Murri (condiment) facts for kids

Murrī (also called almorí in some places like Andalusia) was a special fermented condiment used a long time ago. It was made from barley flour. People in North Africa and Arab countries used it a lot.

In medieval Arab cooking, almost every big dish had a little bit of murrī. It could be used instead of salt or sumac. Some experts, like Rudolf Grewe and Charles Perry, have compared it to soy sauce. This is because it had a lot of glutamates, which give food a savory, rich taste called umami.

History of Murrī

We know about two main types of murrī from old recipes.

Iraqi Murrī

The first type is the Iraqi style. Recipes from the 10th-century book Kitab al-Tabikh and the 13th-century Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada describe it. This murrī was made by mixing ground flatbread, barley flour, and salt. Water was added, and then it was left to ferment.

Maghrebi Murrī

The second type is the Maghrebi style. The book Kitab Wasf explains this one in detail. It was made only with barley flour. To give it flavor, people added carob, fennel stems, citron, pine nuts, mixed spices, and wood from a bitter orange tree. This murrī had a thick texture, like treacle (a thick, dark syrup).

Kitab Wasf also mentions a "Byzantine murrī." This version used toasted bread instead of fermented bread. It also included caramelized honey.

Murrī and Garum

Some old Arabic writers thought the word murri might come from a foreign language. Modern experts have wondered if it came from the Greek word halmyris, meaning 'a salty thing.' This Greek word is also where the Latin word for brine (salty water), salmuria, comes from.

Because of this, some people thought murrī might be related to an ancient Roman sauce called garum. Garum was a fermented fish sauce. Even though murrī was not made with fish, an old Arabic translation of a Greek book used garos (the Greek word for garum) to mean murri.

Charles Perry, an expert on medieval Arab food, noted that both murrī and garum were fermented, salty liquid seasonings. However, we don't know if the idea of a fermented sauce came from the Greeks. Perry suggested that murrī might be "the Greek idea of a salty liquid seasoning as interpreted in the basically Persianized—and fish poor—Near Eastern environment." This means it was a Greek idea adapted to a region where fish wasn't as common.

David Waines, a British historian, said there were two types of murrī. One was made from barley flour, and the other from fish. He explained that the most common type was murri naqi, made from grain.

How Murrī Was Made

Making murrī was a long process, usually done once a year. It often started at the end of March and took about 90 days.

Traditional Method

For barley-based murrī, raw barley dough was wrapped in fig leaves. This was left to sit for 40 days. After that, the dough was ground up. It was then mixed with water, salt, and usually more flour. This mixture was left to ferment again for another 40 days in a warm place. The final product was a dark, reddish-brown paste. When mixed with water, it became the liquid murrī.

It was very important that murrī was prepared correctly. This made sure it was safe and healthy to eat.

Fast Method

There was also a quicker way to make murrī. First, two parts barley flour were mixed with one part salt. This mixture was made into a loaf and baked until it was hard. Then, it was crushed into crumbs and soaked in water for a day and a night. This first liquid, called the "first murri," was then strained and set aside.

Next, ingredients like raisins, carob, dill, fennel, nigella, sesame, anis, mace, and citron leaf were boiled with water. Pine seed milk was also added. This mixture was strained. Finally, this second liquid was added to the "first murri" and boiled until it became thick.