Let’s just start this off right: this is not a meal about an actual bird’s tongue. This is simply the easiest and most comforting soup: Lesan al Asfour: Egyptian orzo pasta soup. The shape of the pasta resembles a bird’s tongue, hence the name.
It’s one of those soups that doesn’t require much, but when you put all the elements together, it’s essentially a giant bear hug from the inside.
Lesan al Asfour: Egyptian orzo soup
When you’re feeling sick, you sip on this, and all will be well again. If you’re feeling cold because it’s that time in between seasons, take a bowl of this nourishing soup, and you’re guaranteed to have forgotten the chill.
My mother would always make us this soup on the weekends. Our weekends were the stuff of dreams (no sarcasm here). Saturday morning cartoons were followed by an afternoon of chicken boiling with fragrant herbs and spices and, if we were lucky, a small pot of chicken livers stewing on the side. Later in the afternoon, we’d be called down for a snack: a bowl of lesan al asfour and some liver to nibble on. Bliss!
Tante Lula: Elegance, cigarettes, and lesan al asfour
Fast forward a few decades later, and I’m roaming the house of my great-aunt in Cairo. Tante Lula, known for her beauty and elegance, has a beautiful story about how her husband fell madly in love with her after seeing her painted portrait in a gallery.
Unfortunately, growing up in Canada meant we didn’t get to know her in her better days, though we heard all the stories. By the time I finally got a chance to make up for lost time, she was well into her 90s… but as feisty as ever.
Despite being told not to smoke, and despite the neighbourhood stores being warned not to sell to her, she would sneak out during a “nap”, shuffle to the store, and buy herself a pack. Always elegant in a flowing dress with her hair up, Tante Lula would traipse around the house in her favourite jewellery – shiny rings, numerous necklaces, and loud bracelets. She told me it kept her busy.
And her meal of choice was almost always lesan al asfour. The cook would always make sure there was a big pot of it in the kitchen. It’s fair to say that soup is what kept her going for years until her time came to an end in 2020.
The Italian origins of orzo
Lesan al asfour is actually a pasta hailing from Italy. Its real name is orzo, meaning barley in Italian, because it resembles the grain. The pasta itself is made from semolina flour. Over the years, it has become a staple of cooking across Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It goes by many names, including kritharaki, manestra, rosa marina, reiskornpasta, or pasto gallo.
The Italian community in Egypt
The Italian community – which had been trickling into Egypt since the 1820s, primarily in Alexandria – numbered nearly 55,000 people just before World War II. Their cooking traditions have become intertwined with local Egyptian cuisine, resulting in dishes like:
- Macarona bil Beshamel
- Ma’sa ha
This recipe was featured on Twinkl, an international educational publisher.
Egypt’s enchanting soup from the bird’s tongue: Lesan al Asfour
Ingredients
Broth
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 onion
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 cinnamon stick
Soup
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cups / 400g lesan al asfour (orzo)
- 0.5 cups / 120ml milk
Instructions
Make the broth
- Place the chicken, onion, salt, pepper and cinnamon stick in a large pot.1 whole chicken, 1 onion, salt, black pepper, 1 cinnamon stick
- Add enough water to fully cover the chicken.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 90 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the broth has plenty of flavour.
Toast the pasta
- Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat.1 tbsp butter
- Add the orzo and stir continuously until most of the pasta turns golden brown.2 cups / 400g lesan al asfour (orzo)
Cook the soup
- Add just enough broth to cover the toasted orzo.
- Simmer gently until the orzo swells and becomes tender.
Adjust consistency
- Add more broth for a lighter soup.
- For a creamier version, add the milk.0.5 cups / 120ml milk
- Season with salt and pepper.
