Stuffed sheep sausages (Fawaregh)
December 17, 2011 • Category: Main Dish
A mediterranean culture that mainly relies on whole-grains and vegetables is going to take full advantage of the special day when a lamb is available to feast on; thusly, every part of the animal is cooked in one way or another and intestines are no exception. Here, they are thoroughly cleaned with lemon, coarse salt and vinegar and stuffed with minced meat, rice and spices. This is an exquisite dish and one of the most traditional in Lebanese cuisine. It was cooked by Asma, a Kurdish lady and one of the finest cooks I know. She carefully and methodically cleaned them, rubbing them with coarse salt, lemon, a few tablespoons of flour and a jiggle of vinegar to rid them of any attached fat, inside and out. Then she stuffed them with a mixture of rice (medium-grain or sushi), minced meat, chopped onion and spices. The spices used were allspice, cinnamon, black pepper and salt. The stuffed intestines are placed in a pot and covered with water seasoned with two onions studded with cloves, a few bay leaves and some quartered lemons (or the peel of an orange) as well as some black peppercorns. Cooked at a gentle simmer until the stuffing expands. (The stock is skimmed of any froth showing up at the surface). These are often served under a layer of stuffed zucchinis. If cooked alone, they are served with their broth and some yogurt or a teaspoon of mashed garlic mixed with a teaspoon of dried mint. 
Comments
30 Comments • Comments Feed
Arlette says:
Wow….. this is something I didnt eat for ages……………………………..
good that you are enjoying all that food
On December 17, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Lebanese Kitchen says:
Those are absolutely delicious!! Grandma rest her soul, used to buy the emptied intestines from the local butcher, spend a good of time cleaning them and prepping them for cooking then serves them with a side of garlic sauce (crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt)… good memories thanks for a nice post Joumana
On December 17, 2011 at 3:07 pm
deana says:
I don’t know that I would have a clue where to get intestines… there are some middle eastern butchers not far from here.. is it a common ingredient or unusual there as here??
I think this would be delicious… all the flavors work beautifully… do I have the courage to do intestines??
On December 17, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Joumana says:
@Deana: You can try a reputable butcher or a middle-eastern butcher; in any case, I am not going to lie to you: these take a long time to make!
On December 17, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Velva says:
I will admit the sound of the word “intestines” makes me grimace. With that said, I know that I eat casings for sausage all the time, that are no different than the casings for the beautiful stuffed lamb you present here,
Cheers.
Velva
On December 17, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Rosa says:
Interesting dish! I’d like to taste it.
Cheers,
Rosa
On December 17, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Belinda @zomppa says:
Now this is something that we don’t see everyday! Looks wonderful!
On December 17, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Jeff says:
It freaks me out, I won’t lie… but your description of this recipe makes me want to give it a try. Very interesting!
On December 17, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Christine @ Fresh says:
This is something that I look forward to trying someday. The dish is such a love of labor, so much preparation involved, but I agree that every part of an animal should be used.
On December 17, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Devaki says:
Well its basically sausages right? Because it looks just like them just much more unique and flavorful and delish with the traditional ingredients. I am so glad you posted this! LOVE em’ and that last pic is my favorite.
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
On December 17, 2011 at 11:50 pm
Tim Vidra says:
This looks simply amazing.
E.A.T.
On December 18, 2011 at 8:58 am
Susan says:
It seems every culture has some version of delicious sausages. Thank you for sharing yours. They sound like a lot of work but I know they must taste wonderful.
On December 18, 2011 at 10:58 am
T.W Barritt says:
It is amazing to think about the hands-on care that goes into preparing a dish like this. Somehow the flavor and deliciousness is a reflection of the person who invested so much in the creation of these sausages.
On December 18, 2011 at 4:58 pm
culinaire amoula says:
Trop bon!!! j’adore la cuisine libanaise.
On December 18, 2011 at 6:43 pm
5 Star Foodie says:
I would definitely love to try these handmade sausages, they sound so flavorful and amazing!
On December 18, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Karl says:
Ashamed to say that this is one of the few Lebanese dishes I could never bring myself to eat – possible because the evil aunt who made it was evil. Haven’t even seen fwaregh for over a decade; maybe it’s time I tried to make some.
On December 19, 2011 at 4:56 am
domi says:
J’aimerai pouvoir passer ma main au travers de cet écran et me remplir la panse avec ces délicieuses saucisses…
On December 19, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Magic of Spice says:
Something else here that my kids would love…I don’t eat meat, but it never stopped them and sausages are a favorite for them 🙂
On December 23, 2011 at 1:40 am
Sigmund says:
By definition, intestines are not digestible, otherwise we would digest our own, no?
On December 31, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Joumana says:
@Sigmund: I would refer you to a wikipedia article on natural versus artificial casings; if you prefer to consume artificial collagen or plastic that is your choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casing_(sausage)
On January 1, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Nora says:
Hey everyone! Im trying to find a place that serves lamb head and intestines. Does anyone know of a place near Chicago or Wisconsin?
On January 10, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Kelli says:
We called it ‘kishi’. I miss it since my sitto passed.
On July 23, 2012 at 3:47 pm
loulou says:
HI JOUMANA
Could you use a sausage stuffer attachment to stuff the intestine or will it break the rice grains?
thanks
On December 8, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Joumana says:
@Loulou: We did it the old-fashioned way here in Beirut but I would not hesitate to use a sausage stuffer! 🙂 (even if the rice gets a bit damaged, the taste will be the same)
On December 9, 2012 at 2:38 am
Hazzi says:
yummmmmm….throw in some chickpeas, baby onions and cumin seeds or powder if you don’t like the feel of the seed into the stuffing. Absolutely divine!
Wouldn’t mind getting some tips of how to stuff the slippery suckers:-)
On February 4, 2013 at 8:35 pm
Joumana says:
@Hazzi: Cleaning them is key with lots of lemon and flour and water. I think I took a clip of Asma stuffing them will have to go check on my youtube channel.
On February 4, 2013 at 11:10 pm
Dad says:
Wow you should start a restaurant
On January 27, 2021 at 4:43 am
Mo K says:
I’ve enjoyed stuffed casings since I was a child. (In fact, I just had some yesterday!)
My family comes from the Mt. Lebanon village of Hardine. We’ve always called them im-soh-deen. (I don’t know the spelling.) Is anyone else familiar with this name for them? What does it mean?
On August 28, 2022 at 5:55 pm
Patrick Chadd Ed.D says:
My in-laws and spouse are from the north and they also call it Masareen, Emsoreen…
On November 23, 2023 at 9:33 pm