Eaten at breakfast with honey as 'bal kaymak'. From there it passed into Serbian as kajmak by 1800s. Serbian kajmak is salted and aged, closer to a soft cheese. It reached English by 1900s as kaymak. Entered English through Turkish and Balkan cooking. Today, kaymak means a thick clotted cream from Turkey and the Balkans.