Mujaddara
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Mujaddara or moujadara[1] (Arabic: مجدرة, Greek: Μουκ̌έντρα), also known as mejadra or mudardara, consists of cooked lentils together with groats, wheat or rice, garnished with roasted onions that have been sauteed in vegetable oil.
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[edit] In the Middle East
Cooked lentils are popular all over the Middle East and form the basis of many dishes. Mujaddara is a popular Levantine dish, and may be served on its own or with other vegetables and side dishes: it is equally good hot and cold. This dish is a main staple of the Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian and Jordanian diet today, both in the Middle East and in North America. While once regarded as a poor man's dish, it is today considered a high-protein, balanced healthy food by many Americans.
It has two variants: yellow, which uses red split lentils, and brown, which uses green lentils.
In Lebanese cuisine, a distinction is sometimes made between mudardara and mujaddara, depending on whether the lentils are puréed or left whole, but usage is not consistent.
[edit] In Jewish cuisine
Mujaddara is also popular among Jewish communities of Middle Eastern origin, in particular those of Syrian and Egyptian backgrounds; it is generally made with rice rather than wheat. It is sometimes nicknamed "Esau's favourite", after the Biblical story of Esau selling his birthright for a "mess of pottage".[2] Jews traditionally ate it twice a week: hot on Thursday evening, and cold on Sunday.[3] In contemporary Israeli cuisine it is now a favourite every-day dish.
[edit] Similar dishes in other cuisines
In Egyptian cuisine, lentils, rice, macaroni, and tomato sauce cooked together are known as Kushari. In Indian cuisines, lentils cooked together with rice are known as khichdi (see also kedgeree).
[edit] References
- ^ Lebanese Recipes (website)
- ^ Roden (below).
- ^ Dweck, Poopa, Aromas of Aleppo.
- Roden, Claudia, A New Book of Middle Eastern Food: London 1986 ISBN 0-14-046588-X
[edit] External links
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