zabaglione

[prettygoodword]

zabaglione - n., a light custard made from egg yolks, sugar, and sweet wine (usually Marsala).


Light as in it's whipped until nearly foamy. Also known as zabaione or, in South America, sambayón. Entered English around 1899, and given the spelling, you'll not be surprised to know it's Italian, and indeed it's pronounced somewhat Italianate: za-beh-LYON-nee. Where in Italy it originated is not clear -- possibly Venice, as the word is derived from Illyrian sabaium, beer.

---L.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

My Italian grandmother made this; I loved it. We knew it as zabaione.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

It looks like that spelling/pronunciation is more common in Italian, with the g-form somewhat more common in English. Some claims are that zabaione is the original form, with zabaglione a variation thereof.

---L.