khmira خميرة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“khmira” (خميرة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning baker's yeast.
Meanings
- baker's yeast
- sourdough starter
- baking powder
Usage
Khmira means the yeast that makes dough rise, notably for bread, msemmen or baghrir. It is a feminine word, very common in cooking. Baker's yeast is distinguished from baking powder, called khmira dyal lḥalwa, used for cakes. The word can also mean the traditional starter kept from one batch to the next. With the article, one says lkhmira. It is often found in recipes shared online, alongside dqiq, "flour", and lma, "water".
Example
زيد شوية ديال الخميرة فالعجين
zid chwiya dyal lkhmira f l3ajin
“Add a little yeast to the dough.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khmira” but also “5mira”, “khmyra” and “khemira”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khmira” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “yeast (baker's or chemical)”: khmira in Tunisian.