dal
Pluraldals
- 1A dish of lentils cooked with spices and ingredients such as tomatoes and onions.
He served the dal with warm flatbread and a spoonful of yogurt.
The restaurant offers three different dals, from mild to fiery.
Note
Its English spelling has never fully settled: George Orwell wrote dahl in Burmese Days (1934), in a scene of rice and watery dahl ladled into tin pannikins. Either spelling names the same dish, and Orwell's pairing with rice is the classic one, though flatbread serves just as well.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- George Orwell used the spelling dahl in Burmese Days, describing rice and watery dahl being ladled into tin pannikins. gutenberg.net.au
- Burmese Days was first published in 1934. orwellfoundation.com
- Rice and flatbread are customary accompaniments to dal. en.wikipedia.org
- 2Any of many kinds of dried, husked pulses, such as peas, beans and lentils.
The Indian grocery stocks a dozen kinds of dal, from yellow split peas to tiny orange lentils.
Soak the dal for an hour so that it cooks evenly.
UsageCount kinds, a dozen dals, but not the food: a cup of dal, some dal.
Less common meaning
- 3The pigeon pea, a tropical herb with yellow flowers.
Practice
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Origin
Borrowed from Hindi दाल (dāl) or Bengali ডাল (ḍal).
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- English dal was borrowed from Hindi दाल (dāl) or Bengali ডাল (ḍal). en.wiktionary.org