The Middle Eastern dish made from crushed bulgur wheat and minced meat is called kibbeh, also spelled kibbe or kubba.
Kibbeh is a family of dishes found across the Levant and in neighboring regions, including Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, and parts of Iraq and Turkey. Its classic mixture combines finely crushed bulgur with minced meat—often lamb or beef—and ingredients such as onion, mint, spices, or nuts. The mixture may be shaped into football-like shells, patties, balls, or layered in a baking dish.
One well-known version, kibbeh nayyeh, is made from raw minced meat and bulgur and is served like a seasoned meat preparation. Other versions are baked, fried, grilled, or simmered. Fried kibbeh often has a crisp bulgur shell surrounding a filling of spiced meat, onions, and sometimes pine nuts.
Kibbeh is easy to confuse with kebab because both may involve seasoned meat, but kebab is a broader category of skewered or grilled dishes and does not specifically require bulgur. Tabbouleh is a bulgur-and-herb salad, while falafel is a fried legume-based food. Regional recipes differ, so “kibbeh” describes a family of preparations rather than one single shape.