This is a simple bread dish from Bedouin and rural cooking traditions: dry flatbread is broken into a bowl and softened with a hot, tangy dairy broth. It belongs to a broad regional habit of giving old bread new life by letting it absorb broth, yogurt, fat, and whatever the household has at hand.
Jameed is dried fermented yogurt, traditionally made so milk could be preserved and carried. It gives the dish its deep sour-salty flavor. For readers outside the region, look for jameed at Middle Eastern grocery stores or online; if you cannot find it, use thick plain yogurt or labneh thinned with a little water, knowing the flavor will be softer and less traditional.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 old saj pitas, completely dry
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cups water
- A few tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons jameed (dried fermented yogurt; look for it at Middle Eastern grocery stores or online. In a pinch, use thick plain yogurt or labneh thinned with a little water)
- 1 tablespoon samneh (clarified butter/ghee), or regular butter
Instructions:
- Break the dry pitas into a traditional Bedouin clay bowl, or into any wide serving bowl.
- In a pot, heat the water with the salt, jameed, and chopped onion. When the liquid is very hot but not boiling, pour it gently over the dry pita.
- Wait about 5 minutes, until the pita absorbs the liquid. It should soften, but not turn into porridge. Add a little more of the liquid if needed.
- Pour the olive oil and samneh over the top, and mix lightly across the surface. The different versions of this dish vary mainly in how much richness is added, from a drizzle of samneh to a richer, more generous dish.
