Edge Rewrite
everything Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a21ba5f65e32dbb4

Jump to content

// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Bamia say to its date? Okra be mine?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bamia
Bamia stew
Alternative namesBamieh, Bamje, Bamiyeh, Bamya, Bame, Bāmīā
CourseMain course
Region or stateAfghanistan, Albania, Arabian Peninsula, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Palestine, Romania, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Turkey
Main ingredientsOkra, lamb meat
  •  Wikimedia Commons logo Media: Bamia

Bamia, bame, bamiyeh, bamje, bamiya or bamya is a Middle Eastern, North African, Western Asian and Central Asian main-course stew made with okra, lamb, and tomatoes. Other possible ingredients include onion, garlic, cilantro (coriander), pomegranate molasses, vegetable oil, cardamom, salt and pepper.[1]

It is found in the cuisines of the Balkans, the Middle East, greater Persia, Central Asia, and northeast Africa from Egypt to Tanzania.[1][2][3]

Etymology

[edit]

The word "bamia" means "okra" in Arabic.[4] Its ultimate origin is unknown.[4]

The name of the dish in Arabic: البامية باللحم, romanized: al-bāmiya bil-laḥm, lit. 'okra with meat', or Arabic: شوربة البامية, romanized: šūrba al-bāmiya, lit. 'okra stew'; in Kurdish: بامێ, romanized: bāmieh; in Persian: خورش بامیه, romanized: khoresh-e bâmiyeh, lit. 'okra stew';[5] in Greek: μπάμια bámiya; and in Turkish: bamya.[6]

History

[edit]

Okra is native to Africa.[7][8] Medieval Islamic medicine considers okra a medical plant; and according to Andalusian physician Ibn al-Baytar, okra has "cool" and "moist" traits, and is "the 'moistest' of all vegetables" (which is undesirable).[7] Early Persian references mention bâmiyeh (okra with lamb) as an Egyptian recipe,[7] but the exact history is unknown.

A recipe of okra and tomatoes can be found in the 1893 Egyptian cookbook, Kitāb nasị̄hạt al-anām fī hụsn al-tạʻām, by Isma'il Pasha of Egypt's personal chef.[9]

According to the food historian Gil Marks, okra is first attested in a 12th-century Egyptian recipe.[10] Okra was introduced to Spain in the middle ages by the Moors.[10]

Regional variations

[edit]

Bosnia and Herzegovina

[edit]

Bamija' or bamja is prepared in Bosnia and Herzegovina where it is considered traditional. It is made throughout the year, in homes and restaurants. Bosnian bamia is prepared as a veal stew. It is cooked for a long time until the meat is completely soft.

Egypt

[edit]

In Egypt, sinew (tendons) of lamb are typically used, which can endure long cooking times.[11] Ta'aleya, an Egyptian garlic sauce, is used as an ingredient to add flavor to bamia.[a][11]

The Levant

[edit]
Bamia from Gaza

Bamia is prepared across the Levant. It is usually served over rice and vermicelli, and topped with pomegranate molasses.

Bamyeh bil-zeyt (Arabic: بامية بالزيت) is an okra stew cooked in tomatoes found in Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian cuisine.[13][14][15][16] Gazan bamia is traditionally spicy and eaten with rice or bread.[17]

Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan

[edit]

In Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, bâmiyeh is served as a Persian khoresh (stew) along with Persian rice.[18] It is a popular dish in the southern provinces of Iran.[19] The southern Iranian local version of Khoresh-e bâmiyeh includes the use of turmeric, vinegar, potatoes, and red chili flakes.[19] A similar Persian recipe exists for okra stew with the addition of yellow lentils (Persian: خورش بامیه لاپه, romanized: Khoresh-e bâmiyeh lapeh).

The Persian khoresh-e bâmiyeh has influenced Gulf cuisine where the Persian dish has been directly adopted.[20]

Iraq

[edit]
Kurdish bamia in Duhok.

Iraqi Jews put semolina kibbeh in their version, kubbah bamia.[21]

Turkey

[edit]

In Turkey, bamya is an Anatolian stew that has a sweet and sour flavor.[22] It is prepared using okra, lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper.[22] Turkish bamia is sometimes served as a palate cleanser between food courses at ceremonial feasts.[22]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ "...dressed with a fragrant taa'leya, an Egyptian mixture of spices fried with garlic."[12]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Webb, L.S.; Roten, L.G. (2009). The Multicultural Cookbook for Students. EBL-Schweitzer. ABC-CLIO. pp. 286–287. ISBN 978-0-313-37559-0.
  2. ↑ Kopka, D. (2011). Passport Series: Middle East. Lorenz Educational Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7877-8716-5.
  3. ↑ Claudia Roden, A New Book of Middle Eastern Food, p. 248
  4. 1 2 "Bamya". Nişanyan Sözlük. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  5. ↑ Alikhani, Nasim; Gambacorta, Theresa (2023-06-27). Sofreh: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Persian Cuisine: A Cookbook. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-593-32075-4.
  6. ↑ Turkey. Michelin Travel Publications. 2000. p. 94.
  7. 1 2 3 Aʿlam, H.; Ramazani, N. (December 15, 1989). "Bāmīā". Encyclopædia Iranica, Vol. III. pp. 656–657.
  8. ↑ "Okra, or 'Gumbo,' from Africa". Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University. Archived from the original on March 4, 2005.
  9. ↑ Gaul, Anny (28 October 2025). Nile Nightshade: An Egyptian Culinary History of the Tomato. University of California Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-520-40915-6.
  10. 1 2 Marks, Gil (17 November 2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. HMH. p. 1344. ISBN 978-0-544-18631-6. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  11. 1 2 Smith, A. (2013). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. OUP USA. p. 678. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  12. ↑ "New Statesman". Volume 113. Statesman and Nation Publishing Company. 1987. p. 36.
  13. ↑ "أهم الطبخات الرمضانية في حمص.. وكيف يتم تحدّي الغلاء؟" [The most important Ramadan dishes in Homs... and how to cope with high prices?]. Eqtsad (in Arabic). 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "مش بس بالبيض.. طرق غريبة لعمل البامية بالزيت والخضرة" [Not just with eggs... Unusual ways to prepare bamia with oil and greens]. Youm7 (in Arabic). 20 June 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  15. ↑ Kalla, Joudie (3 September 2019). Palestine on a Plate: Memories from my mother's kitchen. White Lion Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7112-4529-7. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "Bamieh bi Zeit: Un trésor estival oublié, où le gombo prend vie dans une sauce tomate parfumée". Libnanews (in French). 18 July 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  17. ↑ El-Haddad, Laila M.; Schmitt, Maggie (2016). The Gaza kitchen: a Palestinian culinary journey (Second ed.). Charlottesville, Virginia: Just World Books. ISBN 978-1-68257-008-1. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  18. ↑ Willis, Virginia (2014-03-10). Okra: a Savor the South cookbook. UNC Press Books. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-4696-1443-4.
  19. 1 2 Alikhani, Nasim; Gambacorta, Theresa (2023-06-27). Sofreh: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Persian Cuisine: A Cookbook. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-593-32075-4.
  20. ↑ Salloum, Habeeb (28 February 2012). Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj, Delicious Homestyle Arabian Cooking. Tuttle Publishing. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-4629-0524-9. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  21. ↑ Sheff, Rachel; Gomperts, Sharon (1 February 2024). "A Class Act— Making Kubbah Bamia". Jewish Journal.
  22. 1 2 3 Basan, G.; Basan, J. (2007). Middle Eastern Kitchen. Hippocrene Books. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-7818-1190-3.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bamia&oldid=1365427993"