Moghrabieh (Syrian maftoul)

Moghrabieh is a dish of bulgur grains coated in flour and rolled by hand into beads. The beads steam over a pot of chicken simmering in spiced water, then go onto the plate under the chicken, nuts and the broth. In Suwayda, in the villages of Jabal al-Arab, it is the fixed dish of the Eid al-Adha table.

How the grains are made

The work is called fatl, rolling by hand. Flour is sprinkled a little at a time over bulgur grains, which are turned under the palm. The flour clings in layers around each grain until they come out round, like beads. Because it takes effort, mothers make the grains ahead of the feast and store them. Some women also sell moghrabieh grains ready rolled.

How it differs from couscous

The name points to the Maghreb, but this is not North African couscous. Couscous is made from semolina. Moghrabieh has a bulgur core and a flour coat. Arabic Wikipedia lists it as maftoul or moghrabieh among the dishes of Levantine cooking; it is fair to call it the Levant’s own couscous.

How Suwayda cooks it

Chicken, chickpeas and onion go into the pot. The grains sit in a woven straw sieve called a mansafeh, and the sieve is sealed to the rim of the pot with dough. Steam can only pass through the holes in the straw, and it cooks the grains. The fat is village ghee. In Jabal al-Arab people say moghrabieh only tastes right with village chicken or turkey.

Serving is simple: the grains are spread on a wide plate, the pulled chicken and nuts go on top, and last comes the broth, coloured by its spices.

When it is eaten

One of the four days of Eid al-Adha is given to moghrabieh. With mansaf and malihi, it is counted among the three dishes of the Jabal al-Arab feast table. It is also cooked in winter, on days when snow falls. It is a home dish, and a traveller is most likely to meet it at a feast-day invitation.