Ghorayeba
Shortbread-like cookies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghorayeba(h)[a] are a shortbread-type biscuit, usually made with ground almonds. Versions are found in most Arab, Balkan and Ottoman cuisines, with various different forms and recipes.[1][2] They are similar to polvorones from Andalusia.[3][4][5]
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A plate of Serbian-style Christmas gurabija | |
| Type | Shortbread |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Maghreb, West Asia, Balkans, Crimea |
| Main ingredients | Almond flour, sugar, egg white, vanilla |
In the Maghreb and Egypt, they are often served with Libyan tea, Arabic coffee or Maghrebi mint tea.
History
A recipe for a shortbread cookie similar to ghorayebah but without almonds—called in Arabic khushkanānaj gharīb (“exotic cookie”)—is given in the earliest known Arab cookbook, the 10th-century Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ.[6] The term kurabiye appears in Ottoman cuisine in the 15th century.[7] Proceedings of the 8th International Congress of Orientalists from 1889 describe Syrian ghraybe as a type of ma'amoul, shaped into small rings or hexagonal star-like forms, with no nut filling and a high butter content. They also described Egyptian ghurayba as a white, round biscuit-like cookie.[8]
Etymology
There is some debate about the origin of the words. Some give no other origin for the Turkish word kurabiye than Turkish, while others have given Arabic or Persian.[7] Among others, linguist Sevan Nişanyan has given an Arabic origin, in his 2009 book of Turkish etymology, from ġurayb or ğarîb (exotic).[9][10] However, as of 2019, Nişanyan's online dictionary now gives the earliest known recorded use in Turkish as the late 17th century, with an origin from the Persian gulābiya, a cookie made with rose water, from gulāb, related to flowers. He notes that the Syrian Arabic words ġurābiye/ġuraybiye derived from the Turkish.[11] Syrian historian Khayr al-Din al-Asadi attributes a Turkish origin to the word ghraiba used in Syrian Arabic.[12] According to food historian Gil Marks, ghraybeh is of Arabic origin.[2]
Regional variations
Crimea
Crimean Tatars call cookies khurabie (qurabiye, qurabye, къурабье, къурабие).
The Crimean Tatar kurabye has many forms, but basically it looks like a rhombus, or a combination of two or three rhombuses to form a flower, or it is cut in the shape of a crescent.
Crimean Tatars prepare kurabye as follows: powdered sugar is mixed with ghee, and then flour is added.
The finished khurabye is completely sprinkled with powdered sugar on all sides.[13][14]
Albania
Kurabie.[15]
Algeria
Ghribia (Algerian Arabic: غريبية)[16][17][18]
- Ghribia with almonds
- Ghribia with peanuts
- Ghribia with walnuts
- Ghribia with pistachios
Armenia
Khourabia[19] (Armenian: Ղուրաբիա) is the Armenian version sometimes referred to in English as Armenian butter cookie or Armenian shortbread cookie.[20] Khourabia was traditionally made with three ingredients: butter, sugar, and flour and usually shaped like bread, wheat ear, or horse shoe signifying health, wealth, and prosperity. It was mostly eaten during the Easter, Christmas and new year celebrations. Later, more ingredients were added, like eggs, cinnamon, and walnuts.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Gurabija in Bosnia is characterized by a sugar cube in the middle. In some regions, sugar is replaced by syrup from boiled indigenous fruits. In Tuzla, they are often prepared with apple molasses.[21] Gurabije are typically served with Bosnian coffee.
