Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Pink/rare (for meat): Describes cooked meat, especially beef or pork, that is still pinkish-red and juicy in the center because it has been cooked for a short time and is not fully done.
   • Soft-boiled/runny (for eggs): Describes an egg, typically a chicken egg, that has been boiled for a short time so that the yolk remains soft, liquid, or semi-liquid.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (for meat):

  • Anh ấy thích ăn bít tết còn lòng đào. (He likes to eat steak that is still rare.)
  • Thịt lợn luộc còn lòng đào không an toàn để ăn. (Boiled pork that is still pink is not safe to eat.)

• Adjective (for eggs):

  • Cô ấy luộc trứng lòng đào để ăn với bánh mì. (She boils eggs soft-boiled to eat with bread.)
  • Trứng lòng đào có lòng đỏ còn chảy. (A soft-boiled egg has a runny yolk.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "lòng đào" is primarily used in the context of food preparation and culinary preferences. It indicates a specific, intentional level of doneness that is less than fully cooked.

Variants and Related Words

• Chín tới (adj): medium (for meat); cooked through but still tender. This describes a level of doneness between "lòng đào" (rare) and "chín kỹ" (well-done).
• Chín kỹ/Chín hẳn (adj): well-done (for meat); hard-boiled (for eggs). This describes food that is fully cooked through.

Synonyms

• Rare: (for meat) cooked lightly, red inside.
• Soft-boiled: (for eggs) boiled so the yolk is soft or liquid.
• Saignant: (French culinary term) rare, bloody.

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms directly using "lòng đào". The term is used literally to describe the state of food.