A
Lebanese dish, also
found elsewhere in the
Middle East. The main
ingredients are:
There are several
variants on
kebbe. The most common of these are the kebbe
balls (although they're not called that -- it's just called "kebbe"). These are
ellipsoid in shape. Think of a
really big egg. The outer shell is made of a
combination of
mince meat and
bourghol. The
bourghol lends
firmness to the outer
shell. Inside, it is
stuffed with
mince meat fried with
pine nuts.
Another variant is kebbe nayya (literally, "raw kebbe") consumed only very rarely. It is exactly as the name suggests: it is basically finely minced raw meat, eaten with a dash of olive oil and little else. It is known for causing massive health problems. It is hardly served in restaurants in the West, if it is, it is in the most Lebanese of Lebanese restaurants: the ones that the Lebanese actually go to, as compared with gentrified ones*.
An Egyptian variant, where kebbe is known as "kubaiba" is very similar to the first variant, except that it is prepared in a deep dish. This is effectively a meat cake: Bottom layer is a mince/bourghol mix, followed by a pre-friedmince/pine nut layer, followed by another mince/bourghol layer. It is the baked in the oven.
*: For example, in Sydney, only yasmeen, a small restaurant in Lakemba (usually known as Little Lebanon) serves it. It's a restaurant. It has tables and little else. The copious Lebanese restaurants near the city, in Surry Hills, that have belly dancers on Friday nights (not something you find in a "real" Lebanese restaurant), and frequented by those who aren't Lebanese, would never serve it.