What does burghul mean?
Burghul (more commonly spelled bulgur) is a staple grain of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine made by parboiling whole wheat kernels, drying them, and cracking them into pieces of varying size. Because the wheat is pre-cooked, burghul needs only soaking or a short simmer, which has made it a practical pantry staple since antiquity. It forms the backbone of beloved dishes such as tabbouleh, the herb-flecked Levantine salad, and kibbeh, the stuffed meat-and-grain croquettes of Lebanon and Syria. Sold in fine, medium, and coarse grinds, each suited to different preparations, burghul offers a nutty flavour and chewy texture along with good fibre content. For cooks exploring Eastern Mediterranean food, it is an essential ingredient and a rewarding alternative to rice.
nounA food grain made from whole wheat that has been parboiled, dried, and then cracked into pieces, used widely in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.
- The edible grain: wheat that has been boiled, dried, and cracked, sold in fine, medium, or coarse grades for use in dishes such as tabbouleh and kibbeh.
"She stirred the soaked burghul into the tabbouleh along with parsley, mint, and lemon juice."
"For the salad, cover the fine burghul with boiling water and let it stand for twenty minutes until tender."
"The butcher's wife shaped the kibbeh around a filling of spiced lamb and pine nuts, using coarse-ground burghul for the outer shell."
Burghul was being cooked in the ancient Near East thousands of years ago — it's one of humanity's original convenience foods, ready to eat after a brief soak.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of burghul
The word burghul comes from Arabic burghūl, meaning parched or cracked wheat, and it entered English through contact with Middle Eastern cookery. Its more widespread spelling, bulgur, reflects transmission via Turkish bulgur. Both forms have been established in English since at least the nineteenth century, as trade and travel brought the region's foods to Western attention.
How burghul is actually used
'Burghul' is a less common spelling than 'bulgur', reflecting its Arabic origin, but it is fully standard and appears frequently in British cookery writing and Middle Eastern recipes. The word denotes a mass noun and is not normally used with an article when referring to the grain itself.
Easily confused with burghul
Bulgur is simply the more common spelling of the same product; 'burghul' is an alternative transliteration, not a different ingredient.
Couscous is made from semolina rolled into tiny granules and steamed, whereas burghul is parboiled, dried wheat cracked into grains.
Cracked wheat is raw crushed wheat that requires full cooking, while burghul has already been parboiled so it cooks much faster.