Kibbeh nayyeh

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
Kibbeh nayyeh
CourseMezze
Region or stateLevant
Main ingredientsMinced raw lamb or beef or goat meat, bulgur, spices
  •   Media: Kibbeh nayyeh

Kibbeh nayyeh or raw kibbeh (Arabic: كبه نيه) is a Levantine[1][2][3] mezze that consists of minced raw lamb (or beef) mixed with fine bulgur and spices.

Kibbeh nayyeh is often served with mint leaves, olive oil, and green onions. Pita bread is used to scoop it. It is sometimes served with a sauce of garlic or olive oil.[4] Leftovers are then cooked to create a different dish.

Many recipes call for kibbe nayyeh as the "shell" for cooked kibbeh. In this case, however, the kibbe is rolled into a ball and stuffed with lamb, onions, pine nuts and spices, then fried.

As in other dishes based on raw meat, health departments urge to exercise extreme caution when preparing and eating this kind of food.[5][6]

Preparation

[edit]
Lebanese frakeh

Traditionally, kibbeh nayyeh was prepared in a mortar and pestle and using fresh meat, slaughtered on the same day.[4]

Frakeh (Levantine Arabic: فراكة) is a variation of raw kibbeh that is popular in Southern Lebanon, it is shaped into croquettes, and the meat is mixed with a variety of herbs and a spice mix called kammouneh (Levantine Arabic: كمونة),[7][8] such as dried roses, marjoram, and cumin.[9][7][10]

History

[edit]

There are different stories about the origins of kibbeh nayyeh; however, the most likely theory is that it developed in Aleppo, Syria. The inhabitants of Aleppo would slaughter animals on Sundays and feast days and eat the fresh meat raw. The other existing theory states that it dates back to 13th-century Mount Lebanon.[11]

Popularity

[edit]

Today, kibbeh nayyeh is most popular in Lebanon and Syria. It is also consumed by Druze in Israel.[12] Kibbeh nayyeh is a popular dish among Christians of the Levant on regular and holiday occasions such as Christmas and Easter, as well as the Shia of Lebanon on their holidays.[13]

Raw kibbeh is served in Lebanese weddings, often to hundreds of guests, requiring special care to prevent poisoning,[14] as well as weddings in the Galilee region.[15] Author Reem Kassis, whose father is from the Galilee, has stated, "There’s no wedding in a Galilee village without kibbe nayyah."[15] Fish are sometimes used as a substitute for meat in the Galilee.[16]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hage, Ghassan (2021). The Diasporic Condition: Ethnographic Explorations of the Turkish in the World. The University of Chicago Press. p. 120. ISBN 9780226547060. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  2. ^ Al-Khusaibi, Mohammed (2019), Al-Khusaibi, Mohammed; Al-Habsi, Nasser; Shafiur Rahman, Mohammad (eds.), "Arab Traditional Foods: Preparation, Processing and Nutrition", Traditional Foods: History, Preparation, Processing and Safety, Food Engineering Series, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 9–35, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-24620-4_2, ISBN 978-3-030-24620-4, archived from the original on 2024-02-24, retrieved 2023-12-28
  3. ^ Annia Ciezadlo (2012). Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War. Simon and Schuster. p. 349. ISBN 978-1-4391-5753-4. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  4. ^ a b Abood, Maureen (7 February 2013). "Why Lebanese Love Their Raw Kibbeh". WWNO. NPR. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  5. ^ Whipp, Ted (26 June 2012). "Raw meat dish banned by Windsor-Essex County Health Unit". Windsor Star. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  6. ^ Minicuci, Angela. "Salmonella Outbreak in Southeast Michigan Linked to Consumption of Raw Ground Beef". Michigan Department of Community Health. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  7. ^ a b ""فراكة" بنت جبيل.. انجبلت في الجنوب وفاحت رائحتها في ديربورن" [Bint Jbeil's "Frakeh"... It was born in the south and its scent spread in Dearborn]. Manateq (in Arabic). 11 April 2023.
  8. ^ "أفضل 5 مطاعم شعبية في بيروت". Raseef22 (in Arabic). 14 August 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  9. ^ "What To Expect at Tom Sarafian's Zareh – Melbourne's Most Anticipated Restaurant of 2025". Broadsheet. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  10. ^ Helou, Anissa (4 October 2018). Feast: Food of the Islamic World. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5266-0556-6. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  11. ^ Groundwater, Ben (2023-09-17). "The raw meat dish Australians are finally ready for". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  12. ^ Ashkenazi, Michael (2020). Food Cultures of Israel: Recipes, Customs, and Issues. ABC-CLIO. p. XXIII. ISBN 9781440866869.
  13. ^ Edelstein, Sari (2010). Food, Cuisine, and Cultural Competency for Culinary, Hospitality, and Nutrition Professionals. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 585. ISBN 9781449618117.
  14. ^ "هَيْدي هِيِّ الكِبِّة اللبنانية" [This is Lebanese kibbeh.]. Al-Quds Al-Arabi (in Arabic). 23 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  15. ^ a b Vered, Ronit. "How Reem Kassis Became the International Face of Palestinian Cuisine". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2023-02-23.
  16. ^ ""الكُبّة النيّة"... ملامح سوسيولوجيّة" ["Raw Kibbeh"... Sociological Features]. Arab 48. 28 Mar 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2025.