hrisa هريسة
Algerian Darja · noun
“hrisa” (هريسة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning hot red chili paste.
Meanings
- hot red chili paste
- hot sauce in general
Usage
Hrisa refers to red chili paste, often seasoned with garlic and spices. It is added to sauces, to chorba, to sandwiches or to garantita, and it is sold in tins or made at home. The word is feminine: "hrisa harra" (a hot harissa). It is common throughout the country and belongs to everyday speech. To talk about making a dish spicy, people readily say "zid chwiya hrisa". The same word exists in English, but the Algerian pronunciation has no vowel after the initial h.
Example
زيدلي شوية هريسة في الكاسكروط
zidli chwiya hrisa fel casse-croûte
“Put a little harissa in my sandwich.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hrisa” but also “hrissa”, “harissa” and “hreesa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “hrisa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “hot red chili paste”; “harissa lûz: sweet almond cake”: hrissa in Tunisian.