The Iraqi and Syrian wheat-and-meat porridge traditionally made with pounded wheat is called harees.
Harees is made by cooking wheat, usually wheat berries or coarsely cracked wheat, with meat until the ingredients become a thick, smooth porridge. The wheat may be soaked and pounded before or during cooking, helping create its characteristic cohesive texture. Salt, clarified butter, and spices can be added according to local custom.
The dish has long been associated with festive occasions, including Ramadan, weddings, and religious celebrations. Versions are found across the Arabian Peninsula and parts of the Middle East, although recipes differ in the grain, meat, and finishing ingredients used.
Harees can be confused with jareesh, another regional wheat dish made from cracked wheat. Names and spellings overlap in some places, but harees is particularly identified with wheat cooked and beaten into a porridge-like consistency.