Sabayon

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈsabaɪjɒ̃/

Definitions

1. A sweet or savory sauce created by emulsifying egg yolks with a liquid, commonly used in high-end cuisine
2. This airy custard, frequently flavored with citrus or wine, is whipped and served over desserts or pastries
3. A rich sauce made by whisking together egg yolks and a liquid, often used as a topping or accompaniment for desserts and savory dishes

Etymology: The dessert's name carries a barley beer from the ancient Balkans inside it. In Italian, "zabaione" is a whipped custard of egg yolks, sugar and wine, and its name is usually traced to the Latin "sabaia", a barley beer associated with Illyria, the region along the eastern Adriatic coast. The Latin word itself came from an Illyrian term, probably linked to an Indo-European root meaning "taste", though the exact route from beer to custard is not documented. The Italian ending "-one" is an augmentative suffix, adding a sense of largeness or richness, so the name is best read as something like "big sabaia". Whether the connection is through a drink-based sauce or simply a shared name is not certain, and no one can point to a single moment when the custard took its title from the beer. The word reached English through French, where it appears as "sabayon", and it is used in English both for the dessert and, as a verb, for the act of whisking eggs and sugar over heat until they foam and thicken.