CertainFood & garden · Common

escabeche

marinade of vinegar, oil and spices used to preserve foodsalsa de vinagre, aceite y especias para conservar alimentos

Comes from Arabic

السِّكْبَاج

as-sikbāj

“meat stewed in vinegar”«guiso de carne en vinagre»

In Andalusi Arabic: السُّكَّبَاج as-sukkabāj

Arabic today says

مُخَلَّل

mukhallal

The article

Spanish kept the Arabic article al- glued to the word.

Arabic itself had taken it from Persian.

The story

Sikbāj was a meat-and-vinegar stew famous in Baghdad; its name is Persian (sik, "vinegar"). The e- at the start of escabeche may be what is left of the article as-, or the supporting e that Spanish puts before s + consonant.El sikbāj era un guiso de carne con vinagre muy famoso en Bagdad; su nombre es persa (sik, «vinagre»). La e- inicial de escabeche puede ser el resto del artículo as- o la e de apoyo que el castellano pone ante s + consonante.