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masala, n. (and a.)
(məˈsɑːlə, ‖ məˈsɑːlə)
Also 8 (in early use) marsall, 9 missala, mussala, 9– masalah, 20 massala(h, etc.
[ad. Urdu maṣālaḥ, f. Pers. and Urdu masāleḥ ingredients, materials; compound of various spices, etc., ult. f. Arab. maṣāliḥ, pl. of maṣlaha benefit, source of improvement.]
1. A mixture of spices ground into a paste or powder for use in Indian cookery. Also used quasi-adj. (esp. postpositively), and occas. absol., to designate a dish prepared with such a mixture. Cf. *garam masala n.
1780I. Munro Let. in Narr. Mil. Operations against French (1789) ix. 85 A dose of marsall, or purgative spices. 1809M. Graham Jrnl. Residence in India (1812) 20 At the next hut the woman was grinding missala or curry-stuff, on a flat smooth stone, with another shaped like a rolling-pin. 1815M. M. Sherwood Little Henry & Bearer 74 Some grinding their mussala. 1868B. H. Powell Hand-bk. Econ. Products Punjab I. iii. 273/2 Pickles are either prepared with vinegar..or else with oil, or else with some ‘masálah’, as mustard seeds ground up with salt, &c., which being moistened with a little oil or water, is rubbed over the vegetable to be pickled, and left until it becomes sour. Ibid. (Index) p. lxx/1 Masálá, properly spice or spices compounded; also used to mean any compound or substance used in any manufacture or operation. 1943in Cassidy & Le Page Dict. Jamaican Eng. (1967) 295/1 Mazala,..Massalah,..Masala, māsawla, a dish, curry. 1952S. Selvon Brighter Sun ix. 177 Grind the massala yourself, don't buy curry powder from Tall Boy. 1954S. Chowdhary Indian Cooking 21 The fragrance and taste of home-made masāla is well worth the trouble taken. 1974R. A. K. Heath Man come Home ii. 7 Apart from the acrid scent of massala from one of the rooms there was nothing to disturb his reflections. 1978J. Passmore All Asian Cookbk. (1979) 21/1 Egg Masala... Peel eggs and cut in halves... Place in the masala and simmer for 3 minutes. Ibid. 17/2 Prawns in Green Masala. 1991N.Y. Times Mag. 20 Oct. ii. 33/2 Servers who are cruising the restaurant bearing large metal containers of papadum.., rice, chicken and mutton masala.
2. fig. Indian Eng.
a. Piquancy, pep, ‘spice’.
1986Stardust (Bombay) Oct. 2 (Advt.), The..Casseroles sure put the masala back in our marriage. 1992Pioneer on Sunday (Delhi) 13 Sept. 9/3 ‘The Prime Minister..said he wanted to have vigilant MPs like me in Parliament. I still have a lot of masala,’ Jain cackles into the telephone.
b. A mixture of backgrounds, influences, etc.
1986Time (Austral. ed.) 10 Nov. 33/1 While filmmakers elsewhere have developed genres..nearly all commercial Indian films mix these elements into one big masala. Ibid. 33/3 Most Bombay producers still crank out variations on the masala theme. 1991Bomb Summer 48/1 She is a masala—a mixture—someone who is genuinely from everywhere, yet living within an Indian context. 1992Maclean's Mag. 9 Mar. 52/3 Choudhury, an Indian who grew up with a masala of influences in England, Jamaica, Mexico, Italy and Canada.., is a striking presence. 1993Times Lit. Suppl. 23 Apr. 22/4 The complicated and bizarre milieu of the masala picture, a type of blockbuster Indian film named after mixed spice because of its variety and supposed steaminess.
▸ masala chai n.‹masala n. + chai n.; there does not appear to have been a direct model in a vernacular language spiced tea, typically brewed with a mixture of milk and water and sweetened; cf. chai n. Additions.
1977Chicago Tribune 11 Aug. vi. 1/2 Indians often drink *masala chai to relieve the symptoms of a cold. 1995A. Hardy Where to eat in Canada 78 Meals still usually end with kulfi and a cup of masala chai—sweet milky tea with cardamon, cinnamon and anise. 2005Guardian 10 Dec. (Guide) 31/3 Fans of the great Indian masala chai won't be disappointed—it's made to perfection and properly frisked with spice. |