Word Origin | Papara

Mavi Boncuk |

Papara: fromGR papára παπάρα Попара Παπάρα. süte ekmek doğrama. [1]

Oldest source: Ahmed Vefik Paşa, Lehce-ı Osmani, 1876]
papara: Peynir suyu, suda pişmiş peynir. (...) tatsızlıktan kinaye olur

1. Ekmeğin et suyu ile yumuşatılması sûretiyle yapılan yemek: Köpeğime bir papara, bana sucuklu iki yumurta hazırlayın (Sait Fâik).

2. halk ağzı. Şiddetli çıkışma, azar, zılgıt: Allah senden râzı olsun, o paparadan sonra birkaç gün sâkinler… (Reşat N. Güntekin). Hiç değilse bak şu fala, papara çok mu ağır gelecek, şimdiden öğrenelim (Târık Buğra).

Papara yemek: Şiddetli azar işitmek, paylanmak, azarlanmak.

3. (Orta oyununda) Zurna.

[1] This simple peasant fare has been prepared all over Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean. It is a traditional breakfast dish in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Turkish dish is made with stale bread and meat stock.

"The origin of the dish is uncertain, but it is part of the peasant culture of Anatolia and the Balkans. In Istanbul during the seventeenth century, there were shops that sold ‘papara cubed bread’ as an ingredient for this dish—because, of course, the rich gourmands didn’t have stale bread of their own." Somer Sivrioglu from ANATOLIA: ADVENTURES IN TURKISH COOKING By David Dale and Somer Sivrioglu

Montenegro, Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria.Popara, the Balkan version of bread mash, is an ancient dish that has been greatly appreciated as a quick and easy solution to use up leftover bread and to feed the whole family in the process. Since it is eaten in many countries across the region, there are many different ways of its preparation.

The two crucial ingredients are bread, diced or torn into smaller pieces, and liquid, usually milk, water, or tea, that is used to blend the bread into a soft mass. The liquid is typically mixed with butter, vegetable oil, or lard to provide a more substantial meal.

The bread can be shortly fried in the combination of liquid and fat, and in some versions, the heated mix is poured over the bread and stirred until it is thoroughly blended. Depending on tradition and preference, popara can be completely homogenous and creamy or it can have a coarse consistency filled with chewy bread pieces. Today, popara remains a popular breakfast meal in many Balkan countries and regions.