Fried kibbeh with mint

Kibbeh pie with lemon garnish

Kibbeh or kibbe (also kubbeh) (Arabic: كبة‎, pronounced [ˈkibbeh] or [ˈkubbah]) is a Levantine Arab/Assyrian dish made of burghul and chopped meat. The best-known variety is a torpedo-shaped fried croquette stuffed with minced beef or lamb. Other types of kibbeh may be shaped into balls or patties, and baked or cooked in broth.^[1]

Kibbeh is one of the most characteristic foods of Levantine cuisine, widespread in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus (where it is called koupes or koubes), in Egypt (where it is called koubeiba), the Arabian Peninsula, Armenia and also Brazil.

[edit] Etymology

The Arabic word kubbah (urban Syrian: kәbbe) means "ball."^[2] Various transliterations of the name are used in different countries: in English, kibbe and kibbeh; in Latin America, quibe, kibe, or quipe (Dominican Republic). In Turkey, it is called içli köfte; in Armenia, իշլի քյուֆթա išli k’yuft’a.

[edit] Variations

Kibbeh is probably best known as a 7 to 15 cm-long torpedo-shaped bulgur shell stuffed with a filling of spiced minced lamb and fried till brown. British soldiers in the Middle East during the Second World War used to call these kibbeh "Syrian torpedoes" ^[3]

In Levantine cuisine there are a variety of dishes made with bulgur and minced lamb that are called kibbeh. The northern Syrian city of Aleppo (Halab) is famous for preparing kibbeh with sumac (kәbbe sәmmāʔiyye), yogurt (kәbbe labaniyye), quince (kәbbe safarjaliyye), pomegranate or cherry sauce. Kubbat Halab is an Iraqi version of kibbeh made with a rice crust and named after Aleppo. Kubbat Mosul, also Iraqi, is flat and round like a disc. Kubbat Shorba is an Iraqi-Assyrian version made as a stew, usually with tomato sauce and spices. Raw kibbeh (Kibbe nayye), a meat and bulgur mix served raw like steak tartare is popular in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq. ^[4] It is often accompanied by arak and various salads. Kibbeh is sometimes served with a sesame seed tahina dip.

Fried, torpedo-shaped kibbehs have become popular in the Dominican Republic ^[5] and South America - where they are known as quipe - after they were introduced by Lebanese and Palestinian immigrants.

Kubbeh matfuniya

Kibbeh Nayyeh (also kibbee, kubba, kebbeh, kebbi, Arabic كبة نية or كبة نيئة) is frequently served as part of a mezze in Lebanon, garnished with mint leaves and olive oil, and served with green peppers, scallions and pita. ^[6]

Kibbe can also be a mixture of chopped meat (lamb or beef), burghul, onion, mint and spices pressed into a flat baking pan. Then it is scored with a knife into diamond shapes about one or two inches in length, topped with pine nuts or almond slivers and butter, then baked in the oven until done.

Kubbeh matfuniya and kubbeh hamusta are staples of Iraqi-Jewish cooking in Israel.^[7]

[edit] See also

• Middle Eastern cuisine
  • Arab cuisine
  • Cypriot cuisine
  • Egyptian cuisine
  • Iraqi cuisine
  • Israeli cuisine
  • Lebanese cuisine
  • Palestinian cuisine
  • Syrian cuisine
  • Turkish cuisine

[edit] References

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Kibbeh

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kibbeh

[edit] External links

• Flat kibbeh recipe