7archa حرشة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“7archa” (حرشة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning semolina griddle bread.
Meanings
- semolina griddle bread
- rough, coarse (feminine)
Usage
7archa is a thick flatbread made from semolina and butter, cooked in a pan or on a griddle. It is eaten at breakfast or as an afternoon snack, with tea, honey, butter or fresh cheese. It is sold a lot at pancake stalls, next to msemmen and baghrir. The same word is also the feminine of the adjective 7rech, "rough, coarse". It is said of a surface, skin or texture, for example lumpy henna. Context tells you whether it is the noun or the adjective.
Example
فطرنا بالحرشة و أتاي
ftarna b l7archa w atay
“We had harcha with tea for breakfast.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7archa” but also “harcha” and “7ercha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.