culinary linguistics
Fascinating. I made saag paneer for dinner the other night, and while eating the leftovers just now I decided to look up the difference between saag and palak. I know what the "paneer" part is, it's a type of cheese, made by adding acid to the milk instead of rennet, not aged with a culture, and has the odd property of not melting. Easy to make, also called "farmer's cheese" or "queso blanco" or "fromage blanc" and made all over the world.
Restaurants around here seem to use "saag" and "palak" interchangeably, so I was curious if it was called different things in different countries, if it was a difference in the spices used, or if it was a difference in the greens used. And the answer is...(drum-roll please)...all and/or none of the above! I found quite a few cooking websites where people asked this question, and quite a few people who are chefs in India or Asia, or who live there and grew up there, give totally definitive answers with absolute certainty that are totally different. Some claim that "saag" and "palak" both mean "spinach" or "greens" in two different languages. Some say that "saag" means "spinach" and "palak" means "mustard greens". Some say "saag" means "broccoli raab" or some vegetable not sold in the US. Some say "saag" is a general term and can be made with many different types of greens, whereas "palak" means mustard and is a type of saag. Some cite a difference between curry spices and different spices.
Clear as mud! I no longer feel dumb identifying it as saag, or worried that I'm using the wrong term. Also, from the thousand or so recipes out there, I'm not worried that I'm "making it wrong." (Not that I ever was. I cook like I tell stories., with the same philosophy.)
Restaurants around here seem to use "saag" and "palak" interchangeably, so I was curious if it was called different things in different countries, if it was a difference in the spices used, or if it was a difference in the greens used. And the answer is...(drum-roll please)...all and/or none of the above! I found quite a few cooking websites where people asked this question, and quite a few people who are chefs in India or Asia, or who live there and grew up there, give totally definitive answers with absolute certainty that are totally different. Some claim that "saag" and "palak" both mean "spinach" or "greens" in two different languages. Some say that "saag" means "spinach" and "palak" means "mustard greens". Some say "saag" means "broccoli raab" or some vegetable not sold in the US. Some say "saag" is a general term and can be made with many different types of greens, whereas "palak" means mustard and is a type of saag. Some cite a difference between curry spices and different spices.
Clear as mud! I no longer feel dumb identifying it as saag, or worried that I'm using the wrong term. Also, from the thousand or so recipes out there, I'm not worried that I'm "making it wrong." (Not that I ever was. I cook like I tell stories., with the same philosophy.)