Harees, haresa, hareesa, arizah, harise, jarish, jareesh, (), harisa (), or korkot () is a dish of boiled, cracked, or coarsely-ground cracked wheat or bulgur, mixed with meat and seasoned.
Etymology
"Harisa", also transliterated as "horisa", derived from the Arabic verb "haras" meaning "to squish" to describe the action of breaking and pounding the grains before mixing it with water to create a porridge.
[Gil Marks, Encyclopedia of Jewish Foods, 656 (Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2010), 258.]
In Arabic, "Harees" () is linked to the verb () which still means to mash or to squash.
History
Harisa is mentioned by Ibn al-Karim in
Kitab Al-Tabikh as early as the seventh century.
[Ibn al-Karīm, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, and Charles Perry. A Baghdad Cookery Book : the Book of Dishes, 127 (Kitāb Al-Ṭabīkh), (Totnes, UK: Prospect, 2005), 72.] In the anecdotal cookbook, the
Umayyad Caliph, Mu'awiya, returns from a trip to Arabia after returning to his newly won Persian lands. In some versions of the story, Mu'awiya is met with some Yemenite Jews whom he asks to prepare the porridge he tasted abroad while in other versions, he approaches locals. This story should be taken with a grain of salt as the author penned the story three centuries after it supposedly occurred.
Harees is documented in Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq's 10th-century cookbook Kitab Al Tabikh.,[Charles Perry, "Cooking with the Caliphs", Saudi Aramco World 57:4 (July/August 2006) full text ] as well as in al-Baghdadi's 13th-century cookbook Kitab Al Tabikh and Ibn Razīn al-Tujībī's 13th-century Andalusian cookbook Kitab Fadalat al-khiwan fi tayyibat al-ta'am w'al-alwan.
Harees is also the origin of haleem,[Gil Marks, Encyclopedia of Jewish Foods, 656 (Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2010), 40.]
Preparation
The wheat is soaked overnight, then simmered in water along with meat and butter or sheep tail fat. Any remaining liquid is strained and the mixture is beaten and seasoned. Harees may be garnished with cinnamon, sugar, and clarified butter.
Variants and traditions
There is a different traditional way of preparing Harees in each of the Arab countries in the Arabian Peninsula area, and among the tribes of these countries. Some variations include the use of cardamom pods in
Saudi Arabia, or a garnish with parsley. Before the Armenian genocide where Armenians were spread through a larger area they also had different variations of Harisa. The wheat used in Armenian harissa is typically shelled (pelted) wheat, though in
Adana, harissa was made with կորկոտ (
korkot; ground, par-boiled shelled wheat). Harissa can be made with lamb, beef, or chicken.
Harees was only made by the wealthy during Ramadan and Eid ul-Fitr, for the duration of a three- to seven-day wedding. It was, however, customary for the Harees dishes to be shared with poorer neighbours on such occasions.
It is similar to kashkeg, a kind of homogeneous porridge made of previously stewed and boned chicken or lamb and coarsely ground soaked wheat (typically shelled wheat).
Arab cuisine
Harees is a popular dish in
Arab cuisine, from the Levant to the Persian Gulf. It is often served during
Ramadan, festivals such as
Eid ul-Fitr, and at weddings.
In Lebanon, it is often cooked on religious occasions in a communal pot, such as in
Ashura. Harise is also a common dish in
Syrian cuisine and
Iraqi cuisine.
Formerly found only in homes, it is now served in restaurants as well.
Armenian cuisine
Harisa () is traditionally served on
Easter, and is considered a
national dish of
Armenia.
It is a thick porridge made from
korkot (dried or roasted cracked wheat) and fat-rich meat, usually chicken or lamb. Herbs were substituted for meat in
harissa when Armenian religious days required fasting and penance. The extremely long cooking process is an essential part of the
harisa tradition. Like other ritual dishes, the time taken for preparation is part of its cherished value.
Harisa is known for helping the Armenians of Musa Dagh (in modern-day Turkey) to survive during the resistance of 1915.
Egyptian cuisines
In
Egyptian cuisine, "
freekeh", unripened, crushed durum wheat, was used to cook
harisa, giving the resulting
ferik a unique green hue.
[Joel Haber, “Ferik-Egyptian Hamin”, (Jerusalem, Israel: Aish.com, 2022); Elais and Gary, “Lamb Harissa & Gazelle’s Horns”, (Santa Fe, NM:Made In Marrow, 2019).] The origin of the variation could be linked to the Sephardic migration of the 13th century, but historians remain uncertain.
[Marks, 11.]
Kashmiri cuisine
Harisa or Hareesa (Kashmiri : ) in
Kashmir Valley is prepared during winter (
Chillai Kalan),
typically made of mutton and rice flour and eaten with Kashmiri Bread called Girda (Kashmiri : ). It is cooked in huge
degs (earthen pots) placed in wood fired ovens. Downtown Srinagar is considered as the hub of harisa making in
Kashmir.
Zanzibari
In
Zanzibar, the dish is called
boko boko and may be cooked with lamb, beef, or chicken. This same dish is also served across Tanzania and Kenya.
[Resta, Lizzie. "A Culture Seen Through Cuisine: Traditional Zanzibari Recipes." (2008). ( PDF)]
Ethiopia
Hareesa, or harees, is a popular dish mainly in the Harari region. It is cooked with lamb or beef and served on Eid or special occasions such as the birth of a baby.
Emirati Cuisine
Harees is a traditional Emirati dish made from wheat, meat (usually chicken or lamb), and a pinch of salt. The wheat is soaked overnight, then cooked with meat until it reaches a smooth, porridge-like consistency. This hearty dish is particularly popular during Ramadan and festive occasions. It is often garnished with ghee for added flavor. Harees is a staple in Emirati households and showcases the simplicity and richness of Emirati culinary traditions.
See also
