Fatteh

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فتّة / Fatteh / Fetté
A Damascene fetté with grilled almonds and clarified sheep butter
CourseBreakfast[1] or Main[2]
Place of originMiddle East
Serving temperatureWarm
Main ingredientsFlatbread, yogurt, chickpeas, oil
  •   Media: فتّة / Fatteh / Fetté

Fatteh (Arabic: فتّة meaning crushed or crumbs, also romanized as fette, fetté, fatta or fattah)[3] is a dish eaten in the Levant and Egypt consisting of pieces of fresh, toasted, grilled, or fried flatbread covered with other ingredients that vary according to region. It is also some times referred to as shâmiyât (Arabic: شاميات "Damascene")[2] in the Levant area.

Geographical distribution

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Fatteh is an ancient dish found in the Mashriq region of the Arab world as well as Egypt.[4]

Etymology

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Look up فتة in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Fatteh is derived from Arabic fatta (فتة), which means to "tear" or "break apart.[5][6]

Regional variations

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Egyptian fatta

Fetté dishes include a wide variety of regional and local variations, some of which also have their own distinct names.

Yemen

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Many variations of fatteh can be found in Yemeni cuisine, this includes both sweet and savory versions.[7][8] Fattah Tammer (Arabic: فتة تمر) is a sweet version made with honey and date palm.[9][8][7]

Another name for fatta in Yemen is fatoot or ftut (Arabic: فتوت).[10] Variations of fatta called ftout and fatoot samneh are popular among Yemenite Jews, and are still made in Yemen today.[11]

Arabian Gulf

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In Eastern Arabian cuisine, tharid is a popular fatteh dish, its made with meat, vegetables, and broth.[12][13]

Egypt

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Egyptians prepare a dish called "fatta" as a feast meal.[2] It is prepared on special occasions, such as to celebrate a woman's first pregnancy or for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. It is made with a garlic and vinegar flavored meat soup and crispy flatbread served in a bowl with rice and a sauce consisting of garlic tomato sauce.[14]

Hummus Fatteh with lamb Meat and Spiced Chickpeas.

Levant

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Many variations of fatteh exist in the Levant region,[15] one of the most common variations is Fattet Hummus, which itself has its own regional variations across Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, its main ingredients are bread, chickpeas, and tahini. Nuts, ground meat, as well as many other toppings can be added for garnish.[16][15]

Another popular Levantine variation is fattet betinjen (Arabic: فتة باذنجان), which is made with fried or roasted eggplants, other common additions include yogurt and meat.[15][17][18]

Syria

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Syrian fetté with grilled lamb cubes and pine nuts, served with sizzling butter

The Levantine "fetté", eaten in breakfasts as well as in the evenings,[1][2] always starts with a stack of khubz bread, topped by strained yogurt, steamed chickpeas and olive oil that are crushed and mixed together. In the next step, a teaspoon of cumin is almost always poured into the mixture. After that, virtually anything can be added to the bowl. Some fettés are made of eggplants and julienned carrots topped with grilled chicken and pine nuts while some contain lamb shanks, different spices and yogurt.[2] The fattoush is a salad made with toasted pieces of pita bread that technically also falls into the family of "shâmiyât".[2].There is Fatteh with oil, Fatteh with ghee, Fatteh with yogurt, and other types of Fatteh that are famous in different regions of Syria. Fatteh with oil is a type of Fatteh known in Syria. It is prepared by cutting toasted or dried bread and placing it in a deep glass bowl. Add previously boiled chickpeas (it must be hot) with a little salt. Stir the mixture a little and add the special Fatteh mixture (made up of khatta, lemon, and oil) and garnish with pine nuts. There are many types of Fatteh in Syria, including: Fatteh with maqadam, Fatteh with Arabic ghee, Fatteh with yogurt, and Fatteh with bananas. Damascus is famous for its many types of Syrian Fatteh, which are rich in ingredients and delicious taste.[19]

Palestine

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Fetté gazzewié, made with saj bread soaked with chicken broth and rice

"Fetté gazzewié" from Gaza is served as plain rice cooked in meat or chicken broth and then flavored with mild spices, particularly cinnamon. The rice is then laid over a thin markook bread which is in turn smothered in clarified butter and topped with various meats.[20] Some versions of Musakhan are fetté dishes.[15]

Jordan

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Mansaf, the national dish of Jordan, can be considered a fatteh dish,[15] it is made with rice, meat, a fermented-yoghurt called jameed, and shredded saj bread.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Salamandra, 2004, p. 97
  2. ^ a b c d e f Wright, 2003, p. 117.
  3. ^ Patai, 1998, p. 98.
  4. ^ Fox, Tessa (20 April 2023). "Fatteh: a layered dish of bread and yoghurt". BBC. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  5. ^ Kassis, Reem (12 May 2025). "How to Make Leftovers Feel Like a Feast". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  6. ^ "تعريف و شرح و معنى فتة بالعربي في معاجم اللغة العربية". Almaany. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b "من الشفوت إلى بنت الصحن... أكلات يمنية في رمضان" [From shafut to the bint as-sahn... Yemeni dishes in Ramadan]. The New Arab. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  8. ^ a b "اكتشف "المخبازه" أشهر المأكولات اليمنية الشعبية في عدن" [Discover "Al-Makhbaza", the most famous Yemeni popular food in Aden.]. CNN Arabic (in Arabic). 23 June 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  9. ^ Jones, John (10 March 2022). "We tried the Grangetown restaurant serving the best Yemeni food in Cardiff". Wales Online. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  10. ^ Marks, Gil (2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. John Wiley and Sons. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-470-39130-3.
  11. ^ Guttman, Vered Guttman (21 February 2025). "Got Leftover Chicken Soup? Make Yemenite Ftout". The Detroit Jewish News. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  12. ^ Mims, Ben (11 April 2021). "Middle Eastern flatbreads star in Ramadan dishes and beyond". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  13. ^ Helou, Anissa (9 April 2021). "Tharid (Arabian Meat and Vegetable Stew Over Crispy Bread)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  14. ^ "'Eid has no joy without it': How to make Egyptian fattah". Middle East Eye. 10 Aug 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d e Kassis, Reem (4 August 2025). "The 1,001 Faces of Fatteh—and How to Make This Iconic Arab Dish at Home". Serious Eats. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  16. ^ Kassis, Reem. "This Classic Middle Eastern Recipe Turns Hummus Into a Celebratory Meal". Serious Eats. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  17. ^ Ding, Ann (22 October 2021). "Breakfast with Sharon Salloum: eggplant fatteh (fattet betinjen) – recipe". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  18. ^ "سهلة ولا تحتاج إلى أكثر من نصف ساعة.. طريقة عمل "فتة الباذنجان باللبن والطحينة" الشهية" [Easy and quick to prepare with simple ingredients... How to make delicious "Eggplant Fatteh with Yogurt and Tahini"]. ArabicPost. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  19. ^ "Fatteh | Traditional Breakfast From Lebanon | TasteAtlas". 2019-12-10. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  20. ^ The Foods of Gaza Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine Laila el-Haddad. This Week in Palestine. June 2006.
  21. ^ "For Many Members of the Arab American Diaspora, Mansaf Offers a Taste of Home". The New York Times Style Magazine. 11 Nov 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2025.

Bibliography

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