Etymology
The pepper is called by different names in different regions. North of the Brahmaputra, it is widely called Bhut Jolokia or Bhoot Jolokia, literally translating to 'Ghost Chilli' in Assamese and Bengali ("Bhoot" means ghost in most other Sanskritic languages, such as Hindi and Gujarati as well). Some believe that "Bhut" might imply "from Bhutan" but that is incorrect as the translation of "from Bhutan" in Assamese is "Bhuitiya" not "Bhut". Furthermore, this pepper has never occurred naturally in the temperate climate of Bhutan. On the southern bank of the river Brahmaputra, this chili becomes Naga jolokia, believed to be named after the ferocious Naga warriors inhabiting the plains & hills of Nagaland. Further complicating matters, a 2009 paper, published in the Asian Agri-History journal, coined the English term "Naga king chili" which refers to the chili's large pod size. It also stated that the most common Indian (Assamese) usage is bhoot jolokia and gives the alternate common name as Bih Jolokia (bih means "poison" in Assamese, denoting the plant's heat). The Assamese word "jolokia" simply means the Capsicum pepper. Other usages on the subcontinent are Saga Jolokia, Indian mystery chili, and Indian rough chili (after the chili's rough skin). It has also been called the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city of Tezpur. In Manipur, the chili is called umorok or oo-morok (oo = "tree", morok = "chili").
Read more about this topic: Naga Bhut Jolokia
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)