III. Porridge Soups

Medieval Arab cookbooks abound with recipes for porridge soups, collectively called harayis ‘mashed dishes’ and tannouriyyat, which were simmered overnight in the tannour (for instance, al-Baghdadi, in Arberry). Such dishes were made with a variety of grains and pulses, individually and mixed, along with fatty meat. Besides varieties of harayis of wheat and rice (hintiyyat, aruzziyyat, respectively), they cooked adasiyyat (with lentils), loubyayat (with beans), makhloutat, a medley of rice and beans, or white and red beans and lentils (al-Warraq). Tafsheel is another medley with many grains and pulses. A recipe al-Warraq gives, for instance, contains lentils, beans, chickpeas, mung beans, and chard.