sambal, noun

/ˈsæmbəl//ˈsambal/
Forms:
Also sambol, zambal.
Origin:
Malay.
1. a. A relish of Malay or Indonesian origin, made of the pulp of raw vegetables or fruit, pounded chilli, spices, and vinegar. b. Any of a variety of side-dishes served as an accompaniment to food. Cf. atjar.
Note:
Unassimilated in British English.
1815 A. Plumptre tr. of H. Lichtenstein’s Trav. in Sn Afr. (1930) II. 84Sambal is a mixture of gherkins cut small, onions, anchovies, Cayenne pepper, and vinegar.
1862 ‘A Lady’ Life at Cape (1963) 98They make a sort of ‘chutnee’ out of quinces, which they call ‘sambal’, by slicing the fruit into a mortar, adding a pinch of salt and cayenne pepper, and a green chilly minced very fine, and then pounding the whole with a pestle till it is well bruised and reduced to a pulp.
1891 H.J. Duckitt Hilda’s ‘Where Is It?’ 199Quince ‘Sambal.’ (A Green Chutney. Malay Recipe.)
1919 M.M. Steyn Diary 17The older ones had soup meat in their plates with ‘Zambal’ (a relish composed of cucumber or apple or quince, rasped fine, with different sauces).
1944 I.D. Du Plessis Cape Malays 43The spicy stew of meat and vegetables is enhanced by various sambals (condiments): sliced onion sprinkled with finely pounded chili, fresh grated quince mixed with pounded chili, and a highly seasoned sambal of mint leaves and chili pounded together and moistened with vinegar.
1950 H. Gerber Cape Cookery 126Quince sambal (Malay): Peel a quince and grate it. Add a little salt and let the quince stand for an hour or two. Then squeeze out all the water and add to the fruit pulp some red vinegar and a chilli.
1964 L.G. Green Old Men Say 131The modern Cape Malay sambal is a cool salad eaten with curry; but a strong condiment which included red pepper used to be known as a sambal.
1979 Heard & Faull Our Best Trad. Recipes 29This has a curried flavour and is served with salads and sambals such as chutney, banana and sliced tomatoes sprinkled with finely chopped onion, shallots or chives.
1985 S. Afr. Cookbk (Reader’s Digest Assoc.) 383Sambals, Side dishes served with Indian or Malay dishes.
1988 F. Williams Cape Malay Cookbk 58The word ‘sambal’ is Javanese in origin and means condiment. It is usually a highly seasoned relish of grated raw fruits or vegetables, squeezed dry, mixed with pounded chilli and moistened with vinegar or lemon juice.
1989 Weekend Post 2 Dec. (Leisure) 6Sambals can include diced pawpaw, poppadoms, dessicated coconut, chutney, cucumbers in yoghurt, or sour cream, sliced bananas and sweet pickles.
‖2. Special Combination sambalbroek/samˈbalbruk/ [Afrikaans, broek trousers], wide trousers.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 422Sambalbroek,..A humorous name for the very wide trousers worn by the Malays.
[1972 L.G. Green When Journey’s Over 121One hundred Afrikaans words with clear Malayo-Portuguese origins...Those..included..sambalbroek (wide trousers) [etc.].]
A relish of Malay or Indonesian origin, made of the pulp of raw vegetables or fruit, pounded chilli, spices, and vinegar.
Any of a variety of side-dishes served as an accompaniment to food.
Special Combination sambalbroek/samˈbalbruk/ [Afrikaans, broek trousers],wide trousers.
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18151989
samareelboom, nounn.samesmelting, nounn.
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