Saba
/ˈsɑː.bə/noun
A Japanese culinary term for mackerel, especially when served as sushi or sashimi.
Did you know?In Japanese cuisine, saba is commonly preserved by salting or pickling because mackerel spoils unusually quickly after being caught.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
saba
“A culinary term for mackerel, borrowed from Japanese.”
20th Century
Japanese
saba (サバ)
“Mackerel; commonly referring to chub mackerel or related mackerel species.”
Early Japanese
Japanese
saba
“A fish name recorded in Japanese culinary and fishing vocabulary; its deeper origin is uncertain.”
Pre-modern period
Japanese
鯖
“The Chinese character used for saba, literally associated with a mackerel fish; the character does not prove the word’s spoken origin.”