Kibbeh nayyeh

Kibbeh that never meets the fire. Lean lamb or beef is pounded together with fine bulgur, seasoned, and spread across a plate; the dents pressed in with the fingertips are filled with olive oil. That is where it parts from the fried or tray baked versions: no shell, no filling, no heat at all.

Where it came from

The strongest account points to Aleppo, where animals were slaughtered on Sundays and feast days and the fresh meat was eaten raw. A second account puts it in thirteenth century Mount Lebanon. Both produce the same plate today, and it stands at the head of the dozens of kibbeh varieties on an Aleppine table. The tray version served there is called kibbeh nayyeh bi-siniyeh, scattered with pounded spice, walnut or almond and dried breadcrumb.

When it appears

It is a dish for guests. It comes out at gatherings, at feasts, at a crowded table, and it is fixed on the Christmas and Easter tables of Levantine Christians. Whatever is left is cooked the next day into something else rather than thrown away.

What goes with it

Fresh mint leaves, spring onion, radish, plenty of olive oil and thin bread. No spoon; a piece of bread does the lifting. Tabbouleh and pickles share the table.

Where to find it, and when to skip it

In busy, well used restaurants in Aleppo and Damascus, and more often at a home table. One rule governs it: the meat has to have been pounded that day. Do not eat a plate that has been waiting on a counter, sitting in the heat, or that nobody can date. On a hot day, in a quiet restaurant, or in your first days before you know how your stomach is handling the trip, skip this one — cooked kibbeh is always there.