There is an old Armenian saying: “Ever since pilaf burned his mouth, he blows even on his yogurt.”

The obvious allusion to an overly cautious man aside, the proverb underscores what a staple this rice dish is, not just for Armenians. It is found on tables throughout the entire Middle East.

There are, perhaps, hundreds of different sorts of pilafs on tables from Syria to Greece – and they vary by the culture, by the ingredients available, by the meat dish served with it, and by the individual taste and style of the cook. Basically, the main ingredient of these dishes is rice, bulgur wheat or couscous, steamed in some sort of stock and flavored with various spices and minced vegetable additions to the dish.

This is a basic rice recipe, popular in Turkey and parts of Syria. It goes equally well with lamb shish kebabs or with a wide variety of chicken dishes.