11 replies to this topic

[ChefCrash]

Zankha [noun]
Zinikh, Miznikh, Zinkha, Mizinkha [adjectives]
Zannikh, [verb]

I can smell Zankha and I can taste Zankha, but I can’t define Zankha in English. Not in one word, two, or a whole sentence.

I googled “Zankha”…. I found...? Another Lebanese, searching for a way, to explain, ZANKHA.

Words I've already thought of:

Rancid
Gamey
Fusty. From an Arabic/English dictionary
Funky
Fatty
Greasy
Oily
Fishy
Raw
Bloody
Stinky
The foam atop a boiling pot of protein.
Why we boil calves's or sheep brains before we use them.
The smell of chicken as it starts to simmer.
The smell of the sink after scaling fish.
The taste of meats, seafood or poultry that are not quite done.

Any thoughts?

[Nicolai]

Many inter language translations simply do not exist as such.

For Zankha, you can say Frowsty or simply Malodorous.

Alternatively, you can enter it as a new English name: Zankha!

[maher]

thanks for gving me more laughs over my morning coffee than ive had in years....

some things in arabic just dont translate. ive tried that with jokes so many times and had blank stares as my reward.

[sazji]

Many inter language translations simply do not exist as such.

For Zankha, you can say Frowsty or simply Malodorous.

Alternatively, you can enter it as a new English name: Zankha!

Perhaps, but for pure onomatopoeic value, I think "miznikh" sounds much more zankha.

Frowsty is an entirely new word to me!

[FoodMan]

Many inter language translations simply do not exist as such.

For Zankha, you can say Frowsty or simply Malodorous.

Alternatively, you can enter it as a new English name: Zankha!

This subject definitly gave me a laugh this morning too. Like you say, some things just cannot be translated 1 to 1. The Zankha smell is not necessarily malodorous. It is not really a foul smell and I cannot figure a word for it in English. I usually just call it "chicken-y" when describing it to my non-arabic speaking wife.

Zankha that forms on top of a boiling meat stock is simply "meat scum or foam".

BTW, is the word used anywhere outdside of Lebanon?

[v. gautam]

Well, it might become a useful loan word in culinary English, bridging a gap, as umami did.


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[ChefCrash]

Many inter language translations simply do not exist as such.

For Zankha, you can say Frowsty or simply Malodorous.

Nicolai, you know, I admire you command of the languages, wouldn't it be easier to say "wet doggyiesh".

thanks for gving me more laughs over my morning coffee than ive had in years....

some things in arabic just dont translate. ive tried that with jokes so many times and had blank stares as my reward.

Maher, try this food related joke

Abu Abed goes to work in the morning, leaving his young bride home feeling lonely and sad. From his office, Abu Abed calls a pet store and arranges for the most expensive, most talkative Parrot be delivered to his wife to keep her company.
He waits a few hours and calls his wife to see how she liked the bird.
She replies: "It was very nice, a little stringy, very little white meat but still, very nice".

Frowsty is an entirely new word to me!

It's what Paula Dean orders at the 7-Eleven

This subject definitly gave me a laugh this morning too. Like you say, some things just cannot be translated 1 to 1. The Zankha smell is not necessarily malodorous. It is not really a foul smell and I cannot figure a word for it in English. I usually just call it "chicken-y" when describing it to my non-arabic speaking wife....

Some people think their Zankha don't stink.

[maher]

CHef Crash, your posts are becoming a great accompaniment to the coffee at the start of my day, thanks.

Foodman, the word is certainly used outside Lebanon, at least in Jordan and Palestine. The inflection is a bit different (we call it Zanakha) but the meaning and lack of translatability into English is the same.

[Domestic Goddess]

Not to go off-topic but we Filipinos have exactly the same word for the gamut of words/adjectives listed above - malansa. It is used to describe a smell/feel/taste like zankha.

[A Patric]

would "funk" or "funky" be appropriate. It may seem negative, but dry-cured sausages can have a "funky" smell that one can grow to appreciated, and the honeycomb tripe that I bought today had a similar smell to it--not bad, but not necessarily "fresh"

[ChefCrash]

Not to go off-topic but we Filipinos have exactly the same word for the gamut of words/adjectives listed above - malansa. It is used to describe a smell/feel/taste like zankha.

D.G., I googled "malansa". The first entry happens to be by a house wife trying to find English words to explain to her husband what it means. That is funny. Click.

Edited by ChefCrash, 28 February 2009 - 03:08 AM.

[nolafoodie]

thanks for gving me more laughs over my morning coffee than ive had in years....

some things in arabic just dont translate. ive tried that with jokes so many times and had blank stares as my reward.

Oh, I like to do that with Arabic curses, insults, and derogatory exclamations. Sure, I get blank stares, but it entertains me immensely.

"Damn the father of your beard!"

"May God ruin your art!"

"And later with you?"

Fun times -- for me, at least.


Oh, back on topic. As for "zankha," I think it has different translations depending on context. If you're talking about lamb or goat, then it's "gaminess," while for cooking oil, it's "rancidity." However, for chicken, it's just "that chickeny smell."

Edited by nolafoodie, 05 May 2009 - 04:51 PM.