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Today it means

sambal

a spicy chili-based condiment used widely in Indonesian and Malay cooking

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Where does the word "sambal" come from? It comes from Javanese sambel, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

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Where does the word "sambal" come from? It comes from Javanese sambel, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Sambal’s story begins in Javanese: sambel meant “a spicy chili condiment.” A spicy chili-based condiment, central to Indonesian and Malay cooking. It reached English by 1900s as sambal. Indonesia has hundreds of sambals; sambal oelek is common in Dutch kitchens. Today, sambal means a spicy chili-based condiment used widely in Indonesian and Malay cooking.

  1. Stage 1 · Javanese · medieval sambel "a spicy chili condiment", a spicy chili-based condiment, central to Indonesian and Malay cooking.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s sambal "a spicy chili-based condiment", Indonesia has hundreds of sambals; sambal oelek is common in Dutch kitchens.

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