Kibbeh spices: how to season every kind of Lebanese kibbeh

Kibbeh is Lebanon’s national dish: fine bulgur and lean meat pounded together with onion, then eaten raw, baked in a tray or shaped and fried. Its spicing is subtle, and many families use two different mixes, a kibbeh spice for the bulgur-and-meat shell and seven spices for the filling (hashweh).

What is in kibbeh spice?

Recipes vary by village and family. Kibbeh spice blends usually start with warm spices like cumin, allspice, cinnamon and black pepper. Many add dried herbs, such as marjoram, basil or mint. Some add dried rose petals or a little chilli.

Kammouneh: the southern tradition

In South Lebanon, kibbeh nayeh is often seasoned with kammouneh (كمونة). It’s a fresh-tasting mix built on cumin (kammoun), pounded with dried herbs, and often also with onion, fresh herbs and bulgur. If your family is from the south, you may know kammouneh better than any packaged kibbeh spice.

Kibbeh spice or seven spices?

How to use kibbeh spice in each kibbeh

1. Kibbeh nayeh: mix the spice into the meat and bulgur with grated onion. Serve with olive oil, fresh mint, green onions and radishes. Use only very fresh meat bought for raw eating from a trusted butcher, and serve it the same day.
2. Kibbeh bil sanieh (tray): layer shell, then hashweh with pine nuts, then shell. Score into diamonds, brush with oil or ghee and bake until browned.
3. Fried kibbeh (kras): shape the shell into hollow ovals, stuff with hashweh, close and fry.
4. Kibbeh labanieh: small kibbeh balls simmered in a garlicky yogurt sauce with dried mint.
5. Lenten and vegetarian kibbeh: pumpkin kibbeh or potato kibbeh use the same spices with bulgur and no meat, which makes them a good choice during Lent.

How much kibbeh spice to use

As a home guide, start with about 1 to 1½ teaspoons per 500g of meat-and-bulgur mixture, then taste a small fried piece and adjust before shaping the whole batch.

Ask for Daaboul Sons kibbeh spices in Lebanon on WhatsApp: +961 78 827 365.