Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "harissa" come from? It comes from Arabic harasa, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "harissa" come from? It comes from Arabic harasa, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).
Harissa’s story begins in Arabic: harasa meant “to pound, to crush.” The same Arabic root gives 'harees', a pounded wheat dish. It reached English by 1900s as harissa. Tunisia's national condiment, recognized by UNESCO in 2022. Today, harissa means a spicy North African paste made from roasted chili peppers.
- Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval harasa "to pound, to crush", the same Arabic root gives 'harees', a pounded wheat dish.
- Stage 2 · English · 1900s harissa "a spicy North African chili paste", Tunisia's national condiment, recognized by UNESCO in 2022.