Kibbeh
Fried kibbeh raas (nabulsi kibbeh) | |
| Course | Meze |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Armenia, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Turkey |
| Region or state | Levant, Mesopotamia, Caucasus, East Mediterranean |
| Serving temperature | Hot (or raw as Kibbeh nayyeh) |
| Main ingredients | Finely ground meat, cracked wheat (bulgur), and Levantine spices |
Kibbeh (/ˈkɪbi/, also kubba and other spellings; Arabic: كبة, romanized: kibba; Egyptian Arabic: كبيبة, romanized: kobeba) is a popular dish in the Arab world and the Levant in particular based on spiced lean ground meat and bulgur wheat. Kibbeh is considered to be a national dish of Lebanon and Syria.
In Levantine cuisine, kibbeh is made by pounding bulgur wheat together with meat into a fine paste and forming it into ovoid shapes, with toasted pine nuts and spices. It may also be layered and cooked on a tray, deep-fried, grilled, or served raw. The Syrian city of Aleppo can lay claim to at least 17 types of kibbeh. In Mesopotamian cuisine, versions with rice or farina are found.
Outside of Syria, versions are found in Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, the Persian Gulf, Armenia, and Turkey, and among Assyrian people. It is also found throughout Latin American countries that received substantial numbers of immigrants from the Levant during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as parts of North America.