Fatteh, fattah, and fatta are transliterations of the Arabic word for "crumbs," with the associated meaning of leftover bread being put to good use.
Fatteh might take the form of garlicky yogurt porridge bolstered by chicken and roughly torn chunks of pita, or it might be made of bread that's ground fine, toasted, and shaped into a mound touched with honey and further lubricated with olive oil. Or, like Yemeni's fatteh ($3.95) — lavash and oats boiled with milk, then covered in melted butter and honey — it might be porridgy, substantial, and sweet. Think of it as the breakfast cereal that will last you straight on till sunset.
Also: signs that attempt to position the cuisine as Mediterranean or Middle Eastern, for the benefit of passersby who might not be able to place Yemen in the southern Arabian Peninsula.
Yemeni's Restaurant
1098 Sutter St. (at Larkin St.), San Francisco
415-441-8832
(From an August 2011 visit)
