Dictionary

rijsttafel en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɹaɪsˌtɑːfəl/

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch rijsttafel (“rice table”).

Meanings

1. A large meal originating in colonial Indonesia composed of many different dishes with rice as the main ingredient; several side-dishes such as krupuk, acar and serundeng are served.
   • I was born too late to experience a real Indonesian rijsttafel, but my mother used to tell me about these feasts. 1991 May, Guusje Moore, “Windmills and Rice”, in Vegetarian Times, number 165, page 28:
   • The complete or the lesser rijsttafel? I bet they're both huge, […] 2002, Edward D. Webster, A year of Sundays: taking the plunge (and our cat) to explore Europe, VanderWyk & Burnham, p. 85
   • The basic concept of a rijsttafel is to eat a bit of this and a bit of that, blending flavors and textures. 2007, George McDonald, Frommer's Amsterdam, Frommer's, page 106:
   • The famous rijsttafel, love-hate legacy of Dutch imperial days—at its most numbing brilliance it required 23 men and a boy to serve—[…] 1972 September 11, Gael Greene, “The Insatiable Critic: Ramayana east of Krakatoa”, in New York Magazine, volume 5, number 37, page 85:

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