What it means
زودپز برنج (zodpaz-e berenj) means a rice cooker, specifically a dedicated electric appliance or pressure cooker used to cook Persian-style rice. زود (zud) means fast or quick in Persian; پز (paz) comes from پختن (pokhtan), the native Persian verb meaning to cook. زودپز on its own means pressure cooker; adding برنج (berenj, rice) specifies the appliance for rice. برنج entered Persian via Arabic from Sanskrit vrihi. In everyday speech Iranians often say just زودپز and context makes the rice function clear. A distinct device is the پلوپز (polopaz), which is specifically designed to produce the crispy tah-dig layer.
How to use it
- برنج رو گذاشتم توی زودپز. (Berenj ro gozâshtam tu-ye zodpaz.) “I put the rice in the rice cooker.”
- زودپز برنج چند دقیقه طول میکشه؟ (Zodpaz-e berenj chand daqiqe tul mikeshe?) “How many minutes does the rice cooker take?”
- زودپز خراب شده، برنج رو روی گاز بپزیم. (Zodpaz kharâb shode, berenj ro ru-ye gâz bapazim.) “The rice cooker is broken, let’s cook the rice on the stovetop.”
- مامانم همیشه با زودپز برنج میپزه. (Mâmanam hamishe bâ zodpaz-e berenj mipoze.) “My mom always cooks rice with the rice cooker.”
Cultural note
Rice is at the heart of Iranian cooking, and Iranians are particular about how it is prepared. Traditional methods require soaking, parboiling, and steaming in a separate pot to achieve a fluffy texture and a golden crust called tah-dig. Dedicated rice cookers sold in Iran are engineered to replicate this process automatically, including forming the crust. They are a common wedding gift and a fixture in Iranian kitchens both in Iran and abroad.