harissa

noun ha·ris·sa \ hə-ˈri-sə \

Definition of harissa

: a spicy North African paste made from dried chilies, salt, oil, and other seasonings

Roast chicken slathered in fiery Moroccan harissa is served with a bright orange dollop of carrot purée …
—Margot Dougherty

Recent Examples of harissa from the Web

The heat of her homemade harissa and the cooling touch of her garlicy cream sauce are welcome additions.

— staff writer, AJC.com, "Get a taste of Morocco at this East Atlanta eatery," 24 Feb. 2018
Merguez is a spicy Moroccan lamb sausage with harissa hot sauce, cooked with onions, red and green peppers, garlic and lemon.

— linda bladholm, miamiherald, "Their family brought Middle Eastern cuisine to 1970s Miami. Now they’ve expanded to Doral," 18 Jan. 2018
The veal is layered on a dish like carpaccio is, and is topped with the tuna aioli, olive oil, lemon juice, chili, and a bit of harissa.

— julia sayers, AL.com, "Try this innovative Italian restaurant in the Pizitz Food Hall," 7 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'harissa.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of harissa

borrowed from French & North African Arabic; French harissa, borrowed from North African Arabic harīsa "dish of ground meat and bulgur or couscous, paste made from chili peppers and spices," derivative of Arabic harasa "crush, bruise, pound"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1970

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year