A dish the regions share
Harees is a popular dish in Saudi Arabia and in several Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Its preparation comes from several regions of the Kingdom, above all the Eastern Province, and most regions follow the same general method, with differences in the spices used.
It is easy to find at national festivals, and at heritage festivals in particular, such as the Janadriyah National Heritage and Culture Festival.
Ingredients and method
Harees rests on two main ingredients: wheat and seasoned meat. They are cooked together and left to simmer; the meat is then mashed into the wheat with a wooden tool called the mudhraba, and ghee is added for flavour. It takes one to two hours, until the texture firms up and comes close to that of aseeda or jareesh.
Because cleaning and grinding the grain is hard work, harees is usually made in large batches. It is generally served on its own, without side dishes, and kept in insulated containers to stay warm as long as possible; ghee may be added when it is served.
Harees in Al-Ahsa
The Eastern Province, and Al-Ahsa in particular, is known for the dish. It is made there in Ramadan, at festivals, at weddings and on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and the people of Al-Ahsa eat it at suhoor, the pre-dawn meal. Its name is linked to blending the ingredients with a large wooden spoon known as the harees mudhraba until the mixture is smooth.
Saudipedia gives a recipe: 700 g of harees grain soaked overnight, 1 kg of meat (preferably thigh), 3 g of salt, 60 g of ghee, and a litre of water or more depending on the type of harees. Soaking the grain in boiling water takes about two hours and cooking about one; the quantity serves five to seven people.
Harees in Hail
Hail harees differs little from the Al-Ahsa version in ingredients or method: cooked wheat grain with meat cut on or off the bone, served as the main meal at lunch or dinner. Its fibre and protein make it a winter dish that gives the body energy and warmth in the cold.
How and when it is served
UNESCO describes harees as a dish families usually eat at breakfast and dinner, served on large shared platters and eaten with the thumb and forefinger while kneeling on one knee. It is especially common in Ramadan, when guests are received, at weddings and in the pilgrimage season, because its simple ingredients make it practical to serve to large numbers.
Serving harees is a sign of hospitality and generosity, and the shared meal strengthens social bonds and cultural identity. The dish also appears in folk tales, proverbs and poetry in all three countries.
How the knowledge travels, and the UNESCO inscription
Daughters learn to make it from their mothers, and the know-how is also passed on through schools, restaurants, hotels, the media and official institutions.
In 2023, at the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee, UNESCO inscribed "Harees dish: know-how, skills and practices" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, on a joint nomination by the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia.