‘Rouz’: There is more than a grain of truth to Arabic word for rice

This week’s Arabic word of the week is a staple food in many cultures around the world, particularly in the Middle East. Rouz, which translates to rice, is a significant and popular food in the Arab world rooted in its history, culture and cuisine.

Officially rouz refers to rice, a plant that can grow up to one to two metres tall and with long, slender leaves. Each of these leaves produces flowers that grow out of smaller branches that contain numerous spikelets or thorns that develop into edible grains, which we know as rice or rouz.

Several other words also refer to rouz in Arabic. Aruz is a common term in some areas of the Arab world as is roz, ruzz and timan. There is also sha'iriya, which is used in several savoury and sweet dishes – it primarily refers to vermicelli, but sometimes is used to refer to rice. However, rouz is the most common word for Arabic across dialects.

The origin of the word rouz in Arabic is slightly unusual. It is derived from the verb raza, which is made up of the two Arabic letters Rah and Zad. Raza has several unrelated meanings to each other and to the word rouz. It can mean to set something in place or to knock something in, such as a nail into a wall using a hammer. Other various verb forms in this meaning include "to drive in" or "to insert".

Slightly related to this concept is the second meaning of raza, which is to punch someone or something. The third meaning is very specific and refers to the sound of distant thunder or rain. From this meaning, there is the word rizz in Arabic which refers to any silent or distant sounds, and very specifically can mean the grumblings a stomach makes when a person is hungry.

It is unclear whether raza is completely an Arabic word or if its historical roots come from Aramaic. Regardless, the word has a long-standing history in Arabic.

Across Arabic and Persian poetry, rouz has been used as a metaphor for value, greed, authenticity, abundance, humility and at times even spiritual and emotional transformations.

Two main variations of rouz are used in Arabic dishes – white or brown rouz. Aside from that, depending on cultural meals and recipes, rouz is coloured through the use of spices, herbs and vegetables. Saffron and tomatoes are used to create yellow and red rouz, grilled or caramelised onions and cumin is used to give rouz a deeper brown colour and certain beans and leafy vegetables can give rice a green colour.

Many traditional Arabic dishes include rouz. There is kabsa, considered the national food of Saudi Arabia, which consists of rouz cooked with meat. A similar dish, machboos, is eaten across the Gulf and is spiced with turmeric and saffron. There is maqluba, which has variations across the Arab world, consisting of layers of rice, vegetables, and meat cooked together and then flipped upside down when served.

A well-known Egyptian dish is koshari, which combines rouz with lentils and pasta. It includes a spicy tomato sauce and crispy or caramelised onions. There is also warak enab or dolma, which also has different variants in the region. The dish can include meat or be completely vegetarian, and consists of vegetables such as tomatoes, marrow, capsicum, and grape leaves, stuffed with rouz.

In Arab culture, dishes that include rouz are often served in family gatherings, religious holidays and celebrations such as weddings and house warmings. Rouz is a communal dish and the meal is often designed to look as appealing as possible and is not considered as a side dish but as the centrepiece of the table.