What it means
پیاز (piyaz) is the Persian word for onion. It is a genuinely ancient native word, inherited from Proto-Iranian and documented in a cognate form in Sogdian (pyʾk), which confirms it has been part of this language family for a very long time. In everyday speech پیاز is one of those words so basic and stable that it has never needed a replacement. The closest companion in Persian kitchens is سیر (sir, garlic), and together the two appear at the start of almost every savory Persian dish: سرخ کردن پیاز و سیر (sorkh kardan-e piyaz va sir), frying the onion and garlic.
How to use it
- پیاز رو سرخ کن. (piyaz ro sorkh kon.) “Fry the onion.”
- خورش بدون پیاز نمیشه. (khoresh bedun-e piyaz nemishe.) “Stew cannot be made without onion.”
- پیاز چشمم رو میسوزونه. (piyaz cheshm-am ro misuzune.) “Onion makes my eyes burn.”
- یه کیلو پیاز بخر. (ye kilo piyaz bokhar.) “Buy a kilo of onions.”
Cultural note
The onion is the foundational aromatic of Persian cooking: virtually every khoresh, soup, and rice dish begins with پیاز داغ (piyaz dagh), the slowly caramelized fried onion that forms the flavor base. Piyaz dagh is prepared in advance and stored in many Iranian kitchens to save time during meal preparation, and its smell is among the most familiar domestic scents in Iranian homes. Beyond cooking, raw onion is eaten alongside kebab and as part of the herb plate (sabzi khordan) served at the table. The deep roots of the word in Proto-Iranian reflect just how central this vegetable has been to life on the Iranian plateau since before recorded history.