m7emmer محمّر
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“m7emmer” (محمّر) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning roasted, browned (meat, poultry).
Meanings
- roasted, browned (meat, poultry)
- golden-fried, oven-browned
Usage
Passive participle of the verb meaning "to make red, to brown". In cooking, it describes meat or poultry cooked and then browned, in the oven or in a pan, until it takes on a reddish-brown colour. The most common expression is djaj m7emmer, browned chicken, a dish very common at celebrations, weddings and snack bars. One also says l7em m7emmer for meat. It agrees in the feminine (m7emmra) and the plural (m7emmrin). Note: for an English speaker, "roasted" mainly suggests the oven, whereas m7emmer stresses the final golden colour, whatever the cooking method.
Example
تشهيت دجاج محمر
tchehit djaj m7emer
“I'm craving roast chicken.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “m7emmer” but also “m7ammar”, “m7mmr”, “m7emer” and “mhammer”. 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.
Type “m7emmer” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “roasted, browned (cooked dish)”; “reddened, turned red”: m7ammer in Tunisian.