Sprachschätze und Stimulanzien auf dem west-südöstlichen Divan
Language Treasures and Stimulants on the West-Southeast Divan

Summary/Abstract: Bosnia-Herzegovina was conquered by Austria-Hungary in 1878. Together with the new rulers new Austrian expressions arrived in the Balkans. The Bosnians usually took these in by listening and integrated them into their own vocabulary. This constituted an amazing achievement of adaptation and integration. Today, the Bosnian language has become something of a museum for Austrian words. The constant exchange between Central and Western Europe and the Southeast is also evident in the kitchen. Similar to communicating channels they influence each other. To illustrate, the Šopska salad is advertised as an old Balkan speciality. But it’s actually a 1970s invention that came from the West. It was only from the 1930s onwards that Bulgaria organized the import of seeds. Although the Šopska salad was stylized in Bulgaria as the “healthy food of the forefathers”, it is a bourgeois and urban dish.

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