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Sichuan Peppers and the Etymology of Fagara (Rutaceae)

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Abstract

Sichuan Peppers and the Etymology ofFagara(Rutaceae). We present a synopsis of the history and derivation of faraga from its Arabic origin through confusion with the Chinese fajiu. Fagara, or Zanthoxylum, a medicinal spice, has a venerable history of human uses beginning in China, spreading through West Asia to Europe, and finally reaching the New World.

Abstract

Los Pimientos de Sichuan y la Etimología deFagara(Rutaceas). Nosotros presentamos un resumen de la historia y derivación de fagara a partir de su origen Arabe pasando por su confusión con el nombre Chino, fajiu. Fagara, o Zanthoxylum, una especia medicinal que tiene una venerable historia de usos humanos que comienzan en China, se propagan a travez del Asia Occidente hacia Europa llegando finalmente al Nuevo Mundo.

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Acknowledgments

Ihsan Al-Shehbaz, Jacquelyn Kallunki, and Ching-I Peng kindly reviewed a draft of this manuscript. Adel Gamal provided comments on regional Arabic pronunciation of words and their relationships and made further suggestions on the manuscript. Dorothea Bedigian was kind enough to contact an Arabic-speaking colleague; Arif provided the uses of fagara in the Sudanese Arabic. Alejandro Velasco-Levy translated the abstract into Spanish.

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  1. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ, 85743, USA

    Daniel F. Austin

  2. Herbarium, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Richard S. Felger

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Austin, D.F., Felger, R.S. Sichuan Peppers and the Etymology of Fagara (Rutaceae). Econ Bot 62, 567–573 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-008-9057-0

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