Freekeh

Freekeh(sometimes spelledfrikeh) orfarik(Arabic:فريكة/ALA-LC:farīkah; pronouncedfree-kah/ˈfɹiːkə/) is acerealfood made from greendurum wheat(Triticum turgidumvar.durum) that is roasted and rubbed to create its flavour.  It is an ancient dish derived fromLevantineandNorth Africancuisines,remaining popular in many countries of the easternMediterranean 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 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,farīkor "rubbed". Finally, the seeds are cracked into smaller pieces that resemble greenbulgur.
Freekeh is mentioned in theHebrew Bibleunder the termqalûy(Biblical Hebrew:קָל֤וּי‎, scorched or roasted) orcarmel(Biblical Hebrew:כַּרְמֶל‎), indicating it was used inancient Israelite cuisine.For instance, in theBook of Kings II, it is said thatElishamiraculously fed about a hundred people with some barley bread andcarmel.TheSyriac version of the Bibletranslates the term intofroka, a cognate of the Arabicfreekeh.
Freekeh is also mentioned in an early thirteenth-centuryBaghdadcookbook asfarīkiyya.In that recipe, meat is fried in oil and braised with water, salt, and cinnamon bark. Then, driedcorianderis stirred in with young wheat ("freekeh") and is cooked. Finally, the meal is served withcumin,cinnamon, and fresh lamb tail fat.
In his 1865 bookThe Land of Israel: A Journal of Travels in Palestine, British clergyman and scholarHenry Baker Tristramdocumented the preparation of freekeh near theSea of Galilee:
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-mukhis a freekeh and bone marrow soup from Tunisia.Freeket lahma, a green wheatpilafdish with roasted lamb, spring peas, and pine nuts, comes fromJordan, andshūrba al-farīkis a soup with green wheat and chicken.
InSyria, freekeh usually is prepared with lamb, onion, butter, almonds, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and salt.
InTunisiaandAlgeria, freekeh is usually prepared as a main ingredient in a tomato-based soup calledChorba frikand is considered a traditional food.
InTurkey, freekeh is known asfirik, and a pilaf dish based on freekeh, calledfirik pilavı, is found in traditional SouthernAnatoliancuisine. It may be combined withbulgur; legumes such aschickpeasand various herbs and spices, and sometimes meat, may be added. With the influx of millions ofSyrian refugeessince 2011,firikis available in markets all over Turkey.
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).
Freekeh is comparable in nutritional content to othercereal grains, especiallydurum wheat, from which it is derived, depending on the durumcultivar.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.