Questions & Answers -
Pronunciation of Chicken Divan
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I am trying to find the pronunciation for the dish chicken divan. Is it
divan ( as in like the couch) or divahn? It will help settle a difference
in opinions. Answers: Some of the below information is from Bartley.com:
Pronunciation: di-'van, 'dI-"van, esp in senses 1, 2, & 4
also di-'vän, dI-'van
Function: noun Etymology: Turkish, from Persian dIwAn account book Date: 1586 1 a : the privy council of the Ottoman Empire b 2 : a council chamber 3 : a large couch usually without back or arms often designed for use as a bed 4 : a collection of poems in Persian or Arabic usually by one author
HISTORY: Chicken Divan was the signature dish of a 1950s New
York restaurant, the Divan Parisienne. It is the word "divan"
itself that is of interest. In English, divan came to mean sofa,
from the council chamber's benches, while in France it meant a
meeting place or great hall. It was this meaning that attracted
the notice of the owners of the New York restaurant as they
searched for a name that would simply continental elegance.
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