What it means
ته دیگ (tah dig) is the crispy, golden layer of rice that forms at the bottom of the pot while the rice cooks. The word is a plain Persian compound: ته (tah) means “bottom” and دیگ (dig) means “pot,” so literally “bottom of the pot.” Cooks often make it from rice alone, or line the pot with potato, flatbread, or thin slices of dough to get an even crunchier crust. There is no real synonym in Persian, since the word is the thing itself, though people sometimes describe a good one as برشته (boreshte), meaning “well toasted.”
How to use it
- ته دیگش خیلی برشته شده. (tah digesh kheyli boreshte shode.) “Its tah dig came out really crispy.”
- ته دیگ سیبزمینی دوست داری یا نون؟ (tah dig sib-zamini doost dari ya noon?) “Do you like potato tah dig or bread?”
- سر ته دیگ همیشه دعوا داریم. (sar-e tah dig hamishe dava darim.) “We always fight over the tah dig.”
- ته دیگ رو برام نگه دار. (tah dig ro baram negah dar.) “Save the tah dig for me.”
Cultural note
Tah dig is one of the most loved parts of a Persian meal, and a cook who can turn out a perfect, unbroken golden crust earns real praise. At family gatherings the tah dig is often the first thing to disappear, and offering it to a guest is a small act of generosity. It can be made plain or with a lining of potato, lavash bread, or yogurt-coated rice, and each household tends to have its own preferred method.