Qara xerman, also written qerexerman or qarexerman, is fire-roasted wheat harvested before full maturity. Dictionary evidence and reporting from Koya document both the Kurdish name and the skilled work behind this smoky grain, widely known as freekeh.

Watercolour illustration of olive-green and toasted wheat kernels in a plain bowl beside green wheat ears
AI-generated editorial illustration of the grain and wheat ears. This illustrates the ingredient; it is not a photograph of a Koya harvest or a specific producer’s product. Kurdish History · AI-generated editorial illustration.

A Kurdish name in the written record

Taufiq Wahby and C. J. Edmonds’s A Kurdish-English Dictionary, published in 1966, records qerexerman as wheat gathered and scorched shortly before the normal harvest, then kept for winter eating. [1] The entry supplies a dated written record of the word and its storage use. Modern Koya reports use the spellings Qara Kharman and Qarexerman alongside Freekeh. [2] [3] Together, these sources connect vocabulary with a continuing agricultural practice.

How Shawger farmers describe the process

In May 2024, 964media interviewed producers in Shawger village, Koya district. Marf Omer identified a locally selected wheat called Rashgul. Fatih Rasul described morning harvesting, a few hours of spreading the wheat, afternoon burning and tossing it to separate grain from ash. Further drying and separation followed over several days, including drying in shade until the grain hardened, sifting and hand-cleaning. [2] This account records a particular production sequence rather than a universal recipe for every region.

The labour behind a finished grain

Jawahir Omer, interviewed in the same report, described helping with harvesting, burning, milling, cleaning and packaging, as well as preparing food for the workers. She emphasized the difficulty of the work in hot weather. [2] A finished bag therefore represents a chain of tasks and shared labour. Naming the producers makes visible the agricultural knowledge and work involved in turning a short-season crop into a stored food.

Koya harvests and meals

Rudaw’s May 2026 report identifies Shawger and Bajawan as important production villages in the Koya plains. Farmer Kawsar Mamand described a plentiful harvest after abundant rainfall; her account is a producer’s report, rather than an independently audited regional total. The article describes the grain in pilafs and soups, including festive meals with lamb and ribs. [3] This evidence places qerexerman within local farming and hospitality, with uses extending from grain storage to substantial shared meals.

Regional names and shared techniques

In the Afrin Archive’s transcript of an Ax û Welat visit to Xurêbkê, a woman names firik among the dishes prepared for a meal, at 43:13. [4] This documents firik in a Kurdish-speaking setting. AP’s May 2026 reporting from Taftanaz in northwestern Syria describes green wheat harvested, roasted, cleaned and sold as freekeh. [5] These accounts place Kurdish production within a wider regional grain tradition while preserving the specific names, communities and methods recorded in each place.

Sources and further reading

  1. Taufiq Wahby and C. J. Edmonds, A Kurdish-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966, entry qerexerman.
  2. 964media, “Video: meet Koya farmers prepare traditional Qara Kharman wheat”, 26 May 2024; written interviews with Marf Omer, Fatih Rasul and Jawahir Omer.
  3. Bilind T. Abdullah, “Kurdish farmers report record ‘Freekeh’ harvest following abundant rainfall”, Rudaw, 23 May 2026; Koya reporting and farmer interview.
  4. Afrin Archive, Xurêbkê: Ax û Welat transcript, Kurdish text and English translation, meal discussion at 43:13.
  5. Associated Press, “Photos of the freekeh harvest, Syria’s roasted green wheat grain”, 26 May 2026; written gallery introduction from Taftanaz.