3tria عطرية
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3tria” (عطرية) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning spices, seasonings.
Meanings
- spices, seasonings
Usage
A collective noun for cooking spices as a whole: cumin, ginger, turmeric, paprika, ras el hanout, etc. It is used mostly with the article: l3tria. The word takes a feminine singular verb or adjective, even though it refers to several spices. Examples: dir l3tria (put in the spices), had tajine fih bezzaf d l3tria (this tajine is very spicy). They are bought from the 3ttar or at the souk. To name a specific spice, use its own name rather than 3tria.
Example
ما تنساش تزيد العطرية فالطاجين
ma tensach tzid l3tria f tajine
“Don't forget to add the spices to the tajine.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3tria” but also “3trya”, “3etria” and “3atria”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “3tria” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “spices, spice mix”: 3atriya in Tunisian.