Mujaddara

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Mujaddara

Mujaddara (, Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
: ), also known as mejadra or mudardara, consists of cooked lentil

Lentil

The lentil or daal or pulse is a bushy annual plant of the Fabaceae family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 15 inches tall and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each....
s together with wheat

Wheat

Wheat , is a worldwide cultivated Poaceae from the Levant region of the Middle East. Globally, after maize, wheat is the second most-produced food among the cereal just above rice....
or rice

Rice

Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
, garnished with onion

Onion

Onion is a term used for many plants in the genus Allium. They are known by the common name "onion" but, used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa....
s that have been sauteed in vegetable oil.

ed lentils are popular all over the Middle East and form the basis of many dishes. Mujaddara is a popular Levantine dish, and may be served on its own or with other vegetables and side dishes: it is equally good hot and cold.

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Encyclopedia

Lentil

Wheat

Wheat , is a worldwide cultivated Poaceae from the Levant region of the Middle East. Globally, after maize, wheat is the second most-produced food among the cereal just above rice....
or rice

Rice

Onion

In the Middle East

Cooked lentils are popular all over the Middle East and form the basis of many dishes. Mujaddara is a popular Levantine dish, and may be served on its own or with other vegetables and side dishes: it is equally good hot and cold. This dish is a main staple of the Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian diet today, both in the Middle East and in America. At one time it was regarded as a poor man's dish, but today it is considered a high protein, balanced healthy food by many Americans.

It has two variants, yellow and brown. Red split lentils are used in the yellow one, and green lentils are used in the brown one.

In Lebanese cuisine, a distinction is sometimes made between mudardara and mujaddara, depending on whether the lentils are puréed or left whole, but usage is not consistent.

In Jewish cuisine

Mujaddara is also popular among Jewish communities of Middle Eastern origin, in particular those of Syrian

Syrian Jews

Syrian Jews derive their origin from two groups: those who inhabited the region of today's Syria from the History of Ancient Israel and Judah and those Sephardim who fled to Syria after the Alhambra decree ....
and Egyptian

History of the Jews in Egypt

Egyptian Jews constitute perhaps the oldest Jewish community outside Israel in the world. While no exact census exists, the Jewish population of Egypt was estimated at fewer than a hundred in 2004,...
backgrounds: it is generally made with rice rather than wheat. It is sometimes nicknamed "Esau's favourite", after the Biblical story of Esau

Esau

Esau is the brother of Jacob -- the patriarch and founder of the Israelites -- in the Hebrew Bible Book of Genesis. Esau was the oldest son of Isaac and Rebekah and the grandson of Abraham....
selling his birthright for a "mess of pottage". Jews traditionally ate it twice a week: hot on Thursday evening, and cold on Sunday. In contemporary Israeli cuisine it is now a favorite every-day dish.

Similar dishes in other cuisines

In Egyptian cuisine

Egyptian cuisine

Egyptian cuisine consists of the local culinary traditions of Egypt. Egyptian cuisine makes heavy use of legumes and vegetables, as Egypt's rich Nile Valley and Nile Delta produce large quantities of high-quality crops....
, lentils, rice, macaroni

Macaroni

Macaroni is a kind of moderately extended, machine-made dry pasta. Much shorter than spaghetti, and hollow, macaroni does not contain eggs. Though home machines exist that can make macaroni noodles, macaroni is usually commercially made....
, and tomato sauce cooked together are known as Kushari

Kushari

Kushari, often transliterated as kosheri or koshari, is a popular traditional Egyptian Egyptian cuisine. It consists of a base of rice, brown lentils, chickpeas, macaroni, and a topping of Egyptian garlic and vinegar and spicy tomato sauce ....
. In Indian cuisines, lentils cooked together with rice are known as khichdi

Khichdi

Khichdi is a South Asian rice dish made from rice and lentils . Khichdi is commonly considered to be South Asia's comfort food, and was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian cuisine dish of kedgeree....
(see also kedgeree

Kedgeree

Kedgeree is a dish consisting of flaked fish , boiled rice, egg and butter. The dish originated from Scotland and was taken to India by Scottish troops during the British Raj, where it was adapted and adopted as part of Indian cuisine....
).

External links

Wikibooks recipe (Israel/Palestine)
Wikibooks recipe (Lebanon)