چلو

English translation: Chelow or polow

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Persian (Farsi) term or phrase:	چلو
English translation:	Chelow or polow
Entered by:	Farzad Akmali

10:16 May 29, 2009

Persian (Farsi) to English translations [PRO]
Food & Drink / Varieties of rice

Persian (Farsi) term or phrase: چلو

Greetings,

Unfortunately I've been unable to get a precise definition. Is it basmati rice or pilau rice or something else? Is it prepared using saffron?

Also, would it be correct to define it as a kind of perench or as a kind of pelAv?

Many thanks as ever,

Simon

PS Is the vav pronounced long or short? Long U or short O? Perhaps a bit like the English "cello" (the musical instrument)? With the stress on the last syllable, I imagine.

SeiTT KudoZ activity Questions: 3738 (none open) (1 without valid answers) (9 closed without grading) Answers: 1 United Kingdom
Local time: 03:19

Chelow or polow

Explanation:
It's pronounced both "short" or diphthong as in "cello"!

Please refer to links provided.
http://www.isfahan4u.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&si...

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Note added at 22 mins (2009-05-29 10:38:17 GMT)
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Polow or pilau is used when the food is prepared with "rice and vegetables" such as:
سبزی پلو، باقلالی پلو، کلم پلو
Chelow is used when it's prepared with "rice & meat":
چلو گوشت، چلو مرغ، چلو کباب
it's a matter of collocations!

Selected response from:

Farzad Akmali

Grading comment

many thanks very good indeed
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +2

Chelow or polow

Farzad Akmali

cooked rice, pilau, pilaff

Ebrahim Golavar

Chelo

Ali Beikian

parboiled & steamed rice w/o oil

Behzad Molavi

Answers

5 mins confidence:

cooked rice, pilau, pilaff

Explanation:
..

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Note added at 13 mins (2009-05-29 10:29:51 GMT)
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its pronunciation is like this: chelo and the stress is on the first syllabel. It is not actually a kind of rice but it has both cooked rice with something like kabob and it cab said that it is a mixture of both. We have also have chelo Kebob or Chelo Gheme ...

Ebrahim Golavar
Works in field
Native speaker of: Persian (Farsi)
PRO pts in category: 4

10 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

Chelow or polow

Farzad Akmali
Native speaker of:

Persian (Farsi)
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

many thanks very good indeed

1 hr confidence:

Chelo

Explanation:
It is believed that rice (berenj in Persian) was brought to Iran from southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent in ancient times. Varieties of rice in Iran include champa, rasmi, anbarbu, mowlai, sadri, khanjari, shekari, doodi, and others. Basmati rice from India is very similar to these Persian varieties and is also readily available in Iran. Traditionally, rice was most prevalent as a major staple item in northern Iran, while in the rest of the country bread was the dominant staple. The varieties of rice most valued in Persian cuisine are prized for their aroma, and grow in the north of Iran.

Methods of cooking rice
There are three primary methods of cooking rice in Iran:

Polo : rice is prepared by soaking in salted water and boiled, while parboiled rice is called Chelo. Chelo is drained and put back in the pot to be steamed. This method results in an exceptionally fluffy rice with the rice grains separated and not sticky. A golden rice crust is created at the bottom of the pot called Tah-deeg (literally "bottom of the pot"). Tah-deeg can be plain or with spreading lavash or other thin breads or slices of raw potatoes on the bottom of the pot. Meat, vegetable, nuts and fruits are sometimes added in layers or completely mixed with the chelo and then steamed, such as Baghali Polo, Lubia Polo, Zereshk Polo and Sabzi Polo. When Chelo is in the pot the heat is reduced and a piece of thick cloth or towel is place on top of the pot for absorbing the extra steam.
Kateh : rice that is cooked until the water is absorbed completely. This is also the traditional dish of Gilan Province (described in detail below).
Damy : cooked almost the same as Kateh but at the start ingredients that can be cooked thoroughly with the rice are added such as grains and beans such as lentil in "Adass Polo". In making Kateh the heat is reduced to minimum when the rice and other ingredients are almost cooked. If kept long enough on the stove without burning and over-cooking Damy and Kateh can also produce Tah-deeg. Damy literally means "steaming". A special form of Damy is Tah-chin, that is a mixture of yogurt, lamb and rice plus saffron and egg yolks .

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Iran

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-05-29 11:59:53 GMT)
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It is pronounced as "chelo" with the same vowels as in the English word "yellow", and the stress is on the first syllable, again just like "yellow".

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Iran

Ali Beikian
Iran
Local time: 05:49
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Persian (Farsi)

1 day 1 hr confidence:

parboiled & steamed rice w/o oil

Explanation:
I think what the article on Wiki has failed to mention is that "chelo" is not only rice that is parboiled, sifted and steamed (like "polo"), but also no oil - or a meagre amount of it - is added in the process, which gives the rice grains a drier, more separated and less sticky texture than that of "polo". In Persian, the rice prepared thus is called "zendeh" meaning "live". That is why a small bar of butter - or rarely nowadays, an egg yolk - is served with a dish of chelokabaab to be mixed with chelo. Grilled tomatoes and even kabaab juice also work as a "wetting agent" in making - the sometimes notoriously dry - chelo more palatable and according to the prevalent Iranian taste!

Behzad Molavi
Australia
Local time: 12:19
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Persian (Farsi)

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چلو

English translation: Chelow or polow

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چلو

English translation: Chelow or polow

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