ἀβυρτάκη <Iranian?; Classical period>
👉 ἀβυρτάκη [prob. ⏑-⏑-] f. – ‘an Oriental dish, i.e. a kind of dip or sauce, made of leeks, cress, pomegranate seeds and other ingredients’ (Pherecr. 195; Theopomp. Com. 18.2 etc.); ἀβυρτακοποιός m. ‘cook specialised in abyrtake’ (Demetr. Jun. 1.4; Hsch. α 230); ἀβυρτακώδης, -ες ‘like abyrtake’ (Hsch. ν 315 and π 921).
⚠ According to Theopomp. Com. 18, the abyrtake is a dish popular in Media. Moreover, it is often defined as a “barbarian” dish in Greek lexica and scholia (Paus. Lex. α 4; Ael. Dion. α 8; Et. Gen. α 2; Suda α 103; Schol. in Luc. 46.6; Eust., Comm. ad Hom. Od., vol. II, p. 188.39f.). According to Polyaen. 4.3.32, the abyrtake was mentioned in an inscription listing products needed for royal meals in the palace of Persepolis. Cf. also Demetr. Jun. 1.4, where a character boasts that he was a cook specialised in abyrtake at the court of Seleucus I Nicator (reigned 305–281 BCE).
🅔 Perhaps an Iranian word, but without a convincing etymology. It is likely that the final syllable -κη represents the Old Persian nominal feminine suffix -kā-. There are two etymological proposals: 1. Old Persian *ā-vərsta-kā- consisting of prefix ā- ‘to, till’, verbal adjective *vr̥sta- (< *vr̥tta-) ‘turned’ (from *vart- ‘to turn’) and suffix -kā-; 2. Old Persian *ā-bərta-kā- or *ha-bərta-kā- containing prefix ā- ‘to, till’ or ha- ‘together’, verbal adjective *br̥ta- ‘brought’ (from bar- ‘to bring, to carry’) and suffix -kā-.
📖 Ref.: Brust 2008: 8-14.