maqrouniya مقرونية
Moroccan Darija · noun
“maqrouniya” (مقرونية) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning pasta, macaroni.
Meanings
- pasta, macaroni
- pasta dish
Usage
Maqrouniya refers to pasta in general, especially short pasta such as macaroni or penne. It is also used for the dish itself, often prepared in tomato sauce with chicken, minced meat (kefta) or tuna. The word is common at home and in recipes. It usually takes the article: lmaqrouniya. It is used as a collective noun, in the singular: "the pasta" is lmaqrouniya. Vermicelli and angel hair pasta have a separate name, ch3riya, which should not be confused with maqrouniya.
Example
درت المقرونية بالدجاج للعشا.
dert lmaqrouniya b djaj l l3cha.
“I made pasta with chicken for dinner.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “maqrouniya” but also “makrounia”, “m9arounia”, “mkarounia” and “maqaronia”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.