flipTharīd with lamb and murrī
Tharīd with lamb and murrī
Why this dish? Tharīd — stale bread soaked in meat broth — was the most ordinary and beloved dish of the medieval Islamic world, eaten daily from Córdoba to Baghdad. Averroes, a man of moderation and the son of a line of judges, shared at his table this simple dish where wheat bread, the staple of all Andalusian food, took the leading role.
A spiced lamb broth poured over torn bread, which soaks it up and becomes tender. The fermented murrī gives it a salty, almost umami roundness, and saffron a golden color.
Know, friend reader, that of all dishes, tharīd was the one my household preferred, for it nourishes the body without weighing it down, and reason approves it as much as the palate. We would break the day-old wheat bread at the bottom of the dish, then pour over it the lamb broth in which coriander, cumin, and a spoonful of murrī had simmered; the bread drank the juice until it became tender as flesh. Take it hot, moderately, as the just temperance of humors requires — for health, like thought, is born of balance.
- •Lamb shoulder — a good piece (base meat)
- •Day-old wheat bread — several flatbreads (soaking base)
- •Murrī (fermented condiment) — one spoonful (salty-fermented depth)
- •Fresh coriander and coriander seeds — a handful (aroma)
- •Cumin — a pinch (spice)
- •Saffron — a few threads (color and aroma)
- •Olive oil — a drizzle (fat)
- •Onion — one (broth base)
Tharīd with lamb and murrī
A spiced lamb broth poured over torn bread, which soaks it up and becomes tender. The fermented murrī gives it a salty, almost umami roundness, and saffron a golden color.
Why this dish? Tharīd — stale bread soaked in meat broth — was the most ordinary and beloved dish of the medieval Islamic world, eaten daily from Córdoba to Baghdad. Averroes, a man of moderation and the son of a line of judges, shared at his table this simple dish where wheat bread, the staple of all Andalusian food, took the leading role.
Know, friend reader, that of all dishes, tharīd was the one my household preferred, for it nourishes the body without weighing it down, and reason approves it as much as the palate. We would break the day-old wheat bread at the bottom of the dish, then pour over it the lamb broth in which coriander, cumin, and a spoonful of murrī had simmered; the bread drank the juice until it became tender as flesh. Take it hot, moderately, as the just temperance of humors requires — for health, like thought, is born of balance.
Ingredients (period version)
- Lamb shoulder — a good piece (base meat)
- Day-old wheat bread — several flatbreads (soaking base)
- Murrī (fermented condiment) — one spoonful (salty-fermented depth)
- Fresh coriander and coriander seeds — a handful (aroma)
- Cumin — a pinch (spice)
- Saffron — a few threads (color and aroma)
- Olive oil — a drizzle (fat)
- Onion — one (broth base)
Ingredients
- Boneless lamb shoulder — 600 g in large cubes (base meat)
- Day-old country bread — 4 thick slices (soaking base)
- Light soy sauce or miso paste (if murrī unavailable) — 2 tsp (fermented salty substitute)
- Fresh coriander — 1 small bunch (aroma)
- Ground coriander seeds + cumin — 1 tsp each (spices)
- Saffron — 1 pinch infused in a little hot water (color and aroma)
- Olive oil — 3 tbsp (fat)
- Onion — 1 large, sliced (broth base)
- Water or broth — 1.2 L (cooking liquid)
Method
- Brown the lamb in olive oil with the sliced onion until colored.
- Add cumin, ground coriander, infused saffron, and the fermented substitute (soy/miso), then cover with water or broth.
- Simmer gently for 1 h 30 until the meat is tender and the broth fragrant.
- Arrange the torn stale bread pieces at the bottom of a large deep dish.
- Pour the boiling broth and meat over the bread, let the bread soak for 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and serve immediately, very hot.
How it was made : Tharīd was so esteemed that a famous hadith places it above other dishes. In Al-Andalus, it was prepared with murrī, a fermented condiment of barley and salt ubiquitous in kitchens, whose function recalls our modern fermented sauces. It was eaten with the right hand, pinching the soaked bread.
The contemporary twist : Serve in individual casseroles, toast the bread in the oven instead of using stale bread, and add a final grating of bitter orange zest to evoke the gardens of Córdoba.
Sources : Kitāb al-ṭabīkh fī al-Maghrib wa al-Andalus (anonymous Almohad collection, 13th c.) · Lucie Bolens, La cuisine andalouse, un art de vivre (11th–13th centuries)
Averroes · Charactorium
