Nile Soil

Kishk and freekeh: what differs, and how to cook each

Both are preserved Upper Egyptian staples, but one starts as milk and the other as wheat — and they are cooked nothing alike.

Kishk starts as milk

Kishk is fermented or churned milk, mixed and dried into off-white grains or powder with a sour, salty taste — an old way of keeping milk through the year without refrigeration.

That sourness is its character, and it is what gives kishk soup a taste nothing else substitutes for.

Freekeh starts as wheat

Freekeh is green wheat roasted while still soft, which gives it a smoky taste and a faint scorched aroma. It is then cracked, and the crack is what separates the grades: coarse megawez keeps its bite, finer dash cooks creamier.

Cooking kishk

Soak it in water or stock until it loosens, then cook it slowly with garlic and samna, with chicken or meat. Some add fried onion; some finish it with taqleya.

It makes a heavy, filling dish, eaten mostly in winter, and it also goes with stuffed vegetables and into some tagines.

Cooking freekeh

Pick it over and rinse, then cook it like rice in chicken or meat stock with samna. The coarse grade takes a little longer and keeps its bite; the medium crack cooks faster and comes out closer to a risotto.

Cooked freekeh is what goes alongside pigeon or stuffed chicken, and it also makes a soup and a stuffing.

Storage

Both want a sealed jar in a dry place away from sun. Humidity is the real enemy for kishk in particular, so use a dry spoon each time.

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Frequently asked questions

Which freekeh should I choose?
Coarse megawez if you want to feel the grains, medium dash if you prefer a creamy texture or are cooking for children. The smoky taste is the same in both.
Kishk tastes very sour — is that right?
Yes. The sourness comes from the fermented milk and is the basis of the taste. For a gentler result, use more stock, samna and garlic.
Can I cook freekeh without meat?
Yes, in vegetable stock with samna, and it works well — the result is just lighter, since freekeh takes richness from the stock.