{{Short description|Bread made in Sudan}} {{italic title}} {{use dmy dates|date=February 2026}} {{For|the mythological figure|Kisra legend}}{{Infobox food | name = Kisra | image = Kisra maker.jpeg | caption = A woman making kisra | type = Flatbread | place_of_origin = Sudan | main_ingredient = Sorghum flour | similar_dish = Injera }} '''''Kisra''''', also spelled '''kissra''' ({{IPA|apd|ˈkisra|lang|LL-Q56573 (apd)-Rihab M. (Culex)-كسرة.wav}}), is a Sudanese popular thin fermented bread<ref name="de la Guardia Garrigues" /> made in Sudan, Chad, South Sudan, Algeria and some parts of Uganda and Kenya. It is made from durra or wheat.
There are two different forms of ''kisra'': thin baked sheets, known as ''kisra rhaheefa'', which is similar to injera; and a porridge known as ''kisra aseeda'' or ''aceda''. The latter is usually paired with a meat and vegetable stew, such as ''mullah''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wagner |first=Amuna |date=2025-07-11 |title='The Sudanese Kitchen Cookbook:' A Culinary Map of Sudan's Rich Food Traditions {{!}} OkayAfrica |url=https://www.okayafrica.com/the-sudanese-kitchen-cookbook-a-culinary-map-of-sudans-rich-food-traditions/213039 |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=www.okayafrica.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
As of 1995, the then-undivided country of Sudan ate an estimated {{convert|20000|to|30000|ST|t}} of sorghum flour annually in ''kisra''.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Handbook of Indigenous Fermented Foods, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VKlHKIvrogUC&pg=PA196|publisher = CRC Press|date = 1995-11-14|isbn = 978-0-8247-9352-4|language = en|first = Keith|last = Steinkraus|page=196}}</ref>
In 2025, CNN listed ''kisra'' as one of the world's top 50 breads.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-10-18 |title=World's 50 best breads |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/best-breads-world |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>
== Sorghum in kisra == left|thumb|200x200px|A sorghum plant Traditionally, in Sudanese households, sorghum is used as a base for making kisra. Sorghum grains are known for having high nutritional value through its minerals and vitamins, which contribute to its anti-inflammatory properties. Two common sorghum varieties are ''feterita'' and ''tabat'', which are used to mill fermented flour. This flour is then used in fermented batter that contains a starter from fungal or bacterial fermentation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mariod |first=Abdalbasit |title=Traditional Sudanese Foods: Sources, Preparation, and Nutritional and Therapeutic Aspects |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-5275-9313-8 |pages=1–3}}</ref>
In 2025, Sudan joined the United Nations' global initiative "One Country One Priority Product" to promote export of sorghum. Previously, sorghum production has stilted, and the crop has been a victim of inflation, making it difficult to make ''kisra'' and other sorghum-based foods.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sudan's Sorghum Joins FAO's One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Global Initiative |url=https://www.fao.org/neareast/news/details/sudan-sorghum-joins-fao-one-country-one-priority-product-ocop-global-initiative/en |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=FAORegionalOffice-NearEast-RNE |language=en}}</ref> Some Sudanese families have turned to other alternatives, like sweet potato porridge.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Xylom |first=The |date=2025-04-09 |title=River Nile Blues: Famished Sudanese Turn to the Humble Sweet Potato |url=https://www.thexylom.com/post/sudanese-civil-war-agriculture-sweet-potato |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=The Xylom |language=en}}</ref>
== Preparation == The making of ''kisra'' is strongly gendered and typically done only by women.<ref name=":2">Ulrike Nowotnick, « Glimpses into cooking practices—observations on past and present Sudanese griddle baking », ''Afriques'' [En ligne], 14 | 2023, mis en ligne le 29 janvier 2024, consulté le 25 février 2026. URL : <nowiki>http://journals.openedition.org/afriques/4167</nowiki> ; DOI : <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.4000/afriques.4167</nowiki></ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Hamid |first=Manhal Gobara |last2=Böhme |first2=Claudia |last3=Mustafa |first3=Khitma Abdalha |last4=Idris |first4=Yousif M. A. |last5=Muneer |first5=Faraz |last6=Elsafy |first6=Mohammed |last7=Rahmatov |first7=Mahbubjon |last8=Johansson |first8=Eva |last9=Abdelhalim |first9=Tilal Sayed |date=2025-06-01 |title=Sensory evaluation and consumer acceptance of Kisra, a sudanese fermented flatbread made with biofortified sorghum: Insights from check-all-that-apply (CATA) method |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772502225002288 |journal=Applied Food Research |volume=5 |issue=1 |article-number=100920 |doi=10.1016/j.afres.2025.100920 |issn=2772-5022|doi-access=free }}</ref> A recipe for ''kisra'' is included in Omer Al Tijani's 2025 cookbook "The Sudanese Kitchen."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Latif |first=Leila |date=2025-07-16 |title=The Sudanese Kitchen: more than just a cookbook |url=https://hyphenonline.com/2025/07/16/omer-al-tijani-the-sudanese-kitchen-book-sudan-cuisine-food-cooking/ |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=Hyphen |language=en-GB}}</ref>
=== Grinding sorghum === thumb|A bowl of sorghum flour from Namibia Sorghum is traditionally ground into sorghum flour using saddle quern and grindstones. A saddle quern can withstand up to 2-3 generations of use, and the stone is replaced when dull. The sorghum is soaked in water for one hour, then it is run through the grindstone up to 3 times to create a fine powder. The finished flour is dried in the sun before consumption. In larger cities, families can also buy machine-ground sorghum flour at markets.<ref name=":2" />
=== Fermentation === The sorghum flour is mixed with water and some salt to create a paste. The batter is left to ferment overnight to create a sourdough.<ref name=":0" /> Sometimes, it can be mixed with a small amount of older batter that acts as a starter. Fermentation prevents food poisoning by degrading contaminants and suppressing the growth of bacteria.<ref name=":2" /> thumb|A freshly-cooked ''kisra''
=== Baking === ''Kisra'' is typically cooked in the early morning. Oil or animal fat is added to the ''douka'', a traditional metal or clay griddle.<ref name=":1" /> The batter is spread out thin over the surface in order to create a paper thin texture. It takes only about half a minute to cook through.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
==See also== * List of breads * Sudanese cuisine * Lahoh
== Further reading == *{{Cite book |last=Mariod |first=Abdalbasit |title=Traditional Sudanese Foods: Sources, Preparation, and Nutritional and Therapeutic Aspects |chapter=Kisra: A Traditional Fermented Flatbread from Sorghum and Millet |date=2023-02-17 <!--see https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-9313-8 for exact date--> |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-5275-9314-5 |language=en}} *{{Cite book |last=Steinkraus |first=Keith |title=Handbook of Indigenous Fermented Foods, Revised and Expanded |date=2018-05-04 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-351-44251-0 |language=en}} *{{Cite book |last=Sulieman |first=Abdel Moneim Elhadi |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-82902-5 |title=African Fermented Food Products- New Trends |last2=Mariod |first2=Abdalbasit Adam |date=2022-01-31 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-030-82902-5 |language=en}}
==References== <references>
<ref name="de la Guardia Garrigues">{{cite book | last=de la Guardia | first=M. | last2=Garrigues | first2=S. | title=Handbook of Mineral Elements in Food | publisher=Wiley | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-118-65436-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ofLEBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA566 | page=566}}</ref>
</references>
Category:Breads Category:Staple foods Category:Algerian cuisine Category:Chadian cuisine Category:Kenyan cuisine Category:South Sudanese cuisine Category:Sudanese cuisine Category:Ugandan cuisine