Relish

From the book Saving the Season by Kevin West: 

The archaic origin of the word “relish” is revealing. Around 1300, “reles” entered the language from the Old French relaisser, “to leave behind.” The Oxford English dictionary cites a poem from the era ....[and] proposes that the meaning of “reles,” ... although unclear, was probably “the sensation or impression left behind” – the aftertaste. From the sixteenth century onward, the word’s spelling, pronunciation, and general sense of “to enjoy” became what it is today. “Hunger and Thirst are our best sauce,” wrote the Reverend Nathaniel Ingelo in his religious allegory Bentrivolio and Urania of 1660. “We still keep some to relish our next meal.” … 

 

[R]elish occupies a niche somewhere between condiment and side dish. …Relish stimulates the appetite – and leaves behind a pleasant aftertaste. 

So I made corn relish, from a recipe in this book. The corn came from my brother’s garden and the peppers from mine. It is lovely, little golden jars of corn studded with red and green peppers, spices, and chopped onions. We will relish this – enjoy it -– in days to come, and I will relish the memory of preserving the food that grew from our hands on our land, left behind now in my pantry.