Botargo
/boʊˈtɑːrɡoʊ/noun
A Mediterranean food made from salted, cured fish roe, usually from gray mullet or tuna.
Did you know?Botargo entered English through Mediterranean trade and cooking, and its name ultimately traces back through Italian and Spanish forms to Arabic culinary vocabulary.
Etymological Timeline
Arabic (medieval)
Arabic
بطارخ (baṭāriḫ)
“fish roe or eggs”
Medieval Spanish
Spanish
botarga
“a prepared fish roe delicacy”
Italian
Italian
bottarga
“salted, cured fish roe”
16th Century
English
botargo
“a form of cured fish roe introduced through Mediterranean cuisine”
Modern English
English
botargo
“salted, cured fish roe, especially from mullet or tuna”