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- ACHARA spicy and salty pickle in Indian cuisine.
- AFGHANIThe monetary currency of Afghanistan, divided into 100 pul.
- AZURITEA blue vitreous mineral; a basic hydrated copper carbonate, with the chemical formula Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2, used since antiquity as a blue pigment or ores to extract metallic copper.
- BAGHA type of enclosed garden common in south and south-eastern Asia.
- BAHADURA warrior, especially a Turko-Mongol.
- BEGARA system of forced labour in parts of India.
- BEGARSA system of forced labour in parts of India.
- BIRYANIA spiced dish of rice, blended with meat and/or vegetables.
- BUZKASHIA team sport originating in Central Asia, where the players, all on horseback, try to place an animal carcass into a goal.
- CARBOYA large, rigid bottle, originally made of glass and mainly used for fermentation, and now commonly made of plastic and used to store liquids.
- CAVIARRoe of the sturgeon or of certain other large fish, considered a delicacy. A food preparation made through the spherification of a flavorful liquid, resulting in small roe-like bal
- CHABUKA long whip formerly used as an instrument of punishment in India and parts of the Middle East.
- CHANGA traditional harp of central and southwest Asia
- CHINASynonym of porcelain, a hard white translucent ceramic made from kaolin, now sometimes distinguished in reference to tableware as fine or good china.
- COOLIEAn unskilled Asian worker, usually of Chinese or Indian descent; a labourer; a porter. Coolies were frequently transported to other countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries a
- CUSHYMaking few demands; comfortable, easy.
- DEWANA holder of any of various offices in various (usually Islamic) countries, usually some sort of councillor.
- DIXIEA large iron pot, used in the army.
- DOABA tongue or tract of land included between two rivers, especially that between the Ganges and the Yamuna
- FIRMANa royal decree issued by a sovereign in certain historical Islamic states, especially by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
- GIAOURA non-Muslim, especially a Christian, an infidel; especially as used by Turkish people with particular reference to Christians such as Greeks, Armenians, Bulgarians, Serbs and Assy
- GOSHTmutton (or sometimes goat), normally as part of a South Asian curry.
- ISPAGHULAPsyllium (Plantago ovata syn. Plantago ispaghula and Plantago afra syn. Plantago psyllium).
- JAGIRAn assignment of the produce and income of a particular district or village to a person or persons, as an annuity
- JAWANAn infantryman; a soldier.
- JEZAILAn Afghan matchlock or flintlock musket fired from a forked rest.
- KAFTANA long tunic worn in the Eastern Mediterranean.
- KEEMAFinely chopped mince as used in South Asia cookery, typically lamb with peas or potatoes and spices, sometimes used as a filling in samosas or naan.
- KHANUMFemale equivalent of khan.
- KHEDIVEThe title of the hereditary monarch of Egypt from 1805–1914, nominally ruling as a viceroy of the Sultan of Turkey.
- KOFTAAny of various spicy meatball or meatloaf dishes of the Middle East, Caucasus, South Asia, and the Balkans.
- KOFTGARIOrnamental work produced by inlaying steel with gold; a variety of damascening common in Indian art.
- KOFTGARISOrnamental work produced by inlaying steel with gold; a variety of damascening common in Indian art.
- KORMAA curry made from various spices especially coriander and cumin; and often with yoghurt sauce or nuts. A curry of meat slowly braised with ghee. A mild curry (typically the mildest
- KURTAA traditional article of clothing worn in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, consisting of a loose, collarless, long-sleeved, knee-length shirt worn by both m
- LANGARA public eating-place in South Asia, now especially a communal kitchen run by a Sikh community and serving free food.
- LASCARA sailor from India or Southeast Asia, especially as serving on a European ship.
- MANTEAUA cloak or gown, especially of a kind popular with women in the 17th and 18th centuries.
- MEZESmall portions of starters typical of Turkish, Greek and Levantine cuisine (equivalent to Spanish tapas or Hawaiian pu pu) often served as a light meal with pita.
- MIRZAAn educated man in India or Iran (Persia); an official, a clerk.
- MOHURA Persian gold coin.
- NAANA type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
- NIZAMThe hereditary sovereign of Hyderabad, a former state of India.
- PANEERA soft, non-matured, Indian cheese.
- PARAA former subunit of currency in several countries in the Ottoman/Turkish and Yugoslav regions.
- PASHAA high-ranking Turkish military officer, especially as a commander or regional governor; the highest honorary title during the Ottoman Empire.
- PASHMINAA Cashmere; a goat native to Kashmir.
- PERIA sprite or supernatural being.
- PESHWAOriginally, a chief minister under the Marathi princes; later, (the title of) each of the rulers of the Marathi kingdom in central India from 1713–1818.
- POSTEENA sheepskin cloak.
- PYJAMASUK standard form of pajamas.
- SANTOORAn Indian string instrument, a trapezoidal hammered dulcimer with seventy strings, believed to be derived from the Persian santur.
- SCIMITARA sword of Persian origin that features a curved blade.
- SEPOYA native soldier of the East Indies, employed in the service of a European colonial power, notably the British India army (first under the British-chartered East India Company, lat
- SERANGA native Indian boatswain; a lascar captain.
- SERENDIPITYThe phenomenon of making an unplanned, fortunate discovery through a combination of unexpected circumstances and insightful recognition.
- SHIKARHunting, sport; a hunting expedition.
- SIMURGHA gigantic winged benevolent creature.
- SITARA Hindustani/Indian classical stringed instrument, typically having a gourd as its resonating chamber.
- SJAMBOKA stout whip, especially made of rhinoceros or hippopotamus hide.
- SOFTAA religious student, especially in Turkey
- SOWARA soldier on horseback, especially one during the British Raj.
- SPAHIAn Ottoman (Turkish empire) cavalryman, especially as recruited under a land-based system.
- SUBADARThe governor or commander in charge of a subah; a viceroy.
- SYRAHA dark-skinned variety of grape, used to produce red wines.
- TAMBURAA type of long-necked lute-like stringed instrument found throughout the world.
- TANDOORA cylindrical clay oven used in the cuisine of the Caucasus, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent to make flat bread or to cook meat.
- TANDOORICooked in a tandoor.
- TOMANA division of 10,000 men in the Mongolian army.
- TULIPA type of flowering plant, genus Tulipa.
- TURBANA man's headdress made by winding a length of cloth round the head.
- YAARA friend, pal, or buddy.
- YAKHDANA leather basket or trunk formerly used in the Middle East.
- ZAMINDARAn Indian landowner who collected local taxes and paid them to the British government.