noun
pilaf
pee-lahf
Pilaf (noun) means a rice (or other grain) dish cooked in seasoned broth, often with meat or vegetables mixed in. Example: “She served the lamb over a fragrant saffron pilaf.”
noun
1
A rice (or other grain) dish cooked in seasoned broth, often with meat or vegetables mixed in.
"My spirits rose as I passed among the tents and savored the aroma of steaming pots of pilaf and the long skewers of shashlyk roasting over the open fires."
— Cothburn O’Neal (1952)
"She served the lamb over a fragrant saffron pilaf."
"The restaurant's vegetable pilaf came studded with almonds and raisins."
How to use pilaf
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishRice simmered in stock, often with extra ingredients cooked in — common across Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Mediterranean cuisines.
Easily confused with
pilau
Common pairings
rice pilaf
chicken pilaf
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Word forms
- Plural
- pilafs
Fill the gap
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She served the lamb over a fragrant saffron _____.
Etymology
Traced back through Turkish and Persian to a Sanskrit word for cooked rice, likely of Dravidian origin further back still.
Synonyms
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pilau
pilaw
pilaff
Frequently asked questions
What does “pilaf” mean?
The word “pilaf” means a rice (or other grain) dish cooked in seasoned broth, often with meat or vegetables mixed in. In plain terms, rice simmered in stock, often with extra ingredients cooked in — common across Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Mediterranean cuisines.
How do you pronounce “pilaf”?
“Pilaf” is pronounced pee-lahf (/piːlæf/ in IPA).
How do you use “pilaf” in a sentence?
Here is “pilaf” used in a sentence: “She served the lamb over a fragrant saffron pilaf.”
What part of speech is “pilaf”?
“Pilaf” is a noun.
Where does the word “pilaf” come from?
The word “pilaf” comes from Persian. Traced back through Turkish and Persian to a Sanskrit word for cooked rice, likely of Dravidian origin further back still.
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