Yahni

Yakhni

Beef yahnia in North Macedonia
Alternative names	Yahni, yahnia, jahni, yakhna, yakhnia, iahnie
Type	stock, broth, or soup
Main ingredients	lamb meat or mutton meat
Media: Yakhni

Yakhni (Persian: یخنی,^[1] Arabic: يخني, Urdu: یخنی, Hindi: यख़नी, Greek: γιαχνί^[2]), yahni (Turkish^[3]), or yahniya (Bulgarian: яхния, Serbian, Macedonian: јанија), jahni (Albanian^[4]) is a class of dishes traditionally prepared in a vast area encompassing South Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans.^[5] Generally, it is a stew of meat and vegetables.^[6]

History

A meat stew named yakhni originated as a Medieval Iranian cuisine. The name derives from the covered clay pot in which it was originally cooked.^[5] The meaning of the Persian word is "store of food".^[5][1] Different varieties of this dish later spread eastwards to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and much later to South Asia and westwards to the Ottoman Empire reaching the Levant, Egypt, Libya, and the Balkans.^[5]

Etymology

The word yakhni (Ottoman Turkish: یخنی) was borrowed into Ottoman Turkish from Farsi.^[7] Lexicographer James Redhouse defined the word in his 1890 English-Ottoman Turkish as a "stew of fish or meat".^[8] The Arabic yakhni (Arabic: يخني) was loaned from Turkish.^[9][6]

Varieties

In Iranian cuisine, yakhni is a meat stew akin to khoresh, while yakhni-polow is a pilaf cooked in a stew.^[5]

In Arab, Albanian, Greek, and Turkish cuisines, it is a stew of meat, fish, or vegetables in a browned-onion base with tomatoes and olive oil.^[5] Garlic and spices are a common addition in some cuisines.^[10][5] In Bulgarian cuisine, sunflower oil is used instead of olive oil.

In the Arab World, yakhni typically accompanies rice or bulgur.^[11][12][10] Gazan yakhni is traditionally served with maftoul.^[13]

In the northern Indian subcontinent, yakhni refers to stock or broth of beef, chicken, lamb or mutton.^[14] It is touted for its health benefits^[15] and is often the base for many foods including pulao^[16][17] (a pilaf) and other shorbas (soups).^{[citation needed]} In Kashmiri cuisine, yakhni is a light, yogurt-based meat dish, usually made with mutton or chicken. Flavored with fennel, ginger, and cardamom. It is commonly served with rice.^[18]

In Bangladesh, akhni is a mixed rice dish and variant of the biryani and polao dishes.

A version of the dish is also part of the Romani cuisine.^[19]

In Romanian cuisine, the term iahnie de fasole refers to a style of baked beans, often cooked or served with smoked meat and sausages (fasole cu cârnați).

• 
  Plate of Greek food: yakhni at top center, with pork souvlaki below, mousaka (bottom left) and rice pilaf (bottom right)
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  Yakhni from kashmir
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  Potato yahnia
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  Veal yahni served with rice
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  Turkish chickpea yahni
• 
  Romanian bean yahni served with sausages

References

1. Francis Joseph Steingass (2018) [1892]. Persian-English Dictionary. Routledge. p. 1529. ISBN 9781136852480.
2. "Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek". www.greek-language.gr. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
3. Alan Davidson (11 August 2014). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-19-967733-7.
4. Osmani, Shqipe (2024-06-06). "Jahnia e traditës e shëndetshme e shije në tryezë". Kosovapost.net (in Albanian). Retrieved 2024-06-11.
5. Marks, Gil (2010). "Yakhna". Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-39130-3. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
6. Davidson, Alan (2014). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-19-967733-7. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
7. Sevan Nisanyan. "yahni". Nişanyan Sözlük (in Turkish). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
8. Redhouse, Sir James William (1890). A Turkish and English Lexicon: Shewing in English the Significations of the Turkish Terms. American mission. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
9. Khayr al-Din al-Asadi (1981). موسوعة حلب المقارنة [Comparative Encyclopedia of Aleppo] (in Arabic). Vol. 7. p. 3106. Retrieved 8 Feb 2026. يَخْنِي: من التركية عن الفارسية: يَخني: الطبيخ، الخضار اليابسة تطبخ مع اللحم، نوع من طعام اللحوم، طعام خزين. ويغلب أن يطبخوه من البصل والحمّص ولحم الدجاج والبندورة. [Yakhni: From Turkish, which in turn comes from Persian: Yakhni: a stew, dried vegetables cooked with meat, a type of meat dish, a preserved food. It is often cooked with onions, chickpeas, chicken, and tomatoes.]
10. Salloum, Habeeb; Center, University of Regina Canadian Plains Research (2005). Arab Cooking on a Saskatchewan Homestead: Recipes and Recollections. University of Regina Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-88977-182-6. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
11. "طريقة عمل اليخني المصري.. باللحم وبالدجاج" [How to make Egyptian yakhni]. Al-Ain News (in Arabic). 18 August 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
12. "طريقة عمل يخنة اللحمة" [How to make meat yakhni]. Youm7 (in Arabic). 14 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
13. El-Haddad, Laila M.; Schmitt, Maggie (2016). The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey. Just World Books. ISBN 978-1-68257-008-1. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
14. Jamil, Tressa (2021-12-29). "Yakhni (Bone Broth)". Jamil Ghar. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
15. Yasin, Aamir (2014-12-22). "Chicken Yakhni — a nutritious winter tradition". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
16. "Chicken Yakhni Pulao (Pakistani Chicken and Rice) Recipe". NYT Cooking. June 26, 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
17. Jamil, Tressa (2022-11-07). "Yakhni Pulao". Jamil Ghar. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
18. "Yakhni: Kashmiri Cuisine's Famous Slow-Cooked Dish Introduced by the Moghuls". NDTV Food. April 30, 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
19. Sullivan, Meghan Collins (16 May 2014). "Introducing Roma Cuisine, The Little-Known 'Soul Food' Of Europe". NPR. Retrieved May 10, 2021.