Harees is a popular dish known throughout Armenia where it is served on Easter day, and the Arab world, where it is commonly eaten in Arab states of the Persian Gulf in the month of Ramadan, and in Iraq, Lebanon and Bahrain during Ashura by Shia Muslims.

"Harisa", also transliterated as "horisa", derived from the Arabic verb "haras" meaning "to squish" to describe the action of breaking and pounding the grains before mixing it with water to create a porridge.

[3] According to Armenian lore, the patron saint of Armenia, Gregory the Illuminator, was offering a meal of love and charity to the poor.

[4] According to medieval Armenian lore, the patron saint of Armenia, Gregory the Illuminator, was offering a meal of love and charity to the poor.

[6] Harisa is mentioned by Ibn Al Karim in Kitab Al-Tabikh as early as the seventh century.

[10] The wheat is soaked overnight, then simmered in water along with meat and butter or sheep tail fat.

[11] Harees was only made by the wealthy during Ramadan and Eid, for the duration of a three- to seven-day wedding.

[4] It is a thick porridge made from korkot (dried or roasted cracked wheat) and fat-rich meat, usually chicken or lamb.

Herbs were substituted for meat in harissa when Armenian religious days required fasting and penance.

[4] Harisa is known for helping the Armenians of Musa Ler (in modern-day Turkey) to survive during the resistance of 1915.

[13] In Egyptian cuisine, "freekeh", unripened, crushed durum wheat, was used to cook harisa, giving the resulting ferik a unique green hue.

[citation needed] Harees is a traditional Emirati dish made from wheat, meat (usually chicken or lamb), and a pinch of salt.

The wheat is soaked overnight, then cooked with meat until it reaches a smooth, porridge-like consistency.