Colonial Rice Pilau http://southernfood.about.com/cs/redbeansrice/a/ricepilau.htm Is it pilau, perloo. Perlau, plaw, pilaw, pilaf, or pilaff? The word comes from the Turkish pilaw, from the Persian pilaw, and from the Osmanli pilav, "rice porridge." Pronunciation is just as varied, as in PER-lo, PEELaf, or per-LO. According to Bill Neal, Charlestonians, no matter how they spell it, all pronounce it PER-low. English writers spoke of the dish in the seventeenth century, and by the eighteenth century it had taken hold in Britain, especially after the empire spread through the Middle East and into India. In America, the Southern rice crops and the influence of the spice trade made the dish popular. Pilau has been a popular dish in many Southern states for 300 years, particularly South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. From "Cross Creek Cookery," by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings "…We pronounce the word "pur-loo." It is any dish of meat and rice cooked together. No Florida church supper, no large rural gathering, is without it. It is blessed among dishes for such a purpose, or for a large family, for meat goes farther in a pilau than prepared in any other way." There are a number of variations from region to region, all with a variety of ingredients complementing the essential rice. From chicken and meat to seafood or vegetables, it is a dish of many possibilities. Whether you need a main dish or side dish, there is probably a pilau recipe perfect for you.