taramasalata

American  

[tahr-uh-muh-suh-lah-tuh, tah-rah-mah-sah-lah-tah] / ˌtɑr ə mə səˈlɑ tə, ˌtɑ rɑ mɑ sɑˈlɑ tɑ /

Greek taramosalata

noun

1. a Greek dip or paste of smoked carp roe combined with milk, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, and olive oil.

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taramasalata British  

/ ˌtærəməsəˈlɑːtə /

noun

1. a creamy pale pink pâté, made from the roe of grey mullet or smoked cod and served as an hors d'oeuvre

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Etymology

Origin of taramasalata

First recorded in 1910–15; from Modern Greek taramosaláta, equivalent to taramá(s) “preserved roe,” from Turkish tarama “roe, soft roe, red caviar” + -o- ( def. ) + saláta, from Venetian Italian salata salad ( def. )

Example Sentences

If there’s a lighter taramasalata out there, I have yet to taste it.

From Washington Post • Aug. 20, 2019

A deliciously demented Dungeness crab roll piles crab, salmon gravlax and taramasalata on a seed-crusted torpedo roll seasoned like an everything bagel.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 27, 2018

Even so, he's not short of loyal customers for his taramasalata or lugging in his watermelons up to the till.

From BBC • May 26, 2018

Easier done than said, taramasalata is carp roe and cauliflower whipped into a pale pink cloud and garnished with a teaspoon of steely paddlefish caviar.

From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2016

A veritable fountain of youth in our dolmades and taramasalata and even in our baklava, which didn’t commit the sin of containing refined sugar but had only honey.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides