Kibbeh

Kibbeh, kibbe, kebbah (also kubbeh, kubbah, kubbi) (pronunciation varies with region) (Arabic: كبة‎) is a Levantine dish made of bulgur (cracked wheat), minced onions, and finely ground lean beef, lamb, goat or camel meat with Middle-Eastern spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice). The best-known variety is a torpedo-shaped fried croquette stuffed with cooked minced beef or lamb with onion and sautéed pine nuts.

Other types of kibbeh may be shaped into balls or patties, and baked, cooked in broth, or served raw. Kibbeh is considered to be the national dish of many Middle Eastern countries.

Kibbeh is a popular dish in Middle Eastern, and North African cuisine. Amongst these, it is found in Armenia (ltsonvats kololak),Palestine and Egypt (kubbeh, kebbah, or koubeiba),Iraq,Iran,Syria,Israel,Cyprus (koupa, plural koupes), the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey (içli köfte or bulgur koftesi).

It is also found throughout several Latin American countries which received substantial numbers of Levantine immigrants during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras and Mexico.(see Lebanese diaspora, Syrian diaspora.)