Where does the expression ‘drizzle’ come from?
A cruet will drizzle olive oil perfectly regardless which kitchen it is in, yours, or the fancy one on TV’s Gourmet Food Show.
When gourmet chefs first implored us to drizzle olive oil on garden salads and on grilled fish, the problem wasn’t just that drizzle is a silly word, but good quality olive oil was hard to find. For decades bland tasting, golden olive oils have dominated the market. They may have been fine for frying, but no where near good enough to garnish a newly grilled salmon. Now we are seeing an offering of quality olive oils. Retailers are stocking better Italian and Spanish olive oils. So the drizzle effect can continue ever so abundantly.
But what is meant by “drizzle” over this…?
A quick look at the proper definition will help.
driz·zle
[driz-uhl]verb, -zled, -zling, noun –verb
1. to rain gently and steadily in fine drops; sprinkle: It drizzled throughout the night.
2. to fall in fine drops.
3. to rain or let fall in fine drops; sprinkle: He drizzled honey over the fruit.
4. to pour in a fine stream: Drizzle melted butter over the breadcrumb topping.
–noun 5. a very light rain.
6. Meteorology. precipitation consisting of numerous, minute droplets of water less than 1/50 in. (0.5 mm) in diameter. —Related forms drizzly, adverb driz·zle (drzl) v. driz·zled, driz·zling, driz·zles
To rain gently in fine, mistlike drops. v. tr.
To let fall in fine drops or particles: drizzled melted butter over the asparagus.
To moisten with fine drops: drizzled the asparagus with melted butter. n.
A fine, gentle, misty rain.
[Perhaps from Middle English drisning, fall of dew, from Old English -drysnian, …]
With a definition of ‘drizzle’ fresh before us, now we can see what the food writers and gourmet chefs have been intending us to ‘dew’ with our olive oil. drizzle olive oil, drizzle cruet, gourmet drizzler
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