Rijsttafels

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A diverse Indonesian meal featuring rice served with an array of side dishes, allowing for a variety of flavors and textures
2. A traditional feast that highlights rice accompanied by numerous smaller dishes, each contributing distinct tastes and culinary styles
3. An elaborate dining experience centered around rice, complemented by a selection of various dishes that represent Indonesian cuisine

Etymology: Rijsttafel is a Dutch compound: "rijst" means rice and "tafel" means table, so the literal sense is "rice table." The name comes from the colonial Dutch East Indies, where the Dutch adopted a dining style in which a single meal was built around rice served with many small side dishes. Those dishes were arranged around the rice and eaten together, which is why the name points to the table rather than to any one dish. The plural "rijsttafels" is simply the Dutch-style plural of "rijsttafel," used when referring to more than one such feast. In English it appears as a borrowed term, carried over from Dutch with its original spelling intact, so the English word still shows its Dutch compound structure at a glance.