Word Origin | Two Georgian Words in Turkish: Aznavur, Cağ

Mavi Boncuk |

Word Origind | Two Georgian Words in Turkish: Aznavur, Cağ

Aznavur: Georgian noble[1], royal; "Gürcü asilzadesi" [ Dede Korkut Kitabı, 1400 of noble birth.  Nedür mere aznavur, ne hayfumuz kaldı? from Georgian aznauri Gürcü soylularının bir sınıfına mensup kişi oldPersian aznāvar soylu, asil oldPersian azn soy +averis 

Armenian Aznavur also from Persian. Charles Aznav(o)ur[2]: French Armenian singer.

Cağ: cağ kebabı [ Türkiye'de Halk Ağızlarından Derleme Sözlüğü, 1960 from Armenian caġ ճաղ demirden yapılmış şiş, mil Georgian cali. A type of kebap,  spread from Erzurum: cağ kebabı[3]

Armenian Aznavur also from Persian. Charles Aznav(o)ur[2]: French Armenian singer.

[1] noble (n.) "man of rank," c. 1300, from noble (adj.). The same noun sense also is in Old French and Latin. Late 14c. as the name of an English coin first issued in reign of Edward III.
noble (adj.) c. 1200, "illustrious, distinguished; worthy of honor or respect," from Old French noble "of noble bearing or birth," from Latin nobilis "well-known, famous, renowned; excellent, superior, splendid; high-born, of superior birth," earlier *gnobilis, literally "knowable," from gnoscere "to come to know," from PIE root *gno- "to know" (see know). The prominent Roman families, which were "well known," provided most of the Republic's public officials. 

Meaning "distinguished by rank, title, or birth" is first recorded late 13c. Sense of "having lofty character, having high moral qualities" is from c. 1600. A noble gas (1902) is so called for its inactivity or intertness; a use of the word that had been applied in Middle English to precious stones, metals, etc., of similar quality (late 14c.), from the sense of "having admirable properties" (c. 1300).

Gentry (n.) c. 1300, "nobility of rank or birth;" mid-14c., "a fashion or custom of the nobility;" late 14c., "nobility of character," from Old French genterie, genterise, variant of gentelise "noble birth, aristocracy; courage, honor; kindness, gentleness," from gentil "high-born, noble, of good family" (see gentle). Meaning "noble persons, the class of well-born and well-bred people" is from 1520s in English, later often in England referring to the upper middle class, persons of means and leisure but below the nobility. Earlier in both senses was gentrice (c. 1200 as "nobility of character," late 14c. as "noble persons"), and gentry in early use also might have been regarded as a singular of that. In Anglo-Irish, gentry was a name for "the fairies" (1880), and gentle could mean "enchanted" (1823).

[2] Charles Aznavour (born Shahnour Varinag Aznavourian French pronunciation: ​[ʃaʁl aznavuʁ]; born 22 May 1924) is a French and Armenian singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Aznavour is known for his unique tenor voice: clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. He has written more than 1,200 songs, sung in eight languages,[6] sold more than 180 million records. He is one of France's most popular and enduring singers. He has been dubbed France's Frank Sinatra.

[3]  Cağ kebabı (pronounced [ˈdʒaː cebabɯ]) is a rotating kebab variety, originating in Turkey's Erzurum Province. The cities of Tortum and Oltu in the said province and Yusufeli in the neighboring Artvin province are in a heated debate concerning the origin of the dish. As such, in Turkish metropolises, this dish can be called "Oltu kebabı" or "Tortum kebabı" depending on the origins of the chef.

This uniquely prepared kebab has become, as years passed, a trademark of Erzurum where all the famous Usta, like Şakir Aktaş and Kemâl Koç, run restaurants. each claiming to be descending from the exclusive inventors.

Note that while it is increasingly available in most Turkish cities, the Cağ kebabı is especially popular in Bursa, whereas enjoying an ever-growing success in Istanbul and Ankara.

Slices of lamb and large quantities of tail fat are left to marinate in a mixture of yoğurt, black pepper and sliced onions for the length of a day. They are then impaled on the spit (Cağ), and stacked thickly. The spit is then locked and transferred to the fire where there is a fairly complicated device that controls the cooking of the spit. This typically includes a mechanism for turning the meat, another one for raising and lowering it, and also dents on the side to move the stack towards the fire as it gets thinner after servings are repeatedly cut away. Note that the meat used for Cağ kebabı is exclusively lamb.