Kesra (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: كسرة) or Aghrum aquran in

Kabylia Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of th ...

, or Arekhsas in Aures, is a traditional Algerian bread made from

semolina Semolina is coarsely milled durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or corn) as well. Etymo ...

(

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

or sometimes

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

). It is usually cooked on a flat grilling tajine over high heat. This bread can be eaten hot or cold, on its own or spread (with butter, jam, honey, etc.), stuffed or dipped in olive oil, accompanied by tajine, with different sorts of cheese, etc. It can be served with fermented milk (leben) or curdled milk (raib). Kesra is prepared with semolina, oil or melted butter, salt, and lukewarm water, possibly with, depending on the region, baker's yeast, nigella seeds, flower water. orange tree, etc. Kesra is made all over Algeria, It is called khobz el ftir in Algiers, aɣrum n tajin in Kabylia, and arekhsas or arekhsis in the Aurès region.

Origin

Traditional pancake with several variants in North Africa, Scipio Emilian described through

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Hadr ...

Massinissa eating it after the battle against the Carthaginians. The name kesra comes from the Arabic root meaning "to break", probably because the relatively firm patty is traditionally broken (broken) by hand into pieces instead of being cut with a knife.

References

Algerian cuisine African cuisine Maghrebi cuisine Arab breads Mediterranean cuisine Berber cuisine {{Algerian cuisine