The other day a word caught my
imagination. The word is ‘Bay leaves’,
which is printed on the wrapper of an established manufacturer and exporter of
Indian snacks., as one of the ingredients of the snack. I took it as ‘bay-soppu’ (ಬೇ/ಬೇಯ್ ಸೊಪ್ಪು),which has been in use both in
Tulu and Kannada. Hence my surprise for the English usage of 'bay’.
Bay
English-English-Kannada dictionary
gives the meaning of ‘bay’ as a kind of tree, besides other meanings. Bay leaves, therefore, means leaves of that
tree. There are variety of trees under ‘bay’ category. It leads to confusion.
There is an Entry in Webster’s
Dictionary for ‘bay leaf’. It means ‘an
aromatic leaf of the laurel tree, dried and used as a spice in cooking.’ There is also a word ‘bay-berry’, commonly
used (1) for any of several shrubs, as the wax myrtle, with wax coated berries or
(2) for a tropical tree, yielding an oil used in ‘bay rum’.
Bay Soppu
‘Bay/Bey’ (ಬೇ/ಬೇಯ್) means ‘to boil, fry or
cook’ in both Tulu and Kannada. Soppu (ಸೊಪ್ಪು) means leaves. The bay - soppu is same as ‘kari- bevu’ (ಕರಿ ಬೇವು), i.e. leaves used in cooking
for flavor. It is commonly known as
‘curry leaves’ in English.
Spice Trade
Trading in spices was the profitable
marine trade, engaged firstly by Arabs and afterwards by Europeans, in
Indian coasts, especially with merchant-producers and middlemen in West Coast
of South India.The word ‘bay soppu’ voyaged to Arabia and thence spread to
Europe.
Conclusion
So, we deduce that loaning of word
must have happened during medieval marine trade. Hence the English version of
‘Bay leaves’ or ‘Curry leaves’. Our
averment should not be taken as ‘it is all a joke’. The bay soppu speaks for
itself.
Hosabettu Vishwanath, Pune
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