Definition

Noun: A South Asian dish consisting of fragrant, spiced rice cooked together with meat (such as chicken, lamb, or goat), fish, or vegetables. The rice is typically flavored with saffron or turmeric, giving it a distinctive yellow color, and is layered or mixed with the other ingredients.

Usage

The word "biryani" is a countable noun. It refers to the complete dish. You can order, cook, or serve a biryani.

Examples

• We ordered a chicken biryani and a vegetable biryani for dinner.
• Her specialty is making a delicious lamb biryani.
• This restaurant serves the best biryani in the city.

Advanced Usage

• As a modifier: "biryani" can be used attributively to describe related items.
  • The biryani rice was perfectly cooked.
  • We bought biryani spices from the market.

Variants and Related Words

• Biryani is the most common spelling in English. Variant spellings include biriyani and briyani.
• Pulao/Pilaf (noun): A related dish where rice is cooked in a seasoned broth, but it is generally less complex and not as layered as a biryani.

Synonyms

• Spiced rice dish: A descriptive synonym.
• Pilau/Pilaf: A similar, though often distinct, dish from Middle Eastern and Central Asian cuisines.

Different Meanings

"Biryani" has one primary meaning as a specific culinary dish. It does not have other common metaphorical or idiomatic meanings.

Idioms

There are no common English idioms that use the word "biryani." It is used literally to refer to the food item.

Noun

1. an Indian dish made with highly seasoned rice and meat or fish or vegetables