lsmid لسميد
Algerian Darja · noun
“lsmid” (لسميد) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning durum wheat semolina.
Meanings
- durum wheat semolina
Usage
Smid, or lessmid with the article, means durum wheat semolina. It is a staple of Algerian cooking: it is used for couscous, flatbread (kesra), msemmen, basboussa and many pastries. It comes in several grades, distinguished by adding an adjective: smid khchin for coarse, smid rqiq for fine. The word is used throughout Algeria and in all registers. Note: smid does not mean flour, which is farina or dqiq.
Example
شريت كيلو سميد باش ندير الكسرة
chrit kilo smid bach ndir el kesra
“I bought a kilo of semolina to make kesra.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lsmid” but also “lssmeed”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.