chorba شوربة
Algerian Darja · noun
“chorba” (شوربة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning traditional soup.
Meanings
- traditional soup
- soup in general
Usage
Chorba is the emblematic soup of Algerian cuisine. It is a must on the Ramadan table, where it opens the meal that breaks the fast. The variant is often specified: "chorba frik" is made with crushed green wheat, "chorba beïda" is a white soup thickened with egg and lemon. The word is feminine. It is pronounced with an emphatic ch and r, and the r carries no vowel. It can be used for any soup, but it first evokes the family recipe. People commonly say "tayeb chorba", meaning "to prepare the chorba".
Example
ماما طيبت شوربة فريك للفطور
mama tayebt chorba frik lel ftour
“Mom made a chorba frik for the ftour.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chorba” but also “chourba”, “shorba”, “chorb” and “chorpa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chorba” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “soup, broth”: chorba in Moroccan.