Of “Meatloaf” and Matzo
photo by Renee Comet
Sittau’s kibbe saniyeh is my Indian husband’s favorite meal: two layers of kibbe stuffed with lamb, onions and pine nuts. But I’ve never thought of it as “meatloaf.” Apparently, the world thinks different, and that’s fine with me. The more kibbe in the world, the better!
Thought these two stories — about Middle Eastern “Meatloaf” and the particularities of Sephardic Rosh Hashanah dishes — made nice bookends.
1 comment
The Syrian method of making kibbeh nayeh (lamb tartare) and kibbeh saniyeh is very different and, in my opinion, more flavorable. What has happened to Syrian food in this country is that it is presented often as Lebanese or Middle Eastern cuisine when in historical reality it was or is Syrian food. Pita was called Syrian Bread until it became commercialized by Lebanese entreprenuers.! Syria is the mother country of Lebanon. Everyone knows that. The Lebanese are mountain people and not as sophisticated as the Syrians when food is involved. Even the NY TIMES acknowledges that the cuisine of Aleppo, Syria is the best in the Middle East. We would use rendered butter not olive oil in the kibbeh saniyeh and the stuffing would be flavored with Da’ah…a mixture of 7 spices. The outer and lower layers would be kibbeh nayeh made plainly with fatless lamb meat, onion and bulgur wheat. The same meal is prepared as Kibbeh Trabulsieh or Kibbeh balls. When you have these in a restaurant, they are made with beef for the outer shell and lamb in the center then fried in oil. A real deviation from the original. Try our recipes at http://www.syrian-cuisine.com