Khabbousse

[Wolfert]

I would appreciate any memories or specifics on the dish called Khabbousse. The ingredients include Talami bread, samneh, and grape molasses. Does anyone from Lebanon know this dish?

Thank you,

Paula

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Edited September 2, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[Daniel Rogov]

Paula, Hello....

With apologies I have not encountered this dish. To add a perhaps humorous note, however, I did have a dining experience many years ago when riding in the caboose (the last car on a fright train) en route from western New York State to New York City, that involving hero sandwiches of such gigantic proportions that even with huge quantities of beer to wash them down there was simply no way for any ordinary mortal to finish them off even during the ten hour train trip.

As to the hero sandwiches, on what Americans call "Italian bread", each about 40 cm. in length, 12 cm. wide and packed with unbelievable amounts of sliced ham, Gruyere cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, pickled cucumbers, mayonnaise on one side of the bread, mustard on the other. A delicious experience.

Good luck on your hunt for the other khabousse.

Edited September 3, 2005 by Daniel Rogov (log)

[FoodMan]

Paula-

Unfortunately, I've never heard of this dish either. So, I turned to my reference for regional Lebanese food, Chef Ramzi's book. Looked it up and found it on page 380. Here is a rough translation of what he has to say:

"

This recipe is similar to the recipe we've seen under the name "babiya" in Mashghara, and under the name of "Hariq Isbaoo" (Burn the fingers) in the town of Ib Elias.

This specific recipe is from the town of Dahr El Ahmar in the Rashaia region. It's an ancient sweet dish and can be classified as winter food.

5 pieces Talami bread

2 Cups Samen (clarified butter)

4 Cups Grape Molasses

- Heat the molasses and add the samen.Stir until combined

- Cut the bread to pieces and add them to the molasses mixture.Stir until all the pieces are well covered with the syrup. Serve hot.

"

As usual the recipe seems to go overboard with the fat, so some altering will be needed.

Hope this helps

Elie

[Wolfert]

Thank you.

I think I will let this recipe go without any further research. What does the

word mean?

..........aside from Daniel's play on 'caboose.'

[FoodMan]

Thank you.

I think I will let this recipe go without any further research. What does the

word mean?

..........aside from Daniel's play on 'caboose.'

←

When you say something is "Mkhabbass" or is "Khabissa" you are conveying an end product that is mish mashed together without a clear clue of what it is! Perhaps something thrown together haphazardly. So in this case I would guess it stands for something along the lines of "A sticky mish mash" or "A sticky mess". Doesn't sound too appetizing, does it?

Elie

[archestratus]

Thank you.

I think I will let this recipe go without any further research. What does the

word mean?

..........aside from Daniel's play on 'caboose.'

←

When you say something is "Mkhabbass" or is "Khabissa" you are conveying an end product that is mish mashed together without a clear clue of what it is! Perhaps something thrown together haphazardly. So in this case I would guess it stands for something along the lines of "A sticky mish mash" or "A sticky mess". Doesn't sound too appetizing, does it?

Elie

←

Isn't it just derived from the root word for bread, khubz?

[Behemoth]

Isn't it just derived from the root word for bread, khubz?

←

Nah, I tend to think Elie is right on this one, otherwise the double s would be replaced by a "zain" sound. I am familiar with "Har'et issibou" (cuter name, too) and thought this sounded similar, but I was out of town so I couldn't look it up.

BTW, archistratus, this is totally off topic but humor me : my copy of cucina paradiso just came in the mail! Tummun is the word for rice in Iraq -- Now you have me wondering if it refers to the vessel "tummala" and shares a common ancestry with the Sicilian dish.

Sorry, please continue your regular topic

Edited September 7, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[FoodMan]

Behemoth is correct. The way the word is written in Arabic, with the letter that most resembles "ss" rather than the "z" one. So, I do not think it is refering to Khubz (bread).

Elie

[anzu]

Would someone be able to describe talami bread for me, please?

I may be totally off-base here, but it seems to me that this type of of dish (i.e. bread in pieces, added to a mixture) is frequently used with stale bread. Is that perhaps the case here, also?

Behemoth, would you know?

[FoodMan]

Talami dough as I know it usually inlcudes mahlab and is slighlty sweet. It is formed into rounds (about 5-6 inches in diameter) that are pretty thick and typically have ridges on them. The end result is a thick doughy piece of round sweet bread, usually served slathered with butter and sprinkled with sugar. My grandma always makes them when she bakes fresh bread in the "tanoor". I have never attempted to make them myself although I have one or two recipes including one in the aformentioned Chef Ramzi's book.