Pilaf

For the Dragon Ball character, see List of Dragon Ball characters#Pilaf.

Bengali Pulao, a popular dish in Bangladeshi cuisine.

Pilaf (also known as pilau, peleau and plov) is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth.^[1] In some cases, the rice may also attain its brown color by being stirred with bits of cooked onion, as well as a large mix of spices. Depending on the local cuisine, it may also contain meat and vegetables.

Pilaf and similar dishes are common to Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central and South Asian, East African, Latin American, and Caribbean Indian cuisines.

Etymology [edit]

The English term pilaf is borrowed directly from the Turkish, pilav, which in turn comes from (Classical) Persian polow (پلو), and ultimately derives from Sanskrit pulāka- (पुलाक), "lump of boiled rice".^[2]^[3] The English term is further influenced by Modern Greek pilafi.^[3] Due to the vast spread of the dish, there exist variations of the name in many languages, including plov, polou, palov, pilau etc.

Cuisine [edit]

Uzbek Plov being prepared in a kazan in a Tashkent home

Persian culinary terms referring to rice preparation are numerous and have found their way into the neighbouring languages: polow (rice cooked in broth while the grains remain separate, straining the half cooked rice before adding the broth and then "brewing"), chelow (white rice with separate grains), kateh (sticky rice), biryani, and tajine (slow cooked rice, vegetables, and meat cooked in a specially designed dish also called a tajine). There are also varieties of different rice dishes with vegetables and herbs which are very popular among Persians.

There are four primary methods of cooking rice in Iran:

Chelow: rice that is carefully prepared through soaking and parboiling, at which point the water is drained and the rice is steamed. This method results in an exceptionally fluffy rice with the grains separated and not sticky; it also results in a golden rice crust at the bottom of the pot called tahdig (literally "bottom of the pot").
Polow: rice that is cooked exactly the same as chelow, with the exception that after draining the rice, other ingredients are layered with the rice, and they are then steamed together.

A Tajik man prepares plov, the national dish of Tajikistan.

Kateh: rice that is boiled until the water is absorbed. This is the traditional dish of Northern Iran.
Damy: cooked almost the same as kateh, except that the heat is reduced just before boiling and a towel is placed between the lid and the pot to prevent steam from escaping. Damy literally means "simmered".

In Greek cuisine, piláfi (πιλάφι) is the fluffy and soft, but neither soupy nor sticky, rice that has been boiled in a meat stock or bouillon broth. In Northern Greece, it is considered poor form to prepare piláfi on a stovetop; the pot is properly placed in the oven. Gamopílafo ("wedding pilaf") is the prized pilaf served traditionally at weddings and major celebrations in Crete: rice is boiled in lamb or beef broth, then finished with lemon juice. Gamopílafo though it bears the name is not a pilaf but rather a kind of risotto, with creamy and not fluffy texture.

In Tajik and Afghan cuisine, qabili palau is made by cooking basmati in a broth-like sauce. This dish may be made with lamb, chicken, or beef. Qabili Palau is baked in the oven and topped with fried sliced carrots and raisins. Chopped nuts like pistachios, walnuts, or almonds may be added as well. The meat is covered by the rice or buried in the middle of the dish.

In South Asia, pulao (sometimes spelt pulav, Hindi: पुलाव, Urdu: پلاؤ‎) is a dish consisting of rice and commonly including peas, potatoes, french beans, carrots, mutton, beef, or chicken. It is usually served on special occasions and weddings and is very high in food energy and fat. Meat pulao is a Pakistani and North Indian tradition, especially among the Muslim population. Biryani is another rice dish similar to pilaf, introduced to South Asian cuisine during the Mughal period. It is made from basmati or similar aromatic rice.

In Persian cuisine, Rahkshi (also known as yahni), a soup or stock, is often served over pilaf (pulao).

Uzbek plov differs from other preparations in that rice is not steamed, but instead simmered in a rich stew of meat and vegetables called zirvak, until all the liquid is absorbed into the rice. A limited degree of steaming is commonly achieved by covering the pot. Plov is commonly prepared with lamb and mutton, browned in lamb fat or oil, and then stewed with fried onions, garlic and carrots. Chicken plov is rare but found in traditional recipes originating in Bukhara. Plov is usually spiced with whole black cumin, coriander, barberries, red pepper, marigold, and pepper. Heads of garlic and garbanzo beans are buried into the rice during cooking. Sweet variations, with dried apricots, cranberries and raisins are prepared on special occasions.

Plov is very popular in Russia (as well as other former Soviet republics).

History [edit]

One of the earliest literary references to Pilaf can be found in the histories of Alexander the Great when describing Bactrian hospitality. (Bactria was an eastern province in Greater Iran, probably the birthplace of Alexander's wife Roxana and geographically located in modern Ferghana valley). It was known to have been served to Alexander at a royal banquet following his capture of the Sogdian capital of Marakanda (modern Samarkand, Uzbekistan). It is believed that soldiers from Alexander's army brought the preparation of pilaf back to Macedonia, after which it spread throughout Greece.

It is believed that the proper preparation of pilaf was first documented by a tenth century Central Asian scholar named Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna), who in his books on medical sciences dedicated a whole section to preparing various meals, including several types of pilaf. In doing so, he described advantages and disadvantages of every item used for preparing the dish. Accordingly, Uzbeks and Tajiks consider Ibn Sina to be the "father" of modern pilaf.

Uzbek Plov – there are so many types, tastes and legends of the national dish ^[4] . It is the centerpiece of Uzbek cuisine. No single fest or family event is celebrated without plov. Each region of Uzbekistan cooks its unique type of plov.

Pilau became standard fare in the Middle East over the years with variations and innovations by the Persians, Arabs, Turks, and Armenians. It was introduced to Israel by Bukharian and Persian Jews.

During the period of the Soviet Union, the dish spread throughout the Soviet republics, becoming a favorite dish in such diverse places as Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia.

Rice pilaf examples
Osh palov, the national dish of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, is a staple dish in Bukharian Jewish cuisine.
Typical Turkish pilav. Rice with arpa şehriye (orzo).
Qabili pilau is the national dish of Afghanistan.
Pulao prepared using the Punjabi style, part of Pakistani cuisine.
Azerbaijan pilaf. Left: gara (lamb, halved apricots, plums, apricot seeds). Right: rice (partially colored with turmeric).
Indian style vegetable pulav made with basmati rice, vegetables, and various spices.