baranka

English

Barankas

Etymology

From Russian бара́нка (baránka).

Noun

baranka (plural barankas or baranki)

1. A traditional Russian dough ring, somewhat smaller than a bublik, but also thinner and drier.
   • 1859, [Mary Ann Pellew Smith], “Monastery of Verlama—Derjaëvin’s Grave—Bronitzee—[…]”, in Six Years’ Travels in Russia. […], volume II, London: Hurst and Blackett, […], page 15:

     How comical we should have looked on a country road in old England, as we jogged along, almost buried in our cushions, with our eggs in our fingers and the salt in a paper receptacle; and ever and anon stretching out our arms at full length for the baranki, which depended in graceful festoons over our heads!

   • 1911 February, [Stephen Graham], “The Conversion of Vania: A Sidelight on the Russian National Liquor Monopoly”, in Scientific Temperance Journal, volume XX, number 6, Boston, Mass.: The Scientific Temperance Federation, pages 86–87:

     I had bought some barankas—dry Russian biscuits—en route.

   • 1911 September 30, Stephen Graham, “The Compensations of Illiteracy”, in The Living Age, seventh series, volume LII (CCLXX overall), number 3508, Boston, Mass.: The Arakelyan Press, page 881, column 1:

     Outside the baker’s shop, beside his printed name—printed name, by the way, often quite unintelligible to himself—is a very lively picture of white loaves and rolls, biscuits, krendels, baranki, cakes.

   • 1973, Aleksandr I[sayevich] Solzhenitsyn, translated by Thomas P[orter] Whitney, “Tyurzak”, in The Gulag Archipelago, 1918–1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation (Perennial Library), parts I–II, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row, →ISBN, part I (The Prison Industry), page 471:

     He had received a food parcel earlier, and so he ate only butter and ring-shaped rolls, baranki, and he quit eating black bread a week before his strike.

   • 1984, Jackson J[erald] Benson, “The Last Battle”, in The True Adventures of John Steinbeck, Writer: A Biography, New York, N.Y.: The Viking Press, →ISBN, chapter XLVII, section I, page 942:

     We drop our eyes, mumble something inarticulate, add more tea to each other’s glasses, and nibble barankas.

   • 1984 October, F. M. Agranovich, “First Results of Experiment Reported”, in A. G. Aganbegyan, editor, EKO: Economics and Organization of Industrial Production (USSR Report, Economic Affairs), number 10, Springfield, Va.: Foreign Broadcast Information Service, reproduced by National Technical Information Service, published 1985 February 13, JPRS-UEA-85-006, page 66:

     We have a monopoly in Kiev on barankas and diabetic bread roll items.

Further reading

• Bublik § Common names and types on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Papiamentu

Etymology

From Spanish barranca and Portuguese barranco, both in the meaning of ravine.

Noun

baranka

1. rock
2. cliff