What it means
آلو (âlu) means plum when fresh and prune when dried. It is an old inherited word, traceable to Middle Persian ālūg, making it one of the pre-Islamic core vocabulary items of the language. Linguists note it is also a wanderwort: a word that spread across unrelated language families, with cognates in Turkic and several South Asian languages, though the Middle Persian attestation places its core in Iranian. The same form âlu also means potato in some regions and in Indian-influenced contexts, a separate borrowing from Sanskrit, so context matters. A close relative is زردآلو (zardâlu), literally yellow-plum, which refers to apricot.
How to use it
- آلو خوندی میخوای؟ (âlu khundi mikhây?) “Do you want dried prunes?”
- یه کیلو آلو بهم بده. (ye kilo âlu behem bede.) “Give me a kilo of plums.”
- آلو برای خورشت خیلی خوبه. (âlu barây-e khorasht kheyli khube.) “Plum is great for stew.”
- این آلوها رسیدهن؟ (in âluhâ reside-n?) “Are these plums ripe?”
Cultural note
Plums and prunes appear across Persian cuisine in both sweet and savory roles. Dried sour plums, known as âlu khushk or âlu khundi, are a popular street snack sold by weight at the bâzâr, often eaten with salt. Plum is also a key ingredient in khoresh-e âlu, a slow-cooked lamb or chicken stew with a sweet-tart balance that is common in Tehran home cooking. The sight of a vendor with trays of dried fruits including âlu is a sensory staple of any traditional Iranian covered market.