Freekeh.

A little bit of resilience and resourcefulness.

It may look like the hero here is the golden chicken and roasted potatoes, but in my kitchen, the real hero is what’s underneath it all, the freekeh, quietly soaking up every drop of those pan juices.

For those who didn’t grow up in a Lebanese home where freekeh was always tucked away in the pantry (or brought back in suitcases after trips to Lebanon), it’s an ancient grain from the Levant eaten across Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.

Legend has it that thousands of years ago, a village’s young wheat fields were set alight during an invasion. After the fire passed, the villagers discovered the grains inside the charred husks were still intact. They rubbed away the burnt layers, cooked them, and found something completely unexpected - a smoky, nutty grain unlike anything they had tasted before.

And so, freekeh was born.

The word itself comes from the Arabic “to rub”, referring to the process of removing those burnt husks.

What I love most is that something born from resilience and resourcefulness has become one of the most nourishing staples in Lebanese cooking, naturally high in fibre, rich in protein, and just so deeply satisfying.

But more than anything, it’s the way it cooks. Absorbing everything it’s paired with, it turns a simple tray of chicken into something grounding, generous, and deeply comforting.

The kind of food that doesn’t just feed you, it stays with you.