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Etymology of Caviar & Other Caspian Fish Stories

Availability: In stock
Published: 2024
Page #: xxviii + 120
Size: 6 x 9
ISBN: 978-1-56859398-2
plates, appendix, index, notes, references

 
$35.00

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Quick Overview

The word-origin of the term caviar has been a subject of Western scholarly curiosity as late as the mid-18th century. The lexical evidence of the term’s existence as hāvyār and khāviār in the Ottoman Turkish language dates back to the mid-17th century, if not much earlier. The attested proof of the term’s existence in the form of the Greek χαβιάρι (khaviari) dates back to Middle Ages. Yet, it is not until the 20th century that the term khāviār appears in the Persian lexicon, giving rise to the tantalizing thought that the term which applies to Iran’s once most-prized epicurean export may not be Persian. Etymological theories about the term abound, yet none of them offers a convincing proof of the term originating in Greek, Ossetic/Gypsy, Persian, Roman, Russian, Tatar or Turkish languages. 


In this work, Guive Mirfendereski, the author of A Diplomatic History of the Caspian Sea (Palgrave 2001) and entries about the Caspian Sea in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History and Encyclopædia Iranica, combines knowledge of history and geography, of ichthyology, and of the cultural and culinary influences of the lower tidelands of the Caspian Sea in order to suggest a unified field theory capable of fixing the likely origin of the term caviar in the term ashpal, the longstanding word  for fish eggs (roe) in the Gilaki and Tabari languages spoken on the Iranian littoral of the Caspian Sea. In so doing, the author pulls together detailed information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including recent Iranian scholarship, recast in a series of readable and instructive vignettes framed in the context of the broader piscine history of the Iranian coast. 







author

Guive Mirfendereski

Mirfendereski’s scholarly publications include A Diplomatic History of the Caspian Sea, Treaties, Diaries and Other Stories (New York & London: St. Martin’s Press/McMillan/ Palgrave, 2001); “Caspian Sea,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History (Oxford University Press, 2007); “Caspian Sea ii. Diplomatic History in Modern Times,” in Encyclopaedia Iranica (2004); “Persian Gulf” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History (2007); “The Toponymy of the Tonb Islands,” in Iranian Studies, Vol. 29, Nos. 3- 4 (Summer/Fall, 1996); “Tonb islands,” in Encyclopædia Iranica (2005); “Abu Musa iii,” in Encyclopædia Iranica (2006); The Privileged American: The U.S. Capitulations in Iran, 1856-1979 (Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers, 2014); “The Status of Counterclaims under International Law, with Particular Reference to International Arbitration involving a Private Party and a Foreign State,” in 15 Denver Journal of International Law & Policy 11 (1986) (co-authored with Bradley Larschan); “An International Law of Weather Modification,” in Fletcher Forum: A Journal of Studies in International Affairs (Medford, Massachusetts: The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy), Vol. 2, No. 1 (January 1978).

Note on Transliteration & Sound Values
List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction
1. Olearius on Caspian Fisheries 2. The Sturgeon & Her Roe
3. Fishing Methods
4. Russian & Āzari Influences in Iran’s Sturgeon/Caviar Fishery
5. Before & After Khāviār: Forever Ashpal!
6. Ichthynyms of the Iranian Littoral
7. Traditional Persian Names for Sturgeon
8. Iranian Names of the Caspian Sturgeons
9. Other Explanations of the Term Tās-māhi
10. Muddled Origins of the Term Caviar
11. Muddled Origins of the Term Khāviār
12. A Toponymic Connection?
Conclusion
Pictorial Appendix:
Figure 1. Southern Caspian region.
Figure 2. Adam Olearius’ map.
Figure 3. Sturgeon Fishes of the Caspian Sea.
Figure 4. Figure 4. White sturgeon.
Figure 5. External features of the sturgeon.
Figure 6. Sturgeon’s scutes.
Figure 7. Sturgeon’s mouth and barbels.
Figure 8. Ashpal.
Figure 9. Beluga’s snout, mouth and barbels.
Figure 10. Beluga’s mouth.
Figure 11. Roe extraction – incision.
Figure 12. Exposing the roe-sacks.
Figure 13. Extracted roe-sacks.
Figure 14. Removal of a kolhām/shil (weir).
Figure 15. Long-lining (Reshteh-gollāb).
Figure 16. Gill-netting (Gush-gir).
Figure 17. Purse-seining (Tāseh).

References/Bibliography
Index

5/17/2024

 
“Investigating the origins of the term “caviar,” or “khaviar” in Persian, Guive Mirfendereski’s latest work takes readers on a fascinating journey to the Caspian Sea region, particularly to the Iranian side of these waters. By meticulously researching the etymology of this term, he elucidates the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and geographical diversity of Iran's Caspian provinces. Mirfendereski thus achieves what very few historians and social scientists in Iranian Studies may claim—a genuinely inter-disciplinary study on an original theme. Starting with the charming anecdote about his first encounter with caviar as a child, Mirfendereski’s prose is crisp and clear. Reflecting his commitment to detailed research and cogent writing, this book is as rich and, dare I say, delicious as the caviar that sparked his curiosity! An illuminating and enjoyable read to be savored.
~ Haleh Vaziri, PhD
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