# Freekeh

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{{short description|Cereal food made from green durum wheat}}
{{about|the Middle Eastern dish|the village in northern Syria|Farikah}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Freekah
| image            = File:Freekeh (uncooked).jpg
| image_size       = 200px
| caption          = Uncooked freekeh
| alternate_name   = bowl of dry green grains
| place_of_origin  = [Levant](/source/Levant)
| creator          = 
| course           = [Main](/source/Main_course)
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = Green [durum wheat](/source/durum_wheat)
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}
'''Freekeh''' (sometimes spelled '''frikeh''') or '''farik''' ({{langx|ar|فريكة}} / [ALA-LC](/source/ALA-LC): ''farīkah''; pronounced ''free-kah'' /ˈfɹiːkə/) is a [cereal](/source/cereal) food made from green [durum wheat](/source/durum_wheat) (''[Triticum turgidum](/source/Triticum_turgidum)'' var. ''durum'') that is roasted and rubbed to create its flavour.  It is an ancient dish derived from [Levantine](/source/Levantine_cuisine) and [North African](/source/Maghreb_cuisine) cuisines,<ref name=CAW/><ref>[Anissa Helou](/source/Anissa_Helou), "Freekeh", in [Alan Davidson](/source/Alan_Davidson_(food_writer)), ed., ''[The Oxford Companion to Food](/source/The_Oxford_Companion_to_Food)''</ref> remaining popular in many countries of the eastern [Mediterranean Basin](/source/Mediterranean_Basin), where [wheat](/source/Emmer) was first domesticated.<ref>{{cite journal | url= http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/g66-028 | title=The origin of cultivated wheat | last =Jenkins | first = J.A. | journal=Can J Genet Cytol | year= 1966 | volume= 8 | issue=2 | pages= 220–32| doi=10.1139/g66-028 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Freekeh is the name for the wheat grain prepared in a specific way. Harvested while still green and the seeds still soft, it is piled and sun-dried, and then carefully set alight such that only the straw and [chaff](/source/chaff) burn, with the grain protected by its high water content. This roasted wheat is then [threshed](/source/Threshing), winnowed and sun-dried again to achieve a uniform flavour, texture, and colour, and make it suitable for long-term storage. The threshing or rubbing of the burnt chaff off of the grains is what gives this food its name, from the [Arabic](/source/Arabic_language) word ''farīk'' or "rubbed". The dried berries can also be cracked into smaller pieces that resemble green [bulgur](/source/bulgur).<ref name="CAW">[https://web.archive.org/web/20210302065913/https://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/topic_id/23/id/101/ “Freekeh - Farik - Green Wheat”], ''Food History'', [Clifford A. Wright](/source/Clifford_A._Wright).</ref><ref name="nyt2019">{{cite news |last1=Tanis |first1=David |title=An Ancient Grain Brings the Warmth |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/dining/freekeh-recipe.html |access-date=21 February 2026 |work=The New York Times |date=23 August 2019}}</ref>

==History==
Traces of wild wheat berries of the [emmer](/source/emmer) variety used to make bread were found in a [hearth](/source/hearth) at a [Natufian](/source/Natufian) site in the [Levant](/source/Levant), and dated to 14,000 years ago.<ref name=Ahmad/> The variety of wheat used to make freekeh, ''[Triticum turgidum](/source/Triticum_turgidum)'' was domesticated around 10,000 years ago in the same general region. A subspecies of this [durum wheat](/source/durum_wheat) is grown globally today, primarily to make [semolina](/source/semolina) for pasta, as it is a hard grain, less suited to producing fine flour; and this is the same grain used to make freekeh.<ref name=Ahmad/>

