Kafta

1. 1Ground meat (lamb, beef, or a blend) is finely worked, not cubed
2. 2Parsley and grated/minced onion are kneaded through the meat
3. 3Allspice (and often cinnamon/pepper) gives the warm Levantine spicing
4. 4Shaped by hand around flat skewers and grilled over charcoal
5. 5Served as a grilled main or as part of a mezze spread

Kneading the meat with onion and parsley

Develops a cohesive, tender paste that holds on the skewer

Shaping onto flat skewers

Flat skewers grip the meat so it does not slide or spin over the fire

Char-grilling over charcoal

Smoke and sear are central to the flavour of kafta meshwiyeh

Served

Off the skewer onto a platter or flatbread, often with grilled vegetables

Temperature

hot

Portion

shared / mezze

Pairs with

flatbread · hummus · tabbouleh · grilled tomatoes · garlic sauce (toum)

• Lamb/beef blend → Chicken or turkeyadmissible

  Leaner versions exist but lose the traditional richness

• Allspice → Mixed warm spice (cinnamon, clove)admissible

  Acceptable approximation of the seven-spice profile

• Parsley + onion in the meat → Plain seasoned meatinadmissible

  Without parsley and onion it is generic kofta, not Levantine kafta

• Leaving the meat chunky instead of kneading to a cohesive paste
• Omitting parsley and onion, the signature fresh notes
• Skipping allspice, flattening the Levantine character
• Cooking without char so it tastes boiled rather than grilled

A core Levantine grilled-meat dish shared across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and beyond, part of the vast kofta family that spans the Middle East, South Asia and the Mediterranean.

Shared by: Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Jordan

1. 1.Levantine culinary tradition
2. 2.Middle Eastern cookbook scholarship

Confidence: high