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Kibbeh

كبة

Specialised

⚠ A FAMILY, NOT A DISH, AND NOT ANY ONE COUNTRY’S. Kibbeh is bulgur and pounded meat — or, in the many meatless forms, bulgur with pumpkin, potato or lentil — and it exists across Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, southeastern Turkey (as içli köfte), Armenia and the Assyrian and Syriac communities, with the name itself from the root for "to ball". The named forms: KIBBEH NAYYEH, raw, pounded to a paste on a stone mortar; KIBBEH MEQLIYYEH, the fried torpedo with an onion, pine nut and fat filling; KIBBEH BIL SANIEH, layered and baked in a tray; KIBBEH LABANIYEH, poached in yogurt; KIBBEH SAFARJALIYEH with quince, and the many Aleppian sour and fruited versions; KIBBEH HAMDA; KIBBEH BIL SAYNIYEH; and the DISC and the hollow-shell traditions, which are different crafts. ⚠ NO ORIGIN IS ASSIGNED. Aleppo is documented as holding the largest number of named variants, which is a claim about VARIETY and not about invention, and this system records it as exactly that.

Atlas — where and when

Where in the world

Communities and languages

Languages: North Levantine Arabic, South Levantine Arabic, Turoyo, Western Armenian

What is recorded

  • Kibbeh is recorded as a family of dishes rather than one dish, and as Levantine rather than belonging to any modern state: forms exist in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, southeastern Turkey as içli köfte, Armenia, and among Assyrian and Syriac communities. Named variants include nayyeh, meqliyyeh, bil sanieh, labaniyeh, safarjaliyeh and hamda. Aleppo is documented as holding the largest number of named variants, which is recorded as a claim about variety and not about origin. No origin is assigned. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

  • related to Aleppian Foodways documented

    ⚠ Aleppo holds the largest number of NAMED variants, which is a claim about variety and not about invention.

  • related to Iraqi Cuisine documented
  • related to Turkish Foodways documented

    İçli köfte is the same dish. No direction of borrowing is asserted.

Recipes

No recipes are filed under this cuisine yet.