While the meal is mostly associated with the Muslim Bosniaks, a variant called Duvanjska gurabija is also made by the Catholic Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the area of Duvno.[21]
Bulgaria
Kurabii, a Bulgarian variety, is typically shaped into balls and dipped in coarse sugar before baking. It is especially popular during the holiday season. It is often stored in tightly closed containers for later use.[22]
Greece and Cyprus
The Greek version, called "kourabiedes"[23] or "kourabiethes"[1][2] (Greek: κουραμπιέδες; plural of kourabies κουραμπιές), resembles a light shortbread, typically made with almonds. Kourabiedes are sometimes made with brandy, usually Metaxa, for flavouring, though vanilla, mastika or rose water are also popular.[24] In some regions of Greece, Christmas kourabiedes are adorned with a single whole spice clove embedded in each biscuit.[25] Kourabiedes are shaped either into crescents or balls, then baked till slightly golden. They are usually rolled in icing sugar while still hot, forming a rich butter-sugar coating.[26] Kourabiedes are popular for special occasions, such as Christmas or baptisms.[27]
The Greek word "kourabiedes" comes from the Turkish word kurabiye,[28] which is related to ghorayeba, a family of Middle Eastern cookies.[29]
In Cyprus, they are often given as gifts to wedding attendees after the ceremony.
Iran
In Tabriz, qurabiya are made of almond flour, sugar, egg white, vanilla, margarine and a topping of coarsely crushed pistachio and almond. It is served by itself or with tea, customarily placed on top of the teacup to make it soft before eating.[30][31][32]
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Kuwait
Levant
Levantine ghraybeh is traditionally made for Eid alongside ma'amoul, it is made from flour or semolina flour, sugar, and samneh (clarified butter),[35][12][36] and traditionally flavored with rose water or orange flower water, and garnished with a single piece of pistachio.[12][35][37] A cookbook published in 1885 by Khalil Khattar Sarkis in Beirut titled Ustadh al-Tabbakhin provided several recipes for ghreybe (غريبة), the recipe called for baking a batter of samneh, sugar, rose water, and semolina.[8][38]
Libya
The cookie is known as ghraïba in Libya (Arabic: غريبة), common Libyan varieties include:
- Ghoriba with peanuts
- Ghoriba with almonds
- Ghoriba with walnuts[citation needed]
Morocco
Ghoriba (Moroccan Arabic: غْرِيبَة) in Morocco and other parts of the Maghreb, the popular cookies often use semolina instead of white flour, giving a distinctive crunch.[1][2]
The original ghoriba is made from flour and flavored with lemon or orange zest and cinnamon, this sweet is usually served at parties, accompanied by mint tea or coffee.[39] Ghoriba bahla is a Moroccan variation of ghoriba.[40]
- Mlouwza, made with almonds and sugar flavored with orange flower water[citation needed]
- Ghoriba dyal zite[citation needed]
- Ghoriba mramla[citation needed]
Saudi Arabia
Ghurēba/ghrēba (Arabic: غريبة), variants include:
- Ghurēba with pistachio
- Ghurēba with almonds
- Ghurēba with cardamom
Serbia
Gurabija has been a part of Serbian cuisine since medieval times. It is typically sweetened with honey. A variety called Hilandarska gurabija is associated with Eastern Orthodox monasteries.[21]
Turkey
The word kurabiye is used to refer to a variety of biscuits in Turkey, not necessarily local ones, although various types of local kurabiye are made; including acıbadem kurabiyesi and un kurabiyesi.
The 1844 Ottoman Turkish cookbook Melceü't-Tabbâhîn provided a recipe for bādèm ghurābiyyèssi (translated as "Almond cake" in the English edition), which describes "macaroon" sized almond "cakes" of ground almonds, eggs, sugar and spices.[41]
Flour kurabiya (Turkish: Un kurabiyesi) is a variety of kurabiye made with flour, typically made into an S-shape.[42] Typically served alongside tea or Turkish coffee, during social gatherings, holidays, and family visits. It is also commonly seen in Turkish patisseries.[43] Flour kurabiye are associated with Turkish home baking traditions. They are also known as Turkish shortbread. They are rolled into logs, sliced, and baked until just barely set.[44][self-published source]
Savory kurabiye, also known as tuzlu kurabiye, are made with similar methods in Turkish cuisine. Savory kurabiye are often flavored with vinegar and topped with sesame or nigella seeds.[45][self-published source]
Un kurabiyesi served with salep
Un kurabiyesi served with tea
Acıbadem kurabiyesi, Turkey
Tunisia
Ghraïba (Tunisian Arabic: غريبة)
- Ghraïba bidha, made with wheat flour
- Ghraïba droô, made with sorghum flour
- Ghraïba homs, made with chickpea flour
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