''Qalûy''<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Farber |first=Zev I. |date=2019 |title=Israelite Festivals: From Cyclical Time Celebrations to Linear Time Commemorations |journal=Religions |language=en |volume=10 |issue=5 |pages=323 |doi=10.3390/rel10050323 |issn=2077-1444 |quote=qālûy in biblical terms, known today by the Arabic term, freekeh |doi-access=free}}</ref> ({{langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebr|קָל֤וּי}}}}, scorched or roasted) and ''carmel''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-03-26 |title=כרמל - Carmel |url=https://hebrew-academy.org.il/2019/03/26/כרמל/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=Academy of the Hebrew |language=he-IL}}</ref> ({{langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebr|כַּרְמֶל}}|links=no}}), are terms identified by [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible) scholars as references to the Arabic word freekeh.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> In the [Book of Kings II](/source/Books_of_Kings), for instance, it is said that [Elisha](/source/Elisha) miraculously fed about a hundred people with some barley bread and ''carmel''.<ref name=":1" /> [Syriac versions of the Bible](/source/Syriac_versions_of_the_Bible) also translate ''carmel'' as ''froka'', a cognate of the Arabic ''freekeh''.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Musselman |first1=Lytton John |last2=Al-Mouslem |first2=Abdel Baset |date=2001 |title=Triticum Durum in Northern Syria—Parched Corn (Frikeh) of the Bible? |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/BF02864557 |journal=Economic Botany |language=en |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=187–189 |doi=10.1007/BF02864557 |bibcode=2001EcBot..55..187M |s2cid=40331293 |issn=0013-0001|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":3">Bayram, M. (2008). An analysis of scorched immature wheat: FREKEH. ''Cereal foods world'', ''53''(3), 134.</ref> While scriptural references have been cited as evidence that freekeh was a part of [ancient Israelite cuisine](/source/ancient_Israelite_cuisine),<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> freekeh was largely unknown in modern [Israeli cuisine](/source/Israeli_cuisine) until recently, and is traditionally farmed by [Palestinians](/source/Palestinians) and [Arabs](/source/Arabs), constituting a main staple in their [cuisines](/source/Palestinian_cuisine).<ref name=JC>{{citation|publisher=Jewish Chronicle|url=https://www.thejc.com/life/food/feeling-freekeh-trnbblhm|first=Victoria|last=Prever|date=2021-11-04|title=Feeling Freekeh: Find out all about the ancient wheat that's popping up on modern menus|quote=She also explains that freekeh is mostly farmed by Arab farmers. “It’s a main staple of Arabic communities and becoming more so in Israeli communities. It’s also farmed across the region, in Lebanon, Egypt and possibly Turkey.”}}</ref><ref name=Ahmad/>

The term ''freekeh'' is derived from the Arabic verb, ''farik'', meaning "to rub", nodding towards the process by which it is produced, which involves rubbing the chaff off of the burnt wheat berries against a [winnowing](/source/winnowing) tray, known in Arabic as the ''ghorbal/ghurbal''.<ref name=Ahmad>{{citation|url=https://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/jq-articles/Freekeh%20and%20Fellahin%20-%20A%20Symbiotic%20Relationship%20of%20Sumud.pdf|title=Freekeh and Fellahin: A Symbiotic Relationship of Sumud|first=Amanny|last=Ahmad|publisher=[Institute for Palestine Studies](/source/Institute_for_Palestine_Studies)|journal=[Jerusalem Quarterly](/source/Jerusalem_Quarterly)}}</ref> It is a labor intensive process, as due to the immaturity of the grain at the time of picking, the chaff does not easily separate from the berry, and a second rubbing against coiled flat baskets made from the previous years' harvest is also undertaken.<ref name=Ahmad/> 

Freekeh is mentioned in an early thirteenth-century [Baghdad](/source/Baghdad) cookbook as ''farīkiyya''.<ref name="CAW"/> In that recipe, meat is fried in oil and braised with water, salt, and cinnamon bark. Then, dried [coriander](/source/coriander) is stirred in with young wheat ("freekeh") and is cooked. Finally, the meal is served with [cumin](/source/cumin), [cinnamon](/source/cinnamon), and fresh lamb tail fat.<ref name="CAW"/> This is a luxurious recipe with such cookbooks generally written to prepare dishes for the wealthy and royalty, whereas freekeh was most commonly consumed as a staple of the common people.<ref name=Ahmad/>

In his 1865 book ''The Land of Israel: A Journal of Travels in Palestine'', British clergyman and scholar [Henry Baker Tristram](/source/Henry_Baker_Tristram) documented the preparation of freekeh near the [Sea of Galilee](/source/Sea_of_Galilee):<blockquote>Many fires were lighted on the shingle by the shores of the lake, fed by the clumps of [papyrus roots](/source/Cyperus_papyrus) torn up and washed ashore; and groups of [Arabs](/source/Arabs) who had laid aside their [sickle](/source/sickle)s, for the evening sun was setting, were clustered around them. We watched with interest the preparation of their evening meal. A few [sheaves](/source/Sheaf_(agriculture)) of wheat had been brought down from the fields above; these were tossed on the fire, and as soon as the straw was consumed, the charred heads were dexterously swept from the [ember](/source/ember)s onto a cloak spread on the ground. The women of the party then beat the ears and tossed them into the air until they were thoroughly winnowed, when the wheat was eaten without further preparation ... the green ears had become half-charred by the roasting, and there was a pleasant mingling of milky wheat and a fresh crust flavour, as we chewed the parched corn. We were delighted to have seen the preparation, and to have partaken parched corn, so often mentioned in the Old Testament Scriptures.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tristram |first=H. B. (Henry Baker) |url=https://archive.org/details/landofisraeljour00trisuoft/page/590/mode |title=The land of Israel : a journal of travels in Palestine, undertaken with special reference to its physical character |date=1865 |publisher=London Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge |others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref></blockquote>

Freekeh is harvested in [Palestine](/source/Palestine) in the late spring, sometimes early summer, when the wheat berries of durum are still green, and just before they become golden and dry, during a phase in their growth that only lasts about one to weeks.<ref name=Ahmad/> Wheat has long been a staple of [fellahin](/source/fellahin) and [bedouin](/source/bedouin) diets, along with [wild foraged greens](/source/Wild_edible_plants_of_Israel_and_Palestine), with the consumption of meat generally reserved only for special occasions.<ref name=Ahmad/> It is not clear when or how the practice of producing freekeh began exactly, though local lore provides various explanations. One theory attributes it to accidental discovery following the burning of a village's wheat storage silos; another to a deliberate practice to harvest part of the wheat crop early, to have some insurance against drought or locusts spoiling the crop.<ref name=Ahmad/>

The texture of freekeh in cooking varies; if consumed immediately after roasting when they still retain some of their water content, there is a unique chewiness in the grains, absent from those left to dry out further for storage.<ref name=Ahmad/>

==Culinary==

In [Egyptian cuisine](/source/Egyptian_cuisine), freekeh is served as ''ḥamām bi’l-ferīk'', which is pigeon stuffed with freekeh (ducks are also used<ref>{{cite news |title=أكلات مصرية.. طريقة عمل بط محشي بالفريك |url=https://www.elbalad.news/5152882 |access-date=21 February 2026 |work=Sada El-Balad |date=6 February 2022 |language=ar-eg |trans-title=Egyptian cuisine: How to make stuffed duck with freekeh}}</ref>). Freekeh is also prepared in Egypt with onion and tomato, and sometimes with chicken. ''Shūrbat farīk bi’l-mukh'' is a freekeh and bone marrow soup from Tunisia. {{Transliteration|ar|Freeket lahma}}, a green wheat [pilaf](/source/pilaf) dish with roasted lamb, spring peas, and pine nuts, comes from [Jordan](/source/Jordan), and ''shūrba al-farīk'' is a soup with green wheat and chicken.<ref name="CAW"/><ref>{{cite news |title=كل صح... طريقة عمل حمام محشي فريك |url=https://www.elbalad.news/5519262 |access-date=21 February 2026 |work=[Sada El-Balad](/source/Sada_El-Balad) |date=9 November 2022 |language=ar-eg |trans-title=Eat right...pigeons stuffed with freekeh}}</ref> Chicken stuffed with freekeh is a traditional dish found in several Arab countries.<ref name="asif">{{cite web |title=Chicken Stuffed With Freekeh Recipe - Muzna Bishara |url=https://asif.org/en/recipes/chicken-stuffed-with-freekeh/ |website=Asif Culinary Institute |access-date=21 February 2026}}</ref><ref name="alain2020">{{cite news |title=طريقة عمل دجاج محشي بالفريك |url=https://al-ain.com/article/chicken-stuffed-freeke-recipe |access-date=21 February 2026 |work=[Al-Ain News](/source/%3Aar%3A%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%8A%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9) |date=20 April 2020 |language=ar |trans-title=Chicken stuffed with farik}}</ref>

In [Syria](/source/Syria), freekeh usually is prepared with lamb, onion, butter, almonds, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and salt.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://olivetreenutrition.com/authentic-syrian-freekah/ | title=Freekeh with Meat: Authentic Syrian Freekeh Pilaf | date=5 February 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://suzannajjarphotography.com/blog/2021/3/4/get-your-freekeh-on | title=Get Your Freekeh on (Recipe) | date=4 March 2021 | access-date=24 August 2024 | archive-date=26 December 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241226140235/https://suzannajjarphotography.com/blog/2021/3/4/get-your-freekeh-on | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In [Tunisia](/source/Tunisia) and [Algeria](/source/Algeria), freekeh is usually prepared as a main ingredient in a tomato-based soup called [Chorba frik](/source/Chorba_frik) and is considered a traditional food.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.carolinescooking.com/chorba-frik/ | title=Chorba frik (Algerian lamb and freekeh soup) | date=13 February 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ourtunisiantable.com/home/2017/6/4/tunisian-shorba-recipe | title=Tunisian shorba frik recipe | date=6 June 2017 }}</ref>

In [Turkey](/source/Turkey), freekeh is known as ''firik'', and a pilaf dish based on freekeh, called ''firik pilavı'', is found in traditional Southern [Anatolia](/source/Anatolia)n cuisine. It may be combined with [bulgur](/source/bulgur); legumes such as [chickpeas](/source/chickpeas) and various herbs and spices, and sometimes meat, may be added. With the influx of millions of [Syrian refugees](/source/Syrian_refugees) since 2011, ''firik'' is available in markets all over Turkey.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Akin |first=Engin |title=Essential Turkish Cuisine |date=2015 |publisher=ABRAMS (Ignition) |others=Anya Bremzen |isbn=978-1-61312-871-8 |oclc=1281976159}}</ref>

In [Palestine](/source/Palestine_(region)), a variety of freekeh pilaf is made with lamb, onion, olive oil, raisins, dried cherry plums, almonds, pine nuts, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and salt. Freekeh is also served in a soup along with chickpeas and meat (beef or chicken).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://blog.canaanpalestine.com/freekeh-soup/ | title=Freekeh Soup | date=2 September 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fifteen.net/dishes/palestinian/ | title=20 Traditional Palestinian Food Dishes }}</ref> In the [Galilee](/source/Galilee) region, freekeh and other wheats are a staple, especially among Druze and Bedouins, as opposed to rice.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Solomonov |first1=Michael |last2=Cook |first2=Steven |author1-link=Michael Solomonov |title=Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking |date=2015 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-544-37328-0 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Zahav/oPGOCgAAQBAJ |access-date=28 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed>
File:Freekeh palestine.jpg|Freekeh soup from Palestine
File:Firik ve bulgur.jpg|Turkish firik (left) and [bulgur](/source/bulgur) (right) before cooking
File:دجاج محشي.jpg|Chicken stuffed with freekeh from the Levant
File:Freekeh with roasted vegetables.jpg|Freekeh with roasted vegetables
</gallery>

==Nutritional value==
{{Nutritional value
| name    = Freekeh (green durum wheat)
| kJ      = 1418
| carbs   = 71 g
| fat     = 2.5 g
| protein = 14 g
| calcium_mg = 34
| iron_mg = 3.5
| sodium_mg = 2
| magnesium_mg = 144
| phosphorus_mg = 508
| potassium_mg = 431
| zinc_mg = 4.2
| manganese_mg = 3.0
| thiamin_mg = 0.42
| riboflavin_mg = 0.12
| niacin_mg = 6.7
| pantothenic_mg = 0.94
| vitB6_mg = 0.42
| folate_ug = 43
| opt1n=selenium
| opt1v=89 ug
| opt2n=water
| opt2v=11 g
| note =[https://web.archive.org/web/20150326213943/http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/6540?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=&sort=&qlookup=&offset=&format=Full&new=&measureby= Link to Full USDA Database]
}}

Freekeh is comparable in nutritional content to other [cereal grain](/source/cereal_grain)s, especially [durum wheat](/source/durum_wheat), from which it is derived, depending on the durum [cultivar](/source/cultivar).<ref name="CAW"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/recipes/recipe-grilled-halloumi-and-freekeh-salad/article25500065/|title=Grilled Halloumi and Freekeh Salad|author=Velland E|publisher=The Globe and Mail, Food and Wine, Toronto|date=14 July 2015}}</ref> Durum is notable for its high content of [protein](/source/protein) (20% or more of the [Daily Value](/source/Daily_Value), DV), [dietary fiber](/source/dietary_fiber), [B vitamins](/source/B_vitamins), and several [dietary minerals](/source/dietary_minerals), especially [manganese](/source/manganese) (143% DV) (table). Before roasting, freekeh is 11% water, 71% [carbohydrates](/source/carbohydrates), 2.5% [fat](/source/fat), and 14% protein.

==See also==
* [Grünkern](/source/Gr%C3%BCnkern), a similar preparation made from spelt
* [List of African dishes](/source/List_of_African_dishes)
* [List of Middle Eastern dishes](/source/List_of_Middle_Eastern_dishes)

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Cereals}}
{{African cuisine}}
{{Levantine cuisine}}
{{Cuisine of Lebanon}}

Category:Arab cuisine
Category:Lebanese cuisine
Category:Jordanian cuisine
Category:Palestinian cuisine
Category:Egyptian cuisine
Category:Syrian cuisine
Category:Israeli cuisine
Category:Turkish cuisine
Category:Algerian cuisine
Category:Tunisian cuisine
Category:Ancient dishes
Category:Bulgur dishes
Category:Middle Eastern cuisine

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Freekeh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freekeh) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freekeh?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.