A staple dish in Egyptian celebratory settings, fattah is a dish built on layers of of toasted pita bread, rice, broth, and different types of meat – in this case, lamb shanks. As impressive and satisfying as it is to eat, this version is equally as easy to cook.

On one of the most important days of the Coptic/Egyptian Orthodox calendar, fattah — a dish of bread and rice soaked in a garlic- and vinegar-infused lamb broth — is the foundation of the Christmas table. This dish is usually topped or served alongside pieces of lamb or beef, and perhaps (more trendily) a little bit of tomato sauce. After a long day of fasting, culminating in the midnight mass on the 6th of January, many in the Egyptian Orthodox community salivate for the rich, meaty, garlicky flavor cut with a generous amount of vinegar. What makes the craving even stronger is that this comes as the final point of a strictly vegan fast that occurs during the 40-something days prior to, and in spiritual preparation for, Christmas. 

Following mass, feasting can go until 2 or 3 a.m. And although you may also find turkey on the table, fattah is always the centerpiece. It’s even common to mention it in Christmas greetings that people exchange. I’ve received many texts along the lines of “Merry Christmas and enjoy the fattah.”

A Celebratory Dish, Not Just for Christmas

Fattah is also a popular celebratory dish during Eid al-Adha or even at iftar during Ramadan. It’s a special dish that you may find at a wedding, or to celebrate a mother after giving birth. It’s also just as important for Orthodox Easter. 

Fattah is built with layers of toasted pita bread, rice, broth, and meat, and relative to how impressive and satisfying it is, is easy to make. While this way of cooking fattah is traditional to Egypt, the dish (better known as fatteh) has different variants in the Levant, according to the region — some may include chickpeas and yoghurt, while others would be more similar to this one.

If you stick to a basic recipe, you’ll only need about five ingredients: lamb, rice, bread, garlic, and vinegar. And if you want to be extra traditional, add mastic, a tree resin popular in the Middle East to flavor meat or fish dishes. If you want to make it more elaborate, you can add more flavor elements to your broth like carrots, celery, bay leaves. Whatever route you go, take note: You must be a lover of garlic and vinegar because these are the most important components to this dish.  

Mary Fawzy

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