Chorba Frik

Chorba frik is an Algerian variant of chorba, a broad family of stews and rich soups found across North Africa, the Middle East, Iran, Turkey, southeastern Europe, Central Asia, East Africa and South Asia, distinguished by its use of frik, young green wheat that is roasted and cracked. The word chorba derives from the Persian shorba, meaning salty stew, transmitted through Ottoman Turkish into Balkan and North African languages, and the broader chorba family typically combines water, meat, beans, vegetables and legumes, with regional cousins including Afghan shorwa and Romanian and Moldovan ciorba. Chorba is generally served alone as a broth or with bread, and in Algeria chorba frik is a staple soup particularly associated with the evening meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan.