Fatteh

فتّة / Fatteh / Fetté
A Damascene Fetté with grilled almonds and clarified sheep butter
Course Breakfast[1] or Main
Place of origin Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen
Serving temperature Warm
Main ingredients Flatbread, yogurt, chickpeas, oil

Fatteh (Arabic: فتّة‎ meaning crushed or crumbs, also romanized as fette, fetté, fatta or fattah)[2] is a class of southern Levantine dishes[3] consisting of pieces of fresh, toasted, or stale flatbread covered with other ingredients. It may also be called shâmiyât (Arabic: شاميات‎ "Damascene").[4]

Geographical distribution

The fetté is known to be a very peculiar and ancient dish of the Egyptian and Southern Levant area, an area that comprises Damascus, Beirut, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories while being mostly unknown and unheard in the Northern Levant.

Regional variations

Syrian Fetté with grilled lamb cubes and pine nuts, served with sizzling butter

Fetté dishes include a wide variety of regional and local variations, some of which also have their own distinct names.

  • Levant: The Levantine "Fetté", eaten in breakfasts as well as in the evenings,[1][4] always starts with a stack of khubz bread, topped by strained yogurt, steamed chickpeas and olive oil that are crushed and mixed together. In the next step, a teaspoon of cumin is almost always poured into the mixture. After that, virtually anything can be added to the bowl. Some fettés are made of eggplants and julienned carrots topped with grilled chicken and pine nuts while some contain lamb shanks, different spices and yogurt.[4] The fattoush is a salad made with toasted pieces of pita bread that technically also falls into the family of "shâmiyât".[4]
  • Palestine: "Fetté Gazzewié" from Gaza, is served as plain rice cooked in meat or chicken broth and then flavored with mild spices, particularly cinnamon. The rice is then laid over a thin markook bread which is in turn smothered in clarified butter and topped with various meats.[5] Musakhan is also a fetté dish .
  • Egypt: Egyptians prepare a dish called "fatta" as a feast meal.[4] It is prepared on special occasions, such as to celebrate a woman's first pregnancy or for an Iftar during Ramadan. It is made with a garlic and vinegar flavored meat soup and crispy flatbread served in a bowl with rice and a sauce consisting of molokhia.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Salamandra, 2004, p. 97
  2. ↑ Patai, 1998, p. 98.
  3. ↑ Académie Syrienne de la Gastronomie, Sept.2005, Aleppo
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Wright, 2003, p. 117.
  5. ↑ The Foods of Gaza Laila el-Haddad. This Week in Palestine. June 2006.
  6. ↑ Jennings, 1995, p. 90.

Bibliography

  • Jennings, Anne M. (1995), The Nubians of West Aswan: Village Women in the Midst of Change, Lynne Rienner Publishers, ISBN 1-55587-592-0
  • Patai, Raphael (1998), Arab Folktales from Palestine and Israel, Wayne State University Press, ISBN 0-8143-2710-9
  • Wright, Clifford A. (2003), Little Foods of the Mediterranean: 500 Fabulous Recipes for Antipasti, Tapas, Harvard Common Press, ISBN 1-55832-227-2
  • Salamandra, Christa Anne (2004), A new old Damascus: authenticity and distinction in urban Syria, Indiana University Press, ISBN 0-253-21722-9
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