Cherry kebab

Cherry Kebab (Arabic: كباب كرز) is a special kind of kebab, which is made with minced lamb and cherry. The name in Arabic is Kebab B’il Karaz. Additional names and varieties include kebab garaz (Jewish),^[1] cherry kabab, kabab bil karaz, cherry meatballs, kebab con cerezas (Mexican),^[2] and fishnah kabab (Armenian).^[3]

Place of occurrence

Cherry kebab is a specialty dish from Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria with heritage and history.^[4] Damascus cuisine belongs to the Levantine cuisine (also known as the Eastern Mediterranean) which includes more regions like Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and part of southern Turkey.^[5] So, cherry kebab is also found in those regions.

Specificity

Cherry kebab is a stew-like preparation.^[1] The specific of this dish is that the true version of cherry kebab requires the use of St. Lucie cherries.^[6] St. Lucie cherry (Prunus cerasus) is a small (8–10mm long), ovoid, bitter, crimson-colored cherry, smaller than its sweet counterpart. It comes in several varieties, including Aleppo, Montmorency, and Morello.^[7][8] Because it is sweet and sour at the same time, it perfectly blends with the richness of the lamb. Cherries give a beautiful bright purplish magenta color for this dish.

References