Meghli, moghli, meghleh, (), or karawiyah, is a Lebanese dessert based on a floured rice pudding and spiced with anise, caraway, and cinnamon. The dish is often garnished with dried coconut flakes and various nuts including almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, and pistachios.Dalal A. Holmin, From the Tables of Lebanon: Traditional Vegetarian Cuisine, Book Publishing Company (TN); 1 edition (June 1997), pg 164 Meghli is commonly served to celebrate the birth of a child.Meghli , Arabicnews'comKamal Mouzawak, Merry Meghli! , Poetry of Food, poetryoffood.com, retrieved 3-7-2010 It is also a popular Christmas dessert in Lebanon as a celebration of the birth of Jesus.Larsen, Timothy. The Oxford Handbook of Christmas, Oxford University Press, page 427
Name The name 'meghli' means “boiled” in Arabic, referring to the long time (up to an hour) it must be continuously stirred while boiling.Anissa Helou, Lebanese Cuisine: More Than 250 Authentic Recipes From The Most Elegant Middle Eastern Cuisine, St. Martin's Griffin (June 15, 1998), pg 241
Celebrations The dish was traditionally served to celebrate the birth of a male heir, but has now become a dessert to celebrate any newborn. The caraway is thought to assist the new mother in lactating.
Meghli is a popular Christmas dessert in Lebanon and among Christians communities throughout the Levant.Mouzawak, Kamal. Lebanese Home Cooking, Quary Books, page 154 Meghli is also symbolic of fertile soil, which is brown like the Meghli.
In Lebanon and Palestine, it is often served cold. In Syria and Jordan, it is commonly called karawiya (the Arabic name for caraway) and more commonly served warm.
See also Ashure
References