Tharid (, also known as ''trid'', ''taghrib'', ''tashreeb'' or ''thareed'') is a

bread soup Bread soup is a simple soup that mainly consists of bread, usually staling, stale bread. Variations exist in many countries, and it is often eaten during Lent. Both brown bread, brown and white bread may be used. The basis for bread soup is tra ...

that originates from

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, an

Arab cuisine Arab cuisine collectively refers to the regional culinary traditions of the Arab world, consisting of the Maghreb (the west) and the Mashriq (the east). These cuisines are centuries-old and reflect the culture of trading in ingredients, spices, ...

also found in many other Arab countries. Like other bread soups, it is a simple meal of broth and bread, in this instance crumbled

flatbread A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are Unleavened bread, unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread. A Se ...

moistened with broth or stew. Historically, the flatbread used was probably stale and unleavened. As an Arab

national dish A national dish is a culinary Dish (food), dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs ...

it is considered strongly evocative of Arab identity during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. According to a widespread legend, this unremarkable and humble dish was the prophet's favorite food. It is a common

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

dish.

Origin

The dish is a mainstay of Arab culture, notable in that it is mentioned in a number of

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

attributed to the Islamic prophet

, in which he said that tharid was the best of all dishes, being superior to all others in the same way that his beloved third wife, the wise young Aishah, was superior to all other women.

Spread

Tharid is not only widespread in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

, but also in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, where it is known as ''trid''; Turkey, where it is known as ''tirit''; and even in

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

, where it is known as ''terit''. Multiple variations of the recipe were brought to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

by the

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

. The Moroccan

rfissa ''Rfissa'' () is a Moroccan dish that is served during various traditional celebrations. It traditionally includes chicken, lentils, fenugreek seeds (''helba'' in Arabic), msemmen, meloui or day-old bread, and the spice blend ras el-hanout. ...

is created by ladling a chicken and lentil stew on top of thin crepe-like flatbread ( warqa) that has been cut into long thin pieces. In

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, a similar dish named

fatteh Fatteh ( meaning ''crushed'' or ''crumbs'', also romanized as ''fette'', ''fetté'', ''fatta'' or ''fattah'')Patai, 1998, p. 98. is a dish eaten in the Levant and Egypt consisting of pieces of fresh, toasted, grilled, or fried flatbread covered w ...

is a mix of roasted and minced

with

yogurt Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...

and cooked meat. In

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, tharid is known via

Malay cuisine Malay cuisine (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the traditional food of the ethnic Malays of Southeast Asia, residing in modern-day Malaysia, Indonesia (parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan), Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the Philippines (most ...

, due to

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

influences on Malay culinary culture. The dish also spread into

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, where it evolved to be a bread soup with cilantro, garlic, and eggs known as

açorda Alentejana Açorda is a traditional Portuguese dish composed of cubed or sliced stale bread with garlic, coriander, and poached eggs. It is a type of bread soup, although some variants have a consistency closer to that of a porridge. The version served ...

Consumption

Dipping the bread into the broth and eating it with the meat is the simplest method of eating tharid. Another variation involves stacking the bread and the meat in several layers. It is a common

dish.

Gallery

File:LambTharid1.jpg, Lamb tharid, dry. File:LambTharid2.jpg, Lamb tharid soup. File:Acorda09 (cropped).jpg, Portuguese

Açorda Alentejana Açorda is a traditional Portuguese dish composed of cubed or sliced stale bread with garlic, coriander, and poached eggs. It is a type of bread soup, although some variants have a consistency closer to that of a porridge. The version served ...

References

Notes