Kibbeh (, also kubba and other spellings; ; ) is a popular dish in the Arab world and the Levant in particular, made of 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 Lebanon and Syria, 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.
Etymology
The modern word kibbeh () is derived from the Arabic root k-b-b ().
American Methodist missionary William McClure Thomson noted in his memoirs during his 1847 visit to Lebanon that kibbeh, then made by crushing wheat in mortar and pestle, was very popular.
The 1885 Beirut cookbook Ustadh al-Tabbakhin by author provided 15 kibbeh recipes, including recipes for kibbeh labaniyyeh, kiyyeh bil siniyyeh, kibbeh mashwiyyeh, among others. The Comparative Encyclopedia of Aleppo by Syrian author Khayr al-Din al-Asadi (completed in 1971, published posthumously in 1981) described 58 different kinds of kibbeh.
Variations
Levant
thumb|Kibbeh nayyeh
Kibbeh nayyeh is a raw dish made from a mixture of bulgur, very finely minced lamb or beef similar to steak tartare, and Levantine spices, served on a platter, frequently as part of a meze in Lebanon and Syria, garnished with mint leaves and olive oil, and served with green onions or scallions, green hot peppers, and pita or markouk bread. kibbeh mishwiyyeh () is kibbeh that is grilled rather than fried.
thumb|Kibbeh bil siniyeh (baked kibbeh in a tray)
Lebanon
In Lebanon, meatless versions of kibbeh exist, and are sometimes called "poor man's kibbe". The stuffing is made with onions, walnuts, and wheat.
Syria
The city of Aleppo, Syria, is known for its many varieties of kibbe. These include kibbeh prepared with sumac (kibbe sumāqiyye), yogurt (kibbe labaniyye), quince (kibbe safarjaliyye), lemon juice (kibbe ḥāmḍa), pomegranate sauce (kibbeh rummaniyeh), cherry sauce, and other varieties, such as "disk" kibbeh (kibbe arāṣ), "plate" kibbeh (kibbe biṣfīḥa or kibbe bṣēniyye) and raw kibbeh (kibbeh nayyeh). Kibbeh sajiyeh () is kibbeh shaped into a thin disk with a meat filling that is traditionally dipped in a yogurt sauce.
A Syrian soup known as kubbi kishk consists of kubbi ("torpedoes" or "footballs") in a yogurt (kishk) and butter broth with stewed cabbage leaves. Another soup, known as kibbeh hamda, consists of chicken stock with vegetables (usually leeks, celery, turnips and courgettes), lemon juice and garlic, with small kibbeh made with ground rice as dumplings. In the Syrian Jewish diaspora this dish is popular both for Pesach and as the pre-fast meal on the day before Yom Kippur.
Iraq
thumb|Kibbeh Moselleyh from [[Mosul]]
Kubba Mosul from Iraq is flat and round like a disc, named after the city of Mosul. Kubbat shorba is an Iraqi and Kurdish version prepared as a stew, commonly made with turnips and chard in a tomato-based stew. It is often served with arak and various salads.
Among Kurdish Jews, there is a kubba soup flavored with aromatic thyme leaves during winter.
Turkey
In Turkey, kibbeh is called . or with tomato paste in different recipes.
Several variants of içli köfte are protected as geographical indications by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office:
- The Adana variety of içli köfte. It is a grilled, skewer-cooked form of içli köfte.
- Malatya içli köftesi is a bulgur meatball that is boiled rather than fried.
- Polat içli köftesi is a boiled bulgur meatball with beef and onion filling.
Egypt
In Egypt, kibbeh is referred to as kobeba (). Seafood variations of kobeba exist, such as shrimp kobeba, popular in Port Said.
Latin America
Brazil
thumb|right|Fried quibe (Brazil)Brazilian is sometimes stuffed with Catupiry or another variety of requeijão, a sauce resembling ricotta and cream cheese. Most Brazilian uses only ground beef, but other variations use tahini, (texturized soy protein), (Japanese wheat gluten-based meat substitute) or tofu (soybean curd) as stuffing.
In the Brazilian state of Acre, a variation of called (rice kibbeh) is made with a rice flour breading. It was created by Arab immigrants to Brazil who had no access to wheat in the remote Amazon region of Brazil.
Colombia
On Colombia's Caribbean coast, most local variations of the dish use ground beef instead of lamb, but the original recipe, or one with a mixture of beef and lamb, can be found served by the large Lebanese and Syrian population of the area. The dish has acquired almost vernacular presence and is frequently served in social occasions at both Arab and non-Arab households. When served as an adopted local dish, it is offered often as a starter along with other regional specialties, including empanadas, deditos and carimañolas.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican version was brought to the Dominican Republic by Lebanese immigrants.
Mexico
Some regional Syrian and Lebanese dishes combine kibbeh with elements taken from Latin American cuisine; for example, it is typical of Syrian Mexicans to eat traditional kibbeh with salsa verde.
Culture
thumb|Uncooked kibbeh being prepared.
Kibbeh is considered by many to be a difficult dish to prepare, and as such, the quality of kibbeh is considered to be a benchmark for the skill of a cook in Iraq and the Levant. Numerous mentions of kibbeh can be found in Aleppo Arabic folk proverbs.