Popular variations of haleem include keşkek in Turkey, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and northern Iraq; harisa in the Arab world and Armenia; halim in Afghanistan, Iran, West Bengal, in Mauritius, Pakistan and Bangladesh; and khichra in India.

In the end, the cooked haleem is garnished with fried onions, julienne-cut ginger, sliced green chillies, coriander leaves, lemon wedges, and chaat masala.

[citation needed] The origin of Haleem lies in the popular Arabian dish known as Harees (also written as Jareesh).

According to Shoaib Daniyal, writing in The Sunday Guardian, the first written recipe of Harees dates back to the 10th century, when Arab scribe Abu Muhammad al-Muzaffar ibn Sayyar compiled a cookbook of dishes popular with the "kings and caliphs and lords and leaders" of Baghdad.

"The version described in his Kitab Al-Tabikh (Book of Recipes), the world's oldest surviving Arabic cookbook, is strikingly similar to the one people in the Middle East eat to this day" it reported.

In India, haleem prepared in Hyderabad during the Ramadan month,[7] is transported all over the world through a special courier service.

[9][10] However, the Bangladeshi version of halim differs from other areas slightly as the meat and bones are stewed and kept as small pieces instead of mashing them with the lentil soup.

Originating from an Arabic dish called Harees,[1] Haleem was introduced to the region during the Mughal period by foreign migrants.