London: Although the origin of Biryani is not known, it is believed to have come from Persia – where they cooked the dish for their soldiers – to India with a little help from the Mughals.
And now, travelling across continents, the Mughlai cuisine has reached France. Not as a dish, but as a word in the French dictionary.
The words ‘biryani’ and ‘selfie’ have been included in the latest edition of one of the most famous French dictionaries, Le Petit Larousse, for the first time.
As many as 150 new words will enter Le Petit Larousse’s 2016 edition and the authors have developed new culinary and artistic tastes.
Some of the other words included in the latest edition of the dictionary include ‘focaccia’, ‘goji’ and ‘vegan’.
The authors of the dictionary define ‘selfie’ as “a photographic self portrait, generally taken with a smartphone and destined to be published on social media.”
The dictionary also includes famous people, things and organisations.
New additions include French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, actor Michael Caine and Malala Yousafzai – the Pakistani teenage child rights activist who last year won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rosetta space probe and Pixar studios have also been included in the dictionary.
New French terms for 2016 include ‘un bolos’ – a noun to describe someone who is timid, ridiculous and bordering on stupid – and ‘tuto’, an online video or pictorial guide to practical tasks such as decorating or cooking.
The dictionary, a bastion of French linguistic tradition, is not known for moving with the times.
(With inputs from PTI)