Rice pilaf is a very popular side dish here in the US but despite this the American perception of pilaf is somewhat limited. When you see rice pilaf on an American supermarket shelf or restaurant menu you get rice with a few spices and maybe a few pieces of a small pasta shape like orzo or vermicelli. But in other parts of the world — Asia the Middle East Latin America — this version of pilaf would seem surprisingly simple. In most cases pilaf is more than just rice. It’s a main dish that includes a wide variety of meats vegetables nuts and even fruits. But that doesn’t detract from the central role of rice in the dish.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
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 Food Wishes | 2012-07-12 03:00:08 |  878,287 Views |
Classic Rice Pilaf – How to Make Perfect Rice
If you’re wondering why you only hear about pilaf in relation to rice it’s because pilaf is almost always rice. More specifically it’s a specific method of cooking rice. At its most basic level pilaf refers to rice that has been cooked in broth and spices both of which are excellent ways to add flavor to regular rice. The other defining characteristic is that all of the rice grains should be separated not sticky and never mushy. To achieve this cooks wash the rice multiple times to remove all of the outer starch. Rinsing the rice before cooking is a non-negotiable for making great pilaf. Aside from these factors pilaf is highly adaptable and many unique variations have emerged throughout history.
Pilaf was originally a Persian dish that dates back to at least the 10th century when the first known recipe for pilaf was recorded by Ibn Sīnā (also known as Avicenna). Ibn Sīnā is considered one of the most prominent philosophers and scientists in Islamic history and if that weren’t enough he is widely recognized today as the father of rice pilaf. The dish eventually spread outside of Persia first to India when the country came under Muslim rule in the Middle Ages.
The origin of the name rice pilaf is difficult to determine as each language has a different word for it. In its native Iran it is known as "polo". In Central Asia it has names such as palov and plov (the national dish of Uzbekistan). In India it is "pulao" or "palao" and in the Caribbean it is "pelau". Our version "pilaf" probably comes from the Turkish version "pilav". "Pilaf" is unique to American English; in British English it is called "pilau". Some theories point to the Sanskrit word "pulaka" as the original root which is derived from a verb meaning "to stand on its side" which may refer to the way the rice grains are kept apart.
