Mfarakeh
Mfarakeh is an Arab dish made of potato, egg, ghee, cumin powder, salt and pepper, in addition chopped coriander leaf for garnish. This dish is very simple to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is eaten with Arabic bread (Pita) and Arabic tea.
Mfarakeh is traditionally served as part of a mezze in the Arab world, especially in the Levant.
Etymology
The word "mfarakeh" is derived from the Arabic verb,, meaning "the rubbed". The root is also used to describe the crumbling apart of fully ripe wheat when rubbed in one's hand or even a wooden whisk used to break up food. This renders the meaning closer to "that which is crumbled or broken apart into bits"; descriptive of the way the egg falls in crumbles around the potatoes.Another name for it is mfaraket baid o batata, meaning "rubbed eggs and potatoes".
History
Two recipes for mufarraka were described in a cookbook by 13th-century Abbasid author Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi. One recipe called for frying eggs and fish in sesame oil, while the other called for chicken liver in place of fish.Proceedings from 1889-1891 by the International Congress of Orientalists described as a dish of zucchinis that are cooked in water and eaten with finely chopped meat and eggs. The 1885 cookbook Ustadh al-Tabbakhin by Lebanese author provided 2 recipes for ; a dish made by combining cooked onions and sliced boiled eggs.
Variations
The ingredients can be cooked together in a pan like an omelette, or can be cooked separately and made into a salad.A variety of spices are used, such as sumac, za'atar, or seven-spice.
Mfaraket Koosa
Mfaraket koosa is a similar dish made with zucchini or courgette, it can be made with eggs, or sometimes meat, or even vegan. It is sometimes made by sautéing the leftover pulp from coring zucchinis used in making stuffed zucchinis.The name mfaraket koussa also refers to a Syrian and Lebanese zucchini stew.