Freekeh - online puzzles

Online puzzle Freekeh

Freekeh (sometimes spelled frikeh) or farik (Arabic: فريكة‎ / ALA-LC: farīkah) (pronounced free-kah /fɺi: kə/) is a cereal food made from green durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum ) that is roasted and rubbed to create its flavour. It is an ancient dish derived from Levantine and North African cuisines, remaining popular in many countries of the eastern Mediterranean Basin where durum wheat originated.The wheat is harvested while the grains are green and the seeds are still soft; it is then piled and sun -dried. The piles are carefully set on fire so only the straw and chaff burn. Under these conditions, the high moisture content of the seeds prevents them from burning. The roasted wheat is then threshed and sun -dried to achieve a uniform flavour, texture and colour. This threshing or rubbing process of the grains gives this food its name, farīk or “rubbed”. Finally, the seeds are cracked into smaller pieces that resemble green bulgur.

History

Freekeh is mentioned in an early thirteenth-century Baghdad cook book as farīkiyya. In that recipe, meat is fried in oil and braised with water, salt, and cinnamon bark.