Ambergris (pronounced am-ber-grees or am-ber-gris)
The waxy, sometimes opaque (the color from ash-gret to
jet black) morbid secretion of the sperm whale intestine, usually found
floating on the ocean or washed ashore: used in perfumery and (historically),
in cooking & folk medicine.
1375–1425: From the Old & Middle French ambre gris (literally gray amber) which
replaced the Middle English imbergres. The construct was thus amber + gris. Amber was from the Middle English ambre & aumbre, from the Old French aumbre
& ambre, from the Arabic عَنْبَر (ʿanbar), (ambergris), from the Middle Persian anbar & ambar (ambergris). The word displaced the Middle English smulting (from Old English smelting (amber)), the Old English eolhsand (amber), the Old English glær (amber), and the Old English sāp (amber, resin, pomade).
Most etymologists seem to conclude the Arabic anbar entered European languages via Medieval Latin. Gris was from the Old French or the Old
Occitan gris (grey), both from the Frankish
grīs, from the Proto-Germanic grīsaz (grey) and was akin to the Old
High German grīs (grey) (source of
the modern German greis) and the Dutch
grijs (grey). The now largely obsolete spellings were amber-gris & amber gris and the latter was for centuries the usual form, the single-word
spelling not predominate until the nineteenth century. During the seventeenth century, folk
etymologies interpreted the form as “amber grease” or “amber of Greece” and
regionally both were for some time in common use. Until the twentieth century, the clipping “amber”
was also in use and this was the original form, the “grey” element appended in
the fourteenth century as a point of differentiation after the adoption in Romance
languages of “amber” as the term to describe Baltic amber (the resin associated
with fossils) and gradually, that use came to replace “yellow amber” (ambre
jaune). In modern use, amber is
understood as the color and the resin white ambergris is the whale secretion. Ambergris is a noun; the noun plural is plural
ambergrises (although ambergris is in common use).
Lindsay Lohan in an advertisement for FCUK (French Connection UK). According to FCUK, their fragrances have never used ambergris in the mix.
Curiously, the knowledge of the
origin of ambergris was for centuries lost to European science. Notes about the relationship of the substance
to whales were later found in the papers of the eleventh century physician Constantinus
Africanus (a Muslim of North African origin who spent the latter part of his
life practicing his profession in Italy) but as late as the eighteenth century the
matter was still subject to speculation, some of the theories as bizarre as anything
contemplated during Antiquity to explain the existence of the mysterious eel
and others were also baffled; both the Malays and the Chinese attributed the
source of ambergris to either sea-dragons or sea-serpents. It was though prized for its scent and
authors noted the relationship between color and fragrance: the darker the less
pleasing one was to the nose. However,
chefs had to be cautious because as noted by the English poet & satirist
Alexander Pope (1688-1744): A little whiff of it, by snatches, is very
agreeable; but when a man holds a whole lump of it to his nose, it is a stink
and strikes you down”. It was thus much
enjoyed but only in small doses and rather as a little truffle might be grated
today over a plate of scrambled eggs, so was ambergris once used, eggs with a
dusting said to be the favorite dish of Charles II (1630–1685; King of Scotland
1649-1651, King of Scotland, England and Ireland 1660-1685).
Chanel No.5 concentrate.
Three shades of grey: White, brown & black ambergris.
Ambergris is expensive for the most obvious reason in a world of supply and demand: rarity. For reasons not understood, it appears fewer than 2% of sperm whales produce the substance and chunks of it can drift for years in the ocean currents before washing ashore to be collected, either by a lucky beachgoer or (more probably) by professional harvesters who study tidal charts and the migration patterns of whale herds to determine the most likely spots for a crop. It can certainly be a lucrative business, brokers or perfumers paying thousands of dollars a kilogram and it’s the color (there are three color-based grades) and quality which determines the value, not the volume. The white ambergris is the highest grade and thus the most expensive, possessing what aficionados describe as a “well-rounded, delicately soft, sweet, marine scent” and one which intensifies with age, an ambergris left undiscovered for years will “cure” finally to mature as a dusty, bright white chunk. While less exalted, brown ambergris is the most versatile of the three and adaptable for use in more variations of scent, straddling the qualities and characteristics of the white and black. Brown ambergris is noted for its woodier, tobacco-like fragrance and is probably closest in nature to musk. Black ambergris is said by some to be almost brutish but, lack the delicate tones of the light shades, this can be an advantage for those formulating something like an aromatherapy oil which will be dispersed over a large space. Noted for a pungent smell, it uses are limited because to most it seems more faecal than brown or white ambergris, but it’s very primitiveness makes it attractive for the niche market it serves. In a sense it’s just another commodity so the retail prices do bounce around but the lighter shades tend to sell for as much as US$35 a gram.
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