Pilaf

Pilaf, also Pilau, Pilaf and pilaf is an original oriental dish whose main ingredient is rice. It is cooked in a pot or pan of long grain rice, onion, broth and any meat, fish or vegetables. After the rice with broth was (typically 1:2 ) boiled in an open pot, he is then steamed in a covered pot. The finished rice is characterized by loose, granular structure. Depending on the recipe the other ingredients during preparation or while serving to be added.

Etymology and history

According to cultural historians, the original name is Persian پلو / palau (also Polow ). However, it has no meaning in that language, so that it may be a linguistic transfer from India. The cooking technique for pilaf, however, was introduced in India only by Muslims.

The oldest known mention of pilaf technique is available in Arabic books of the 13th century, written in Baghdad and Syria. The ingredients they call meat, legumes and fruits. In Arab recipe collections of the 10th century, is not this technique.

One of the oldest proven recipes is qabuli pulaw, initially only with meat and chickpeas, today mostly also with almonds and raisins. This variant is now in Afghanistan as a national dish.

Dissemination

Iran

In Persian cuisine, it is considered to be particularly desirable if the bottom layer of rice forms a crispy crust in the pot, the tah dig ( literally pot bottom ) is called. It is considered particularly tasty. This preference for the baked rice is also available in Armenia and in Azerbaijan, tah dig but is not mentioned in ancient Persian cookbooks.

In Iran there are, among others, the following Polowgerichte:

  • Adas Polow ( Rice lens )
  • Albalu Polow ( cherry rice)
  • Bagali Polow (Dick beans rice)
  • Gheisi Polow (apricot rice)
  • Hawidsch Polow (carrot rice)
  • Lubia Polow ( rice bean )
  • Sereschk Polow ( Berberitzenreis )
  • Reschteh Polow ( rice noodle )
  • Sabsi Polow (Herb Rice )
  • Shirin Polow ( sweet rice with chicken )
  • Tah Chin Polow ( Hühner-/Enten-Joghurt-Reis )

Central Asia

In Central Asia, plow, Palov, Osh is for a dish called Palav, first cooked a stew. At the end of cooking rice is scattered about, covered with a little water, boiled and then steamed. The stew contains meat, onions and carrots and other vegetables and some dried fruits. This dish is traditionally cooked by men here and is both an everyday dining as well as a feast. There are also competitions in Palav cooking, in Uzbekistan the court for weddings of a Palav Master is cooked in a huge pot. Palov is the most popular food in Uzbekistan.

Turkey

In Turkish cuisine is pilaf with vegetables today mostly a side dish that is served with meat or even beans ( stew). This dish (bean stew with rice ) in Turkey is also a traditional wedding dinner, which (usually many ) is served guests, among other things.

The Pilau rice is cooked but not separated here from the other ingredients, but also together with them. Partly also often bulgur (wheat porridge ) is used instead of rice in Turkey, it is common also in Syria and Armenia and also called pilaf.

In contrast to other countries, only small roast beef or Lammfleischstückchen become the Turkish pilaf rice mostly mixed ( " Etli pilaf ": Pilaf with meat ), and sometimes also used tomatoes.

Other countries

In many Islamic countries and India are the most popular types of meat lamb, mutton and chicken. For about 200 years pilaf is also known in the Caribbean cuisine based on recipes of emigrants from India. This includes the court - unlike in Islamic countries - often pork or ham, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and olives or peanuts.

650529
de