 | |
| Course | Main |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Levant |
| Main ingredients | Greendurum wheat |
Freekeh (sometimes spelledfrikeh) orfarik (Arabic:فريكة /ALA-LC:farīkah; pronouncedfree-kah/ˈfɹiːkə/) is acereal food made from greendurum wheat (Triticum turgidum var.durum) that is roasted and rubbed to create its flavour. It is an ancient dish derived fromLevantine andNorth African cuisines,[1][2] remaining popular in many countries of the easternMediterranean Basin, where durum wheat originated.[3]
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 such that 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 greenbulgur.[1]
Freekeh is mentioned in theHebrew Bible under the termqalûy[4] (Biblical Hebrew:קָל֤וּי, scorched or roasted) orcarmel[5] (Biblical Hebrew:כַּרְמֶל), indicating it was used inancient Israelite cuisine.[4][6][7] For instance, in theBook of Kings II, it is said thatElisha miraculously fed about a hundred people with some barley bread andcarmel.[5] TheSyriac version of the Bible translates the term intofroka, a cognate of the Arabicfreekeh.[6][7]
Freekeh is also mentioned in an early thirteenth-centuryBaghdad cookbook asfarīkiyya.[1] In that recipe, meat is fried in oil and braised with water, salt, and cinnamon bark. Then, driedcoriander is stirred in with young wheat ("freekeh") and is cooked. Finally, the meal is served withcumin,cinnamon, and fresh lamb tail fat.[1]
In his 1865 bookThe Land of Israel: A Journal of Travels in Palestine, British clergyman and scholarHenry Baker Tristram documented the preparation of freekeh near theSea of Galilee:
Many fires were lighted on the shingle by the shores of the lake … A few sheaves of wheat had been brought down from the fields above; these were tossed on the fire, and as soon as the straw was consumed, the charred heads were dexterously swept from the embers onto a cloak spread on the ground. The women of the party then beat the ears and tossed them into the air until they were thoroughly winnowed, when the wheat was eaten without further preparation ... the green ears had become half-charred by the roasting, and there was a pleasant mingling of milky wheat and a fresh crust flavour, as we chewed the parched corn. We were delighted to have seen the preparation, and to have partaken parched corn, so often mentioned in the Old Testament Scriptures.[8]
InEgypt, freekeh is served asḥamām bi’l-ferīk (pigeon stuffed with green wheat). Freekeh is also prepared in Egypt with onion and tomato, and sometimes with chicken.Shūrbat farīk bi’l-mukh is a freekeh and bone marrow soup from Tunisia.Freeket lahma, a green wheatpilaf dish with roasted lamb, spring peas, and pine nuts, comes fromJordan, andshūrba al-farīk is a soup with green wheat and chicken.[1]
InSyria, freekeh usually is prepared with lamb, onion, butter, almonds, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and salt.[9][10]
InTunisia andAlgeria, freekeh is usually prepared as a main ingredient in a tomato-based soup calledChorba frik and is considered a traditional food.[11][12]
InTurkey, freekeh is known asfirik, and a pilaf dish based on freekeh, calledfirik pilavı, is found in traditional SouthernAnatolian cuisine. It may be combined withbulgur; legumes such aschickpeas and various herbs and spices, and sometimes meat, may be added. With the influx of millions ofSyrian refugees since 2011,firik is available in markets all over Turkey.[13]
InPalestine (region), a variety of freekeh pilaf is made with lamb, onion, olive oil, raisins, dried cherry plums, almonds, pine nuts, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and salt. Freekeh is also served in a soup along with chickpeas and meat (beef or chicken).[14][15] In theGalilee region, freekeh and other wheats are a staple, especially among Druze and Bedouins, as opposed to rice.[16]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1,418 kJ (339 kcal) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
71 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2.5 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| selenium | 89 ug | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| water | 11 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[17] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from theNational Academies.[18] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Freekeh is comparable in nutritional content to othercereal grains, especiallydurum wheat, from which it is derived, depending on the durumcultivar.[1][19] Durum is notable for its high content ofprotein (20% or more of theDaily Value, DV),dietary fiber,B vitamins, and severaldietary minerals, especiallymanganese (143% DV) (table). Before roasting, freekeh is 11% water, 71%carbohydrates, 2.5%fat, and 14% protein.
qālûy in biblical terms, known today by the Arabic term, freekeh
