Bulgur wheat is wheat that has been boiled, dried and cracked into small pieces. It has been eaten across the Middle East for thousands of years and is one of the earliest processed foods in history. When mixed with minced meat and spices, it creates a mixture that can be moulded into shapes - the classic kibbeh shape is an oval with pointed ends, like a large olive.
Fried kibbeh has a crispy bulgur shell on the outside, and when you bite through it you find a filling of spiced minced meat with onions, pine nuts and warm spices like cinnamon, allspice and cumin inside. The combination of crunchy outside and flavoured inside makes it instantly memorable.
There are dozens of regional variations across Syria and Lebanon. Some are baked flat in a tray and cut into diamonds. Some are stuffed with cheese. Some are simmered in yogurt sauce. Cooks take great pride in their family recipe, and the shaping of kibbeh by hand is considered a skill passed from parent to child.
Kibbeh is found at family gatherings, celebrations and everyday family dinners across Syria and across Syrian communities around the world. It is also popular across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and beyond - a single dish that connects millions of people across different countries through a shared culinary tradition.