Tharid

tharid (or tharida) an ancient Arabian dish of bread mixed with stewed meat. It was praised by the Prophet Muhammad, who said of his favourite wife: ‘Aisha surpasses other women as tharid surpasses other dishes.’

The Prophet’s sanction has made tharid one of the tiny handful of Arabian dishes to have spread beyond the peninsula. It is prepared today from Morocco (trid) as far east as Xinjiang province, China (terit), in versions varying from the plain ancient dish of bread sopped in broth or stew to fairly elaborate ones. Most modern tharids involve alternating layers of stew and flat bread. The Syrian dish fatteh made by mixing toasted pitta bread with yoghurt and stewed meat is essentially a tharid; however, some fattehs are mixed with chickpeas instead of meat.