25 August 2023
Question
I know the word parev refers to a food that is neither meat nor milk. But where does the word come from? Is it Yiddish or Hebrew?
Answer
This word is a mystery. It is Yiddish, but no one really knows for sure where it comes from.
All Yiddish words are adaptations from other languages. But the concept of parev does not exist in any other culture. Only Jews have the prohibition of mixing dairy foods with meat, and only Jews have a category of food that can be eaten with either.
Curiously, there was no word for this in classical Hebrew. So the question is, where did the word come from? Linguistic scholars have proposed a wide range of creative theories as to its origin. Here are a few:
Latin par , meaning pair, as parev food can be paired with either meat or milk.
French pareil , meaning equal, as it can be eaten with anything.
Czech parovy , meaning steam, because to remain parev, food must not be cooked in butter or animal fat, but rather steamed.
Spanish PARa todo los VEces , "for all times", like parev food that can be eaten any time, whether with meat or milk.
Persian Parva , the name of a builder who constructed a chamber of the Temple in Jerusalem. This chamber was partially in the priestly section of the Temple, and partially in the non-priestly section. It stretched over boundaries and straddled two worlds, like parev food does.
Hebrew Parve which means fur. An animal produces meat, milk and fur. Fur is parev, as it’s neither meat nor milk.
If you ask me which theory I prefer, I’m afraid I will have to remain parev on this one. Let’s leave it as an untranslatable and original Yiddish word, that can be used in any language. It only makes sense that parev can go with anything.
There’s something in that. You don't always have to take a side, or pick a team, or have an opinion. Sometimes it’s ok to be parev. That doesn’t mean you are avoiding the issue. Parev is a concept of its own. When milk people can’t mix with meat people, I’ll stay parev and mix with them all.
