What grilled minced meat skewers, seasoned with onions and parsley, are called in Lebanon? Kafta is the answer.
Lebanese kafta is a Levantine preparation of minced meat—usually lamb, beef, or a combination—mixed with finely chopped onion, parsley, and spices. The mixture is shaped around skewers or formed into patties, cylinders, or meatballs. Kafta meshwi is the grilled version, traditionally cooked over charcoal.
The skewers are commonly served with flatbread, hummus, toum, tabbouleh, grilled vegetables, or other mezze. Recipes vary by household and region: some add garlic, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, or coriander, while others use different proportions of lamb and beef.
Kafta is related to the broader kofta family found across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, and North Africa. Adana kebab is a specifically Turkish spicy minced-meat kebab, lule kebab is associated with Armenian and neighboring cuisines, and shish kebab usually refers to cubed meat grilled on skewers. Kafta’s onion-and-parsley mixture is the key Lebanese clue.