ФОРЕЛЬ

Quince jam is orange in color. Trout meat is too. Why does this matter? Because it helps confirm that the word "trout" (форель)—which we interpret as the Georgian adjective "foreli"—originates from the root "fore" (ფორე). According to Ariane Chanturia’s dictionary, this word previously referred to a variety of quince in Georgian.

From this linguistic connection, we can infer that quince (in its cooked form) was the only source of orange color available to ancient Georgians. As a result, the word "quince" (fore) was used to name a fish with orange-colored meat.

Put simply, "trout," from a Georgian etymological perspective, means "quince-fish."

Skeptical ichthyologists who argue that trout meat isn’t orange should note that this refers specifically to sea trout (kumzha), whose flesh is indeed reddish. Historically, this species was abundant in the Black Sea waters off Georgia.