Kritharaki or manestra is an orzo pasta that is very popular in Greek cuisine. In the shape and size of a large grain of rice or wheat, it gets its name from barley, but it made is from hard wheat semolina which is first fermented in water and then pressed through a mold that gives it its shape.
Kritharaki is the basis for many dishes: with seafood, with okra, with shrimp, with sesame pulp, with grilled vegetables, with meat, with mushrooms and in numerous combinations and variations of dishes cooked in the oven or in a pot.
Kritharaki is popular in the Balkans, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
