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  3. General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

пшонка

English translation: raw corn on the cob

21:52 Jun 5, 2016
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Russian term or phrase: пшонка
From a 19th century short story; a Polish girl who wound up living with Gypsies is telling the story of how she was lost as a little girl during some fighting and does not remember her family.

Все хаты горели. И ночь пришла, и день пришел, они всё ещё горели, а я сидела в саду и плакала. Один ли вечер настал, два ли, не помню, а я всё одна сидела в саду, всё хотела в хату, а хаты нет и людей нет ни одного. Я ела груши, да сырую пшонку, и всё плакала; а дым меня чуть не задушил.

Thanks in advance.
Deborah Hoffman
Local time: 00:33
English translation:raw corn on the cob
Explanation:
Пшонка is a Bessarabian dialect denomination for young corn on the cob and, respectively, for a traditional porridge-like dish made out of corn grits. Heard it talked about myself.

By the way, pears ripen up about the same time corn does. She didn't necessarily eat them ripe, however.

Besides, how on earth do you eat raw millet? And who would be growing millet in the garden? It is a field crop.
Selected response from:

NataliaShevchuk
Local time: 00:33
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5raw corn on the cob
NataliaShevchuk
5 +1porridge made from millet cereal
Tatiana Grehan
4 +1(uncooked) millet seeds
Alexander Kayumov


  

Answers


18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
сырая пшонка = сырая пшёнка
(uncooked) millet seeds


Explanation:
I believe it's an old spellling of "пшёнка" (similarly to how "чёрт" used to be spelled "чорт"). Normally it would be millet gruel = millet porridge = millet kasha.

However, since it's "сырая пшонка", it refers not to the cooked kasha, but rather to the (uncooked) millet seeds themselves.

Alexander Kayumov
Russian Federation
Local time: 09:33
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rachel Douglas: If it's not cooked, then it's raw. "Raw millet." This phrase appears in plenty of 19th-century books in English, so it should be OK.
7 mins
  -> Thank you!
neutral  NataliaShevchuk: Does not seem to be the case in this context.
3 hrs
neutral  The Misha: No millet here, I am afraid. This alone gives you away as a "chyo" rather than a "sho" person:)
14 hrs
  -> Now, that's a bit racist. :) // I think it could be either millet or corn. Seeing as the girl herself didn't burn, nor the trees, I don't see how that's an argument for or against anything. I'm sure you can eat raw millet if sufficiently hungry.
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
porridge made from millet cereal


Explanation:
пшонка = пшонная каша = porridge made from millet cereal

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 mins (2016-06-05 22:12:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Correction: raw millet cereal

Tatiana Grehan
United States
Local time: 00:33
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Russian
PRO pts in category: 68

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rachel Douglas: With "raw millet." No need to add "cereal."
7 mins
  -> Thank you!
neutral  The Misha: So how come the millet didn't burn with the khata? And what did she cook that porridge on? Pshonka, as it is popularly known all over the Ukrainian south, is indeed corn on the cob.
14 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
raw corn on the cob


Explanation:
Пшонка is a Bessarabian dialect denomination for young corn on the cob and, respectively, for a traditional porridge-like dish made out of corn grits. Heard it talked about myself.

By the way, pears ripen up about the same time corn does. She didn't necessarily eat them ripe, however.

Besides, how on earth do you eat raw millet? And who would be growing millet in the garden? It is a field crop.

Example sentence(s):
  • ПШОНКА — вареный кукурузный початок. С незапамятных времен является непременным деликатесом и атрибутом пляжной жизни.
  • Вté de Тurquie, майсъ, Турецкая пшонка, кукуруза.

    Reference: http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/ushakov/992226
    Reference: http://tinyurl.com/gm7kllo
NataliaShevchuk
Local time: 00:33
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in UkrainianUkrainian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lazyt3ch: Кстати, в Мультитране есть словарная статья «пшёнка». P.S. «Молочную» кукурузу вполне можно есть сырой.
4 hrs
  -> Спасибо!
agree  mk_lab
4 hrs
  -> Спасибо!
agree  Katerina O.
5 hrs
  -> Спасибо!
agree  Oleg Lozinskiy
7 hrs
  -> Спасибо!
agree  The Misha: Pshonka rules! Down with Raw Millet!:)
11 hrs
  -> Thanks! :)
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