Etymology Map
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Sujuk

3 stages from Ottoman Turkish to English.

Today it means a dry, spicy, fermented beef sausage from Turkey and the Balkans

Where does the word "sujuk" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish sucuk, passing through Bosnian before entering English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
sucuk
Ottoman Turkish · medieval
"spicy sausage"
a garlic-and-cumin beef sausage, fried with eggs at breakfast as 'sucuklu yumurta'
2
Stage 2 of 3
sudžuk
Bosnian · 1600s
"dried sausage"
spread with Ottoman rule into the Balkans
3
Stage 3 of 3
sujuk
English · 1900s
"spicy sausage"
entered English through Turkish, Armenian and Lebanese cooking
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Read the full story

Sujuk’s story begins in Ottoman Turkish: sucuk meant “spicy sausage.” A garlic-and-cumin beef sausage, fried with eggs at breakfast as 'sucuklu yumurta'. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Bosnian as sudžuk. Spread with Ottoman rule into the Balkans. It reached English by 1900s as sujuk. Entered English through Turkish, Armenian and Lebanese cooking. Today, sujuk means a dry, spicy, fermented beef sausage from Turkey and the Balkans.