harissa

noun

ha·ris·sa hə-ˈri-sə

: 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

Examples of harissa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Some popular choices for cranking up the heat include Tabasco, sriracha, Cholula, Frank's RedHot, harissa, and gochujang, among others. —

Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2024 Baba ghanoush, with seared mushrooms, ancient grains, harissa, and herb salad from Red Yeti. —

Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 5 Oct. 2024 The North African sausage is flavored with lots of spices, garlic and harissa. —

Julia Turshen, Washington Post, 27 June 2024 Tumble in the potatoes, stir through the harissa and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the potatoes are beginning to colour. —

The Week Uk, theweek, 23 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for harissa

Word History

Etymology

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"

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of harissa was in 1970

See more words from the same year