is a fictional dish originating from Aristophanes' 391 BC comedy Assemblywomen, deriving from a transliteration of the Ancient Greek word . In A GreekâÂÂEnglish Lexicon, it is defined as the "name of a dish compounded of all kinds of dainties, fish, flesh, fowl, and sauces".
It is the longest Greek word, containing 171 letters and 78 syllables. The transliteration has 183 Latin characters and is the longest word ever to appear in literature, according to the Guinness World Records (1990).
The form of the word quoted here is the version listed in the Liddell & Scott Greek lexicon (1940) and quoted therein as being amended by August Meineke, contrasting F.W. Hall and W.M. Geldart's 1907 edition of Aristophanis Comoediae (used in the Assemblywomen play) variant of (differences underlined):<br> .
The dish was a fricassée, with at least 16 sweet and sour ingredients, including the following:
The term is used in the ultimate chorus of the play, when Blepyrus (and the audience) are summoned to the first feast laid on by the new system.
In English prose translation by Leo Strauss (1966), this Greek word is rendered as "oysters-saltfish-skate-sharks'-heads-left-over-vinegar-dressing-laserpitium-leek-with-honey-sauce-thrush-blackbird-pigeon-dove-roast-cock's-brains-wagtail-cushat-hare-stewed-in-new-wine-gristle-of-veal-pullet's-wings".
English verse translation by Benjamin Bickley Rogers (1902) follows the original meter and the original form of composition:
An older English verse translation by Rev. Rowland Smith (1833) breaks the original word into several verses: