Word of the Day

aioli

Aioli

Occitan

Medieval Occitan/aʎˈɔli/Modern French/ajɔli/
France popularized it. Occitan named it first.

Aioli is older than the nation that made it famous. In medieval Occitania, by the 13th century, cooks were already speaking of alh and oli, garlic and oil, as the essential pair. The compound form alhòli belongs to the speech zone stretching from Provence to Languedoc. It was a kitchen word before it was a restaurant word, blunt and exact.

6 stops · from Arles to New York

Read the full story

One word, each morning

A brief origin story and a path back into the archive. No streaks and no reminders to catch up.

Only the edition you chose. Unsubscribe whenever you like. Read the privacy note.

Free, and free of ads

The Journey carries no advertisements and asks for no subscription. Readers keep it running.

Help keep the museum open
Subscribe via RSS