Where does “gravad lax” come from?
gravad lax (Swedish) comes from Swedish lax, from Old Norse lax, from Proto-Germanic lahsaz, from Chinese 拉薩, from Tibetan ལྷ་ས, from Old Tibetan ར་ས.
Ancestry of “gravad lax”, step by step
gravad lax traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish lax
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | lax | salmon; a bill with nominal value 1000 kronor... |
| 2 | Old Norse | lax | salmon |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | lahsaz | salmon |
| 4 | Chinese | 拉薩 | — |
| 5 | Tibetan | ལྷ་ས | Lhasa |
| 6 | Old Tibetan | ར་ས | — |
via Swedish grava
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | grava | to dry-cure with a mix of salt, sugar, and spices (commonly salmon, herring, or common whitefish, but also used for red meat